An old Lancia that has been parked on an Italian street for 47 years and has become a tourist attraction is going to be removed, restored and turned into a monument.
Angelo Fregolent, 94, parked his Lancia Fulvia 1962 outside the newsagent he ran with his wife, Bertilla Modolo, in the Italian town of Conegliano in 1974.
Angelo told Il Gazzettino: “I ran the newsstand under the house for 40 years together with my wife Bertilla, ten years younger than me.
He added: “When I opened the business, I was happy to have the Lancia Fulvia parked in front of it because I had the newspapers unloaded in the trunk and then I took them inside.”
When the couple retired they left the car parked in its usual spot and it has since become emblematic of the old Italian town.
Tourists and locals started snapping selfies with the old car which became increasingly famous as the pictures circulated on social media.
But local officials have now decided it is time to move the old Lancia that has spent nearly five decades outside the newsagents.
The car was removed last month (20th October) and transferred to the Auto e Moto d’Epoca Motorshow in Padua where it was on display alongside dozens of other timeless classic cars.
It was then sent to a workshop in the northeastern city of Vicenza where the damage done to the car from the elements over the last 47 years is being carefully restored.
The restored car will then be placed outside a local school just next to Angelo and Bertilla’s house which means they will be able to admire their old car from their window whilst tourists pass by to snap selfies.
The locals were relieved to hear that the car would not be scrapped as it has become a part of the town’s fabric.
Luca Zaia, a local 42-year-old resident, told Il Gazzettino: “The car has been parked there since I was going to school.”
The Fulvia was designed by Piero Castagnero and became renowned in the world of motorsport after successfully competing in the 1972 International Rally Championship.
Local media did not report on the exact date restoration on the Lancia will be completed.
