RE: SOTW: Lancia Beta Coupe 2000ie

[TVRWannabee]

I had a HPE 2000IE for a number of years and it never missed a beat (oh, apart from that time it broke down in the middle of nowhere with the new girlfriend in the passenger seat - but it did me a favour that night...). As it was a late model it also never suffered from rust.

It drove beautifully (and was practical of course)and I regretted selling it.

[te55gib]

My mum had a 1980 spider (Targa roof panel and soft rear hood) from when I was two years old. Growing up, I lived for the day I could drive it, so I never quite forgave my dad for selling it after 15 years and 53000 miles, two weeks before I passed my test (and it was still passing its MOT Without serious pain). He said at the time it was for my own good, that if he hadn't sold it I might be tempted to 'borrow' it while they were on holiday. can't imagine what he meant.......

I'm a bit older and wiser now, and I know I'd probably have seriously maimed if not killed myself in it, but I still find myself going 'hmmm, I could park the other car in the street and that in the driveway under wraps' (as I am now) every time I see a tidy one. shame the wife doesn't think that way......

[someoneelse]

Have you picked this in homage to its appearance in last week's Top Gear? I rather enjoyed the neatly choreographed spectacle of Hammond and Clarkson driving along as the Beta coupé disintegrated around them...

[edh]

Takes me back - my first "proper" car was a dark blue 2 litre coupe - looked beautiful and sounded fantastic. I'm not sure the driving experience would be quite as good these days (my previous and first car was a chrysler avenger) but I'd love to try one again.

[King Fisher]

Doesn't do it for me at all.

Doesn't look good, doesn't sound good, hasn't anything that makes me say "wow". Lancia = Rustbucket. One of my former colleagues had the engine actually drop out of his Beta on the M1 at 70mph as the engine mounts corroded through . Enough said.

[Tracked_Out]

Looks like an X1/9 Gran Finale in the background in the last photo. Owner must have a soft spot for old Italian metal...

[V6Alfisti]

I really like this...just wish it was £400 to meet the requirements of a £400 challenge I am doing with my friends next year (All the way to the ring, go round and back...reckon it will make it?)

[mybrainhurts]

That takes me back.

Had a Spider in that colour from new. Lovely car, bar the rust....

Used to drop the hood behind the roll bar, pop three kids in the child seats and clip the hood back up.

Far easier than faffing about with doors...

Edited by mybrainhurts on Saturday 30th January 17:18

[errek72]

Fwd so no pants arousal. Still, pretty cool first car.

[hamishg]

I had a 1980 2 litre coupe as my first car around 15 years ago. Pale blue, grey cloth, alloys, straight through exhaust and a cassette player and graphic equalizer with Van Halen stuck in it. Windows were held up by bits of wood, drivers seat lop sided as the floor was rotting away, boot opened when you went over bumps, you could see through big rust holes in the front wings and sills, one of the front headlights also kept popping out, passenger door held closed by a coat hanger, sunroof leaked, heater fan packed up etc etc.
But... it always started, mechanically it was reliable and it sounded fabulous. Loved it.

[mikEsprit]

spoonoff said:

That is a properly handsome beast.

Handsome is the word I was thinking, too, and I don't know that I've ever thought of a car as being handsome before.

[noclue]

Im tempted, sure I could squeeze it in next to the 75 in the garage and give the wife 2 endless money pits to winge about

[inthedark]

Sorry Kingfisher, but I seriously doubt that an engine could fall out of a front
wheel drive car (subframe might drop a bit at the back)

[LuS1fer]

inthedark said:

Sorry Kingfisher, but I seriously doubt that an engine could fall out of a front
wheel drive car (subframe might drop a bit at the back)

I did read of one that did but the problem of the corroded box section which permitted the subframe to become loose was widely exaggerated by the gutter press and media and despite Lancia's efforts to make good on all the affected 1972-1975 Betas, even up to 6 years old, Lancia's reputation was destroyed for the sake of wowee journalism.

[DELTAHPE]

King Fisher said:

Doesn't do it for me at all.

. One of my former colleagues had the engine actually drop out of his Beta on the M1 at 70mph as the engine mounts corroded through . Enough said.

bar stool expert stuff, it simply isn't possible only the rear mounts were affected and only on the very earliest cars the worst case scenario was that the mounts would cause the subframe to drop slightly at the back many other manufacturers cars were no better or even worse (remember ford front strut top mounts? I seem to remember you could even buy repair panels from you local factors it was so prevalent) they just weren't daft enough to buy the cars back, goes down as one of the worst PR moves of the twentieth century. Betas actually rust far worse at the back than the front. The Beta was a remarkable design for its era and is still a great drive today. the best info on the rust scandal is provided in the book 'turning back the clock' by Geoff Owen welll worth a read if you are remotely interested there are several pages about it in there

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:37

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:40

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:40

[rallycross]

I always thought they were great cars, and as a second hand buy back in the day they were an absolute bargain, (thanks to the much over exaggerated rust issues).

I had an S reg 1600 HPE S1, then a 1300cc twin cam Coupe S2 (V reg) and two of the S3 models, one HPE 2000ie (Y) reg and a VX coupe (A reg?).


You got all of the following (which at the time was pretty impressive)


disk brakes all round
twin cam
5 speed
clever suspension (wishbones all round?)
PAS
a nice interior
a dash with all sorts of fancy guages - like oil pressure and oil temp!


Now at the time the alternatives were things like Capri, Manta, Datsun SSS, and the Beta coupe/HPE was miles ahead of any of that stuff, and so much cheaper.

And the engine never fell out of any of the ones I owned, that only affected S1 beta saloons....


Great SOTW

[Strider]

Exceptionally good reply there from Deltahpe. And the recomendation for Geoff Owen's fantastic insight into the seadier side of post-war motor trading is spot on. If I had space, I'd buy this shed. In my view the coupe is actually nicer than the Monte, with safe brakes, better refinement, reduced moonlighting as a firelighter and you're not so likely to understeer into a duck pond. Could I recomend the 1600? They had a shorter stroke and a lovely revvyness that the 2000 couldnt replicate. And there's such sport motoring on a twinchoke carburettor.

DELTAHPE said:

King Fisher said:

Doesn't do it for me at all.

. One of my former colleagues had the engine actually drop out of his Beta on the M1 at 70mph as the engine mounts corroded through . Enough said.

bar stool expert stuff, it simply isn't possible only the rear mounts were affected and only on the very earliest cars the worst case scenario was that the mounts would cause the subframe to drop slightly at the back many other manufacturers cars were no better or even worse (remember ford front strut top mounts? I seem to remember you could even buy repair panels from you local factors it was so prevalent) they just weren't daft enough to buy the cars back, goes down as one of the worst PR moves of the twentieth century. Betas actually rust far worse at the back than the front. The Beta was a remarkable design for its era and is still a great drive today. the best info on the rust scandal is provided in the book 'turning back the clock' by Geoff Owen welll worth a read if you are remotely interested there are several pages about it in there

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:37

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:40

Edited by DELTAHPE on Friday 4th December 18:40

[Strider]

You Sir, are a man of true style and taste. A very fine selection.

rallycross said:

I always thought they were great cars, and as a second hand buy back in the day they were an absolute bargain, (thanks to the much over exaggerated rust issues).

I had an S reg 1600 HPE S1, then a 1300cc twin cam Coupe S2 (V reg) and two of the S3 models, one HPE 2000ie (Y) reg and a VX coupe (A reg?).


You got all of the following (which at the time was pretty impressive)


disk brakes all round
twin cam
5 speed
clever suspension (wishbones all round?)
PAS
a nice interior
a dash with all sorts of fancy guages - like oil pressure and oil temp!


Now at the time the alternatives were things like Capri, Manta, Datsun SSS, and the Beta coupe/HPE was miles ahead of any of that stuff, and so much cheaper.

And the engine never fell out of any of the ones I owned, that only affected S1 beta saloons....


Great SOTW

Edited by Strider on Friday 4th December 20:30

[Justayellowbadge]

Some outstanding lurking there, Strider.

A shame, as anyone called Richard with a fondness for Lancia could only ever be a positive asset to the forums.

[muppet42]

And of course, in very vague silhouette form the Montecarlo version of the Beta did provide the base for a rather decent rally car as well...

Edited by muppet42 on Friday 4th December 19:28