Fiat 238 Furgone Van Lancia Reparto Corse 1971 IXO Models 1:43

The Fiat 238 Furgone was a fixture in the paddocks and service parks of Italian and international rallying throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lancia Reparto Corse, the factory's official motorsport division, operated a fleet of these vans as mobile service units during the 1971 International Rally Championship — the same season in which the Lancia Fulvia HF 1.6 secured the manufacturers' title. IXO Models documents this overlooked but historically significant corner of rally history in resin at 1:43.

The Fiat 238: Italy's Workhorse of the Early 1970s

Launched in 1967, the Fiat 238 was a light commercial vehicle derived from the earlier Fiat 1100T platform and powered by a petrol inline-4 engine from the Fiat 1100/1300 family. The Furgone body variant offered a practical load bay that made it the default choice for Italian commercial operators — and, crucially, for motorsport support operations that required a reliable, parts-carrying van capable of reaching remote service points. By 1971 the 238 was well-established on Italian roads and gravel stages alike.

Lancia Reparto Corse and the 1971 Rally Season

The 1971 International Rally Championship represented the peak of the Lancia Fulvia HF's competitive life. Lancia Reparto Corse, the factory racing department, co-ordinated a full works effort that year, with service crews travelling between stages in 238 Furgone vans loaded with spare parts and tools. These vehicles carried the official Reparto Corse livery and were as much a part of the team's visual identity as the Fulvia HF itself. Winning the manufacturers' title that year, Lancia's 1971 campaign is now regarded as defining the heroic era of Italian rallying.

IXO Models Rally Assistance Car Series: Resin at 1:43

IXO Models produces this Fiat 238 Furgone under their Rally Assistance Car series — one of the very few systematic efforts by any manufacturer to model the service and support vehicles of rally history. The model is rendered in resin, a material well-suited to capturing the relatively flat panel surfaces and small-scale livery graphics of a commercial van at 1:43. Resin construction also allows crisper reproduction of the Reparto Corse lettering and colour scheme than a diecast equivalent would typically permit.

In the Display Cabinet

This model reads best alongside a Lancia Fulvia HF 1.6 from the 1971 rally season — the works car it directly supported. Within a broader IXO Rally Assistance Car series collection, it pairs naturally with other assistance vans from the same era, such as Ford Transit or Citroën HY models in factory team liveries. For Lancia marque collectors, it offers a coherent narrative thread running from the 1971 Fulvia campaign through to the subsequent Stratos years, documenting Reparto Corse's sustained factory involvement across the early decade of international rallying.