Lanicia Coupe Volumex

An imperfect classic

The principle of supercharging is as old as the hills, but it’s a brave manufacturer who re-introduces the system at a time when others pursue the “something for nothing” turbocharger route. But Lancias have always been a little different, and by adding the Roots-type Volumes supercharger to their two-litre engines in the pretty Coupe and the useful HPE the Italian company has extended its range with a pair of cars which will probably be regarded as classics in years to come, out of the same mould as the delightful Fulvia of yesteryear.

The long stroke, iron block engine comes from Fiat’s line, the bore and stroke of 84 x 90 mm giving a familiar 1,995 cc capacity. It is mounted transversely to drive the front wheels, and takes units Lancia identity with an alloy crossflow cylinder head, a twin overhead camshaft with a 65-degree layout, and a good old-fashioned Weber 36 DCA carburetter. The Volumes supercharger is at the front of the engine, alongside the carburetter and driven by a cogged belt direct from the crankshaft. There is an opaque float chamber at the top of the supercharger, and a note in the handbook warns the owner to check the level of the lubricating oil every 500 kilometres (about 300 miles), which could be a chore on a long journey.

The front-hinged homes allows limted accessibiliry to the engine. The supercharger tam the right of the engine, driven by a cogged belt direct from the crankshaft.

The object of supercharging was not so much to gain extra power as to increase the torque, and Lancia has been totally successful in this respect. Compared with the normally aspirated Coupe engine, which develops 122 bhp, the power has increased by an ultra-conservative 10.6 per cent to 135 bhp at the same engine speed, 5,500 rpm. Torque, however, has increased by 17.8 per cent, from 129 lb.ft at 2,800 rpm to 152 lb.ft at 3,000 rpm.

The normally aspirated engine is equipped with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection which is not suitable for the addition of a supercharger, and the power unit has undergone a number of other changes including reshaping the cylinder head and fitting new pistons to lower the compression ratio to 7.5:1, adoption of a competitions specification cylinder head gasket, sodium cooled exhaust valves and en-metal con-rod bearings. The lubrication and cooling systems have also been revised with a thermostatic by-pass oil cooler incorporated, and the exhaust system has been reworked.

There is much more to the Coupe Volumes than merely bolting on a supercharger, clearly, other modifications including closing the ratios on the five-speed gearbox, doubling the springs on the clutch pressure plate and fitting stiffer road springs, while from the outside the Volumes version is distinguished by its black-painted air dam and a miniature rear spoiler across the boot lid.

The result of all this work is a vivacious the boot lid. unmistakable hallmark of Lancia’s pedigree, selling for a very reasonable £7,995 which is some £719 dearer than the injected Coupe IE. The purchase price is one thing, but the owner then faces running costs which include an average fuel consumption in the very low 20’s which is quite unacceptable in this era; our best conswnption figure was 23.5 mpg, our worst 19.3 mpg, seemingly made all the worse by the poor range per tank. According to the brochures the tank holds 52 litres of fuel (11.4 gallons), but the yellow warning light comes on “solid” when eight gallons have been used, giving the car a comfortable touring range of only 160-180 miles.

We would not expect a carburated engine to be as fuel efficient as one with electronic ignition, and neither would we expect a supercharged engine to be as economical as a normally aspirated unit — even so, a target consumption figure some 25% better should have been a prime objective of the development team, together with making better use of the capacity of the fuel tank. Some family cars of comparable performance are capable of returning better than 30 mpg in similar conditions, and there are machines with almost twice as much power which give consumption figures similar to the Lancia’s.

Having got our main complaint out of the way, more about the car, a mixture of unaariYed driving pleasure and infuriating criticisms. We would regard the Pininfarina styled Coupe as being one of the prettiest available, the VX version’s additions keeping the styling up to date. It is marketed as a two-plus-two, but only achieves this by restricting the seat runners So that anyone over 5 ft 9 in is short of legroom; if the driving seat went back as far taller Person would like, it would be a two-plus-one! The seats are by Recaro, ecl with Ermenegildo Zegna woo) says here) and with adjustable –wes to support the thighs — or would support the thighs of a shorter driver. Ours were always well clear of the cushion’s leading edge, contact being only through the buttocks and the backrest.

There are some very nice features to be found inside the car, including back-lit coloured symbols on the rocker switches making them very easily located at night, and twin push-button interior lights overhead, one to illuminate the cabin and another being a swivelling pencil beam for map reading. The bronze tinted windows are electrically operated, a manual sunroof is fitted, and the instrument tableau is well laid out with a rev-counter matching the speedometer, having a green sector from 1,600 rpm to 3,000 rpm “for economical driving”, and the red sector starting at 6,300 rpm

MacPherson strut suspension is fitted at the front and rear with anti-roll bars, the rear one also acting as a radius rod. The Coupe has servo-assisted rack and pinion steering, and solid discs all round also with a servo. Cromodora alloy wheels come as standard with Pirelli P6 tyres.

A brisk performer