1981 Lancia Beta Spider 2000

[GC8]

...and I was searching for a Trevi Volumex before that, too. That HPE in red is very attractive, too and it really suit the facelifted series two car.

I suspect that theyre worth a good deal more now than they were when I owned one and they were only five years old?

[Steffan]

I suspect you are right, The Lancia marque disappeared for years in the UK following the rust scandal with engines literally falling out. One of my pals had one literally drop out on the A34 in Sparkbrook in 1984. It was less that two years old at the time. They were valueless then. If they have survived (and clearly some have) they are a very driveable machine and worth money I expect. beautiful cars to drive and real drivers cars and very rewarding cars. Only the then (now cured) rust bug held them back a biot like Vauxhall in the 1950's. Very popular cars in Italy upmarket to the Fiat and Alfa ranges in the eyes of Italians. Very well finished good cachet. I wonder if they will come back in the UK?

[GC8]

Honestly, what utter twaddle.

[anonymous-user]

That's a pretty harsh description for me thread, chap!

[MarshPhantom]

Breadvan72 said:

No custard, but have some Chiltern chalky mud and a few sandbags left over from the floods. Here is the Yarmouth parked up while we nommed some posh choff at the most excellent Shepherd's Crook in Crowell, Oxon, a few miles from where the Volumex now lives. It will be getting its own thread but not for a little while, as I want to get to know the car a bit more before posting a load of old bollix about it.

Looks great.

The Yarmouth?

[gforceg]

Yarmouth bloater = motor.

I had to look it up too.


Great looking car BV, looking forward to more when you've got to know it a bit. Was it bought in Bath by any chance?

Edited by gforceg on Monday 24th February 07:41

[anonymous-user]

Cheers! I bought the car from a chap in Lincolnshire. He placed an ad on another site. I replied within minutes of the ad going up, and a short while and one phone call later we had a deal. By coincidence, I had almost bought the exact same car from a bloke in Edinburgh in 2011, but at that time cashflow defeated me, so I bought it from the bloke who bought it then.

Don't tell me that there is or was one for sale in Bath as that will only make me paranoid that I missed a better one than this! Frankly, however, given the fair price and good condition of A144 KEL I would be daft to look elsewhere.

BTW, the handbook that comes with A144 KEL used to belong to A20 HPE, which was a silver car. I have not checked to see if it still lives.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th February 09:36

[gforceg]

I don't know of one but the buildings in the pre-sale pictures looked quite Bath-ish. Good story about finally getting the car at the second time of asking.

What's the skinny with the S2 Landy you scooped up?

[anonymous-user]

I think that the Georgian background to those pics is Edinburgh. Nowt wrong with using slightly old photos to sell a car so long as car has not changed much since they were taken, IMO, and in the present instance the car seems to be much as it was when it changed hands in 2011, but has had the benefit of being used a bit since then, always a good thing for an old car. BTW, the car seems to have started its UK life in Dundee, according to the papers with the car, which include its original 6 year anti rust warranty (IIRC Lancia was the first manufacturer to offer such a warranty in the UK, as a too little, too late response to the rust problems with earlier Betas. It did not save their UK market).

I will write up the Series 3 Landy on a separate thread in a bit. For now, here are some pics, and there is a little more info about it on my thread in RR called "The Five Hundred Quid Range Rover" (the Landy is a replacement for that), and a CSB about it on the "What has your friend been up to?" thread in GG.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th February 09:32

[Steffan]

Breadvan72 said:

I think that the Georgian background to those pics is Edinburgh. Nowt wrong with using slightly old photos to sell a car so long as car has not changed much since they were taken, IMO, and in the present instance the car seems to be much as it was when it changed hands in 2011, but has had the benefit of being used a bit since then, always a good thing for an old car. BTW, the car seems to have started its UK life in Dundee, according to the papers with the car, which include its original 6 year anti rust warranty (IIRC Lancia was the first manufacturer to offer such a warranty in the UK, as a too little, too late response to the rust problems with earlier Betas. It did not save their UK market).

I will write up the Series 3 Landy on a separate thread in a bit. For now, here are some pics, and there is a little more info about it on my thread in RR called "The Five Hundred Quid Range Rover" (the Landy is a replacement for that), and a CSB about it on the "What has your friend been up to?" thread in GG.

Edited by Breadvan72 on Monday 24th February 09:32

I look forward to all the threads. Some years ago I bought a big house and many outbuildings near Alcester and there was a 1949 Series One Landrover in one of the sheds. I paid the vendor separately (£1000 I think) it was very well preserved the bulkhead was in good nick and it looked like the historic vehicle it was but was covered in rubbish and required days to get it out. I got it back on the road with very little work required brake bleed, free the clutch etc and then remembered how the Burman recirculating ball system was a real acquired taste. Not to mention the drum brakes! Brakes but not as we now know them!

Progress OTR was very much like sailing a bloody big barge it wandered happily all over the place and was a real handful. Very reliable happily trundling along but only just. Kept it for eight years but then sold it to buy another couple of kit cars (my primary remaining vice) to the first buyer to arrive (from Ireland). It was always going to sell because from memory it had done 64,000 genuine miles with all the history and had been well laid up for twenty years at least. Still on the road and I expect it will well outlast me!

[MarshPhantom]

Spotted a Gamma Coupe in East London earlier, it was getting a bit dark but looked to be a dark blue colour.

[bomma220]

Hello again BV, glad you found the link re the Lancia/Scirocco /Capri of interest, thought it'd be a bit of nostalgia if nothing else!
Have read this thread with great interest, I did post about my brief encounter with a 2000 Coupe a few pages ago. Anyhow, this whole thing has led me to seriously think about delving into Lancia territory again... can I ask your advice on divorce proceedings?
Only joking You do seem to have a very good understanding of all things Lancia, can I ask please; should I look for a standard Coupe or HPE, or is the Volumex worth searching out?
Bearing in mind this will be a 'fun car' and not intended to break any track records, could you offer any advice please?
Many thanks, Bomma.

[anonymous-user]

I am no expert on Lancias, but do like them.

The normally aspirated two litre twin cam that powers most Coupes and all of the Spiders seems well up to the job. Many say that the 1600 is fine too, but I have never tried one. I like the Volumex so far, as its adds pace and urge, but the non supercharged cars are brisk enough and a bit less thirsty.

Betas have great handling, good brakes, and perfectly OK if not super fabby five speed gearboxes. Late ones are often no more rusty than any other car from the beginning of the 80s, and many have been restored and rust proofed, so most with MoTs are probably fairly OK, but take care, obviously.

There is a range of Coupes and a couple of Spyders for sale on Car and Classic at the moment. No HPEs for sale that I know of.

I am also thinking of selling my Spyder, if you are interested. I cannot justify having two Lancias, and the convertible slot in the fleet can be taken by a 2001 Pug 206 CC that my wife is getting for her birthday (the only car that can make an MX 5 look butch).

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th February 21:42

[mybrainhurts]

Breadvan72 said:

Cheers! I bought the car from a chap in Lincolnshire.

Blimey, he didn't make you marry his sheep, did he?

[anonymous-user]

Only one of the pretty ones. The car has been converted to run on spud juice.

[TypeR]

Spotted the Breadvan Lancia on Sunday at the top of Aston Hill.
A very nice bolide for sunny Sunday cruising. I'm slightly jealous.
I had a Beta coupe when I was a lot younger, bought in great haste from Brentford Auctions. Not only did I pay too much, but I didn't notice it was an auto 'til I got halfway to the M4, then I discovered it only worked in 1st & 2nd gear!!
I still loved it, and it kept my Alfasud Ti good company.

[anonymous-user]

One of the Beta Coupes on sale at present is an earlyish 1600 with the more 70s style interior, arguably more groovy than the later style of interior.

The instrumentation in these cars is comprehensive, but a bit poorly laid out and fiddly to scan quickly.

[anonymous-user]

BTW, I think that Beta Coupes look best in dark blue or silver, HPEs in gunmetal grey, and Spyders in red.

[bomma220]

Many thanks for your advice BV, I'm concentrating on property projects at the mo but may well be interested in your Spyder if it's still available in a a couple of months... thanks again

[anonymous-user]

This review slightly overstates its case (go kart steering wheel? come off it!), and seems mistakenly to think that the Lampredi engine was only fitted in the Volumex, but some of what it says is right.


http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-re...