On my recent trip to my family's ancestral homeland of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (a tiny but proud nation wedged between France, Belgium, and Germany), I wasn't expecting to see many interesting old cars on the street. Then I spotted a late-third-generation Pontiac Firebird in the heart of Luxembourg City, and things got even better when I traveled to a nearby town a couple of days later.
Though I'd rented a Peugeot 208 and an Opel Mokka X (aka Buick Encore with manual transmission) on earlier trips to the region (loved the 208, loathed the Mokka X), I relied on Luxembourg's excellent (and free) public transportation for this trip. I'd been eating variations on one of Luxembourg's most beloved traditional dishes, Kniddelen mat Speck, at restaurants in the city and wanted to try the Iwwerbake Mielkniddele mat Ham a Kéis version (twice-baked dumplings with cheese and bacon) at the legendary Brideler Stuff restaurant. Afterwards, we got on the bus to get back to the city.
While waiting for a transfer at a bus stop a few kilometers down the road, I noted that urban-transit drinkers in Luxembourg have different tastes in tipple than do their American counterparts. Here are the remains of a quick Lux-style boilermaker, left behind by a bus passenger who preceded us: a 40ml flask of Pitz-Schweitzer quetsch eau-de-vie, washed down with a can of Belgium's favorite cheap yellow beer.
Then I glanced across the street and saw a Jaguar XJS and what sure looked like a Ferrari 400i.
Quickly heading over there, I found that both the Jag and the Ferrari were for sale. The asking price for the XJS was €26,000 (about $28,831) and the seller wanted €86,000 ($95,353) for the 400i Automatic.
Feeling pleased with myself for spotting these cars, I headed back to the bus stop after shooting a few photos.
Then I glanced up the street and saw… what's this?
Yes, a Lancia Fulvia Coupe, apparently of early-to-mid-1970s vintage.
It's got vintage Carello driving lights, Sabelt four-point seat harnesses, and a set of sticky (and useless in rain, of which there's plenty in Luxembourg) Toyo Proxes R888R tires.
The hood badge uses the European-style comma instead of the English-style decimal point for the engine displacement, so I'm calling this a 1,3S and not a 1.3S.
If the engine is stock, which is theoretically possible though not likely given the irresistible temptation to hot-rod a car like this, it sent 91 hp to the front wheels when it was new.
A car like this requires a Magneti Marelli decal on the fender. Now that Stellantis has absorbed Lancia, Dodge, and Chrysler, Mopar sells Magneti Marelli parts.
Would you put your own name on your Fulvia? Maybe so, but the owner of this Fulvia went with the names of Mario Manucci and Sandro Munari, the first Italians to win the Monte Carlo Rally. Naturally, they drove a Lancia Fulvia Coupe.
We can only hope this car commutes every day (though it would need different tires for the winter, of course).
On the way back to the city, I spotted this 1965 Mustang convertible on the road. After that, I picked up a stack of vintage European racing decals at a flea market. A fine day for Down on the Street, Luxembourg Edition.
