Lancia Beta Coupe. Info needed please
Discussion
My very 1st foray into buying at Auction was in the late 80's when I acquired a Blue Beta Coupe from an auction site in Brentford.
Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
TypeR said:
My very 1st foray into buying at Auction was in the late 80's when I acquired a Blue Beta Coupe from an auction site in Brentford.
Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
Can’t really help you answer the question, other than to say all Beta’s were great cars and do much better than the competition. The Auto option would have been deeply unpopular on the used market, that may explain why your car was in the auction. The manual versions were always good sellers on the used market in the 80’s with people in the know as they were so much better than contemporary Manta’s and Capri’s. Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
TypeR said:
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I think the pertinent question is, how many survived?I went to view a blue Beta Coupe in the early 80's. I didn't know much about cars back then so I (luckily) took my Dad with me.
The car drove well and (orange interior aside
) was just what I was after and I was ready to buy it until we looked under the bonnet, at which point my Dad pointed out the corrosion all around the top of the engine bay - it looked like a 'dotted line' ready to break off and the whole bay fall out.Considering this was a fairly new car at the time, 40+ years ago, I can't see it being still in existence.
I worked at an Alfa and Lancia garage as a student and the owner's daughter had a pre facelift chrome bumper Beta Spyder they must have taken as a part ex - it was fantastic, only a 1600 but it had a full set of instruments and made a fantastic noise. Also there was something so ridiculously glamorous about seeing a 20 something woman driving a drop top Italian in 1980s Dorset!
The Beta of the day would have had a 5 speed manual, so the alternative of a slush-o-matic 3 speeder could not have been at all tempting. It was only an option on the later facelift cars so UK numbers would have been tiny. Even the few US bound cars were mainly manual.
The Beta of the day would have had a 5 speed manual, so the alternative of a slush-o-matic 3 speeder could not have been at all tempting. It was only an option on the later facelift cars so UK numbers would have been tiny. Even the few US bound cars were mainly manual.
Rob 131 Sport said:
TypeR said:
My very 1st foray into buying at Auction was in the late 80's when I acquired a Blue Beta Coupe from an auction site in Brentford.
Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
Can t really help you answer the question, other than to say all Beta s were great cars and do much better than the competition. The Auto option would have been deeply unpopular on the used market, that may explain why your car was in the auction. The manual versions were always good sellers on the used market in the 80 s with people in the know as they were so much better than contemporary Manta s and Capri s. Being very excited and with a few quid in my pocket 20 year old me was like a kid in a sweetshop.
I bid on and won the Lancia without really looking at it properly. It was only when I jumped in it to drive it home that I realised it was an automatic.
Having seen an identical car on one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour reruns recently, I idly wondered if it could be my old car.
So my question is, how many Blue Auto Beta Coupes did Lancia sell in the UK?
I would imagine that the Auto option was not a top seller.
....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
andrewcliffe said:
I know a couple of Betas with automatic gearboxes.
We're talking to someone about converting theirs to manual as they have a problem with the automatic gearbox.
I had a Gamma with an automatic box - absolutely terrible, always slipping out of gear at traffic lights. Mind you that was the least of the problems...We're talking to someone about converting theirs to manual as they have a problem with the automatic gearbox.
biggbn said:
Whilst they were definitely more sophisticated than Capri and Manta, were they really so much better. Than the Capri? Probably...in fact, definitely. But the Manta was a brilliant rwd handler, had strong engines, nice interiors and a brilliant driving position. I know this is subjective but I'd have a good Manta over a Beta coupe any day...
....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
I had a manual Fiat 132 1800ES and a few years later a mate had an Auto version of the same car, but the Auto ruined the Lampredi twin-cam experience. ....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
My 2000 GLS Cavalier Sportshatch (Manta with Vauxhall badging) did handle well but none of the cars mentioned here would have got near my 2.8i Capris!
But I loved the idea of a Volumex Beta Coupe.
wjs1968 said:
I had a Gamma with an automatic box - absolutely terrible, always slipping out of gear at traffic lights. Mind you that was the least of the problems...
Converted a Gamma to manual gearbox once the AP automatic gearbox started giving problems. Thats been fine for a long time. Have two Gammas in our workshops recently, one manual, one auto.andrewcliffe said:
Converted a Gamma to manual gearbox once the AP automatic gearbox started giving problems. Thats been fine for a long time. Have two Gammas in our workshops recently, one manual, one auto.
Not B519PGX by any chance? It was advertised on eBay in the last year or so and I was sure the advert said it had been convertedHaving grown up in a Ford household (Dad was a senior technician for a Ford dealership) I was obsessed by hot Capris and Escorts as a lad - until I bought a 1981 2.0 Beta Coupe in the late nineties and the scales fell from my eyes.
Wonderful handling, 5 speed box, disc brakes all round, great styling (not as crisp as the Gamma but still miles above the Capri and Manta) it still puzzles me why they are still so cheap. They are slowly creeping - I tried to buy a lovely silver 1300 from Italy around 8 years but Brexit just made it too hard...
Edited by wjs1968 on Friday 15th May 17:36
biggbn said:
Whilst they were definitely more sophisticated than Capri and Manta, were they really so much better. Than the Capri? Probably...in fact, definitely. But the Manta was a brilliant rwd handler, had strong engines, nice interiors and a brilliant driving position. I know this is subjective but I'd have a good Manta over a Beta coupe any day...
....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
One coming up ....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
https://www.manorparkclassics.com/auction/lot/lot-...
wjs1968 said:
Not B519PGX by any chance? It was advertised on eBay in the last year or so and I was sure the advert said it had been converted
Having grown up in a Ford household (Dad was a senior technician for a Ford dealership) I was obsessed by hot Capris and Escorts as a lad - until I bought a 1981 2.0 Beta Coupe in the late nineties and the scales fell from my eyes.
Wonderful handling, 5 speed box, disc brakes all round, great styling (not as crisp as the Gamma but still miles above the Capri and Manta) it still puzzles me why they are still so cheap. They are slowly creeping - I tried to buy a lovely silver 1300 from Italy around 8 years but Brexit just made it too hard...
No, another one. Coming up for sale soon as the owner is planning on selling it as part of a downsizing exercise - he's had it since 1993 from memory.Having grown up in a Ford household (Dad was a senior technician for a Ford dealership) I was obsessed by hot Capris and Escorts as a lad - until I bought a 1981 2.0 Beta Coupe in the late nineties and the scales fell from my eyes.
Wonderful handling, 5 speed box, disc brakes all round, great styling (not as crisp as the Gamma but still miles above the Capri and Manta) it still puzzles me why they are still so cheap. They are slowly creeping - I tried to buy a lovely silver 1300 from Italy around 8 years but Brexit just made it too hard...
Edited by wjs1968 on Friday 15th May 17:36
Mr Tidy said:
biggbn said:
Whilst they were definitely more sophisticated than Capri and Manta, were they really so much better. Than the Capri? Probably...in fact, definitely. But the Manta was a brilliant rwd handler, had strong engines, nice interiors and a brilliant driving position. I know this is subjective but I'd have a good Manta over a Beta coupe any day...
....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
I had a manual Fiat 132 1800ES and a few years later a mate had an Auto version of the same car, but the Auto ruined the Lampredi twin-cam experience. ....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
My 2000 GLS Cavalier Sportshatch (Manta with Vauxhall badging) did handle well but none of the cars mentioned here would have got near my 2.8i Capris!
But I loved the idea of a Volumex Beta Coupe.
wjs1968 said:
biggbn said:
Whilst they were definitely more sophisticated than Capri and Manta, were they really so much better. Than the Capri? Probably...in fact, definitely. But the Manta was a brilliant rwd handler, had strong engines, nice interiors and a brilliant driving position. I know this is subjective but I'd have a good Manta over a Beta coupe any day...
....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
One coming up ....that said...the one I adored was the 1300 coupe. Engine was an absolute gem and it was so light on its feet. The Beta we owned wasn't a Coupe it was a 2 litre HPE but I can remember it well. Loved that car but it did not entertain in nearly such high measure as my old Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta!! Can also remember both Beta and Manta being held in a three car drag on the back roads by a Fuego 2 litre!!...a Fuego Turbo has always been one of my favourites and I owned one briefly. It worked well once...
https://www.manorparkclassics.com/auction/lot/lot-...
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