However, if you can overlook its shortcomings, an example like the 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato recently offered for sale on eBay is one of the cheapest ways to enter the Italian sports car club.
A New Direction for a Storied Company
In the late 1960s, Lancia, an Italian luxury brand, struggled to sell cars. Then, in 1969, mainstream Fiat scooped up the company and demanded that Lancia cut costs and produce its next model in an abbreviated timeline of only three years. The quickest answer was to pick components out of the Fiat parts bin, causing much consternation among the Lancia faithful.
Shop now for LanciasThe engineers pulled off a miracle, meeting the 1972 Turin Motor Show debut deadline while retaining much of the Lancia-ness that fans craved. The first models were front-engined, front-wheel-drive sedans resembling elongated five-door hatchbacks. Lancia followed up quickly with a shortened wheelbase coupe, an open-top Spider, and a shooting brake called the HPE. There was even the Beta Montecarlo, a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car.
It was technologically advanced, too. It ran a Fiat-based engine with twin cams, an aluminum head, and hemispherical combustion chambers. In addition, all Betas came with a five-speed manual transmission derived from Fiat’s partnership with Citroen at a time when even Corvettes made do with just four speeds. Moreover, reviews of the day noted that the sporty coupe and Spider were great fun to drive and to look at, thanks to a four-wheel independent suspension, anti-roll bars, rack-and-pinion steering, and four-wheel disc brakes. These were exotic features in the 1970s.
The car inspired Lancia to dive into the US market in 1975 after sporadic sales in the previous decades. In the US, the Spider was renamed the Zagato, so not to cause confusion with the Alfa Romeo Spider. Likewise, the Montecarlo was renamed the Scorpion to not upset Chevrolet.
A Proper Italian Car Has Proper Italian Character
Unfortunately, the Betas also fell victim to Italian quality issues. In the UK, Lancia was forced to buy back a lot of cars. In particular, they were prone to rust due to the use of Soviet steel, which came in a deal that traded 124 expertise to Lada.
On the bright side, the example for sale is rust-free in the photos. The seller notes a one-inch surface rust spot around the window but nothing else. This car was well-kept and likely garaged for much of its life, based on the body and interior condition. A five-digit odometer reads just under 32,000 miles.
The example for sale also happens to be a Special Edition finished in exclusive black with a gold stripe. It’s also fitted with a 2.0-liter fuel-injected engine, the best engine Lancia offered on the Beta, except for the supercharged motor on the VX trim. That engine never made it stateside, as it was introduced in 1983. Reliability issues tanked Lancia’s US venture in 1982.
For $14,995, this is a chance to own a unique and well-regarded Italian sports car. Of course, you’ll have to deal with gremlins, but without them, it wouldn’t be a true Italian classic.
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