RE: SOTW: Lancia Beta Coupe 2000ie
Discussion
Sorry Richard, I dont understand. If one of my posts is upsetting I'll delete it. Really dont want to upset anyone.
Justayellowbadge said:
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.
A shame, as anyone called Richard with a fondness for Lancia could only ever be a positive asset to the forums.
DELTAHPE 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
Well said. I'm still waiting to see photographic evidence of the 'engine falling out' story. Granted, anything Fiat-related of this vintage will be very rusty unless copious amounts of TLC have been lavished upon it. But as you say, that's the case with many other marques from the same era. Edited by flat16 on Friday 4th December 20:45
Strider said:
Sorry Richard, I dont understand. If one of my posts is upsetting I'll delete it. Really dont want to upset anyone.
Good lord, no, chap, I was trying to say you should post more!Justayellowbadge said:
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.
A shame, as anyone called Richard with a fondness for Lancia could only ever be a positive asset to the forums.
My only first hand experience of these was my brothers HPE - lovely drive, absolutely horrendous build quality.
Dodgy wiring (where countless previous owners had attempted to bypass the various strands of Italian madness), rust in the most unlikely places (as well as all the likely ones) leaking rainwater in through several orifices, seats at the point of collapse.
But taking it for a quick blast round the block after sorting out it's latest hiccup showed me why he put up with it.
Dodgy wiring (where countless previous owners had attempted to bypass the various strands of Italian madness), rust in the most unlikely places (as well as all the likely ones) leaking rainwater in through several orifices, seats at the point of collapse.
But taking it for a quick blast round the block after sorting out it's latest hiccup showed me why he put up with it.
I had the spyder version of one of these as a runabout, whilst funding and building a kit car.
There's an oil pressure gauge that, I'm told, shows the pressure in the sump and as you drove the car, oil used to drip from behind the gauge and onto your trouser leg.
I had to drive everywhere with a bin liner wrapped round my right trouser leg.
Really I should have forgot about the kit car and restored the Beta instead.
There's an oil pressure gauge that, I'm told, shows the pressure in the sump and as you drove the car, oil used to drip from behind the gauge and onto your trouser leg.
I had to drive everywhere with a bin liner wrapped round my right trouser leg.
Really I should have forgot about the kit car and restored the Beta instead.
Pretty little cars. Very tempted too.
These always remind me of a day back in the early 80s when winter arrived overnight with about six inches of snow. I was living in West Hampstead, London and had a Sud ti at the time and a neighbour had one the the Lancias. The pair of us seemed to spend our lives tinkering under the bonnets of the cars whilst others jumped into their Mk1 Gti and went about their business. Until the snow.
Nobody else seemed able to start their cars that morning apart from the two 'unreliable' Italian jobs - just swept the snow off and turned the key - brmmmmm!
These always remind me of a day back in the early 80s when winter arrived overnight with about six inches of snow. I was living in West Hampstead, London and had a Sud ti at the time and a neighbour had one the the Lancias. The pair of us seemed to spend our lives tinkering under the bonnets of the cars whilst others jumped into their Mk1 Gti and went about their business. Until the snow.
Nobody else seemed able to start their cars that morning apart from the two 'unreliable' Italian jobs - just swept the snow off and turned the key - brmmmmm!
Justayellowbadge said:
Strider said:
Sorry Richard, I dont understand. If one of my posts is upsetting I'll delete it. Really dont want to upset anyone.
Good lord, no, chap, I was trying to say you should post more!Justayellowbadge said:
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.
A shame, as anyone called Richard with a fondness for Lancia could only ever be a positive asset to the forums.
Yes,Yes,Yes, i have a proper soft spot for Beta's having grown up with them since i was five. The chap who got me into them still has the car he has owned from new and it still only has 13,000 miles on it, one day it will be mine.
Very underated cars and as someone said it was only the series one betas that had the rust issues the rest were like any other car of that period.
JohnnyMaestro is your car NUD521T as i knew this car when Chris Long did the complete nut and bolt restoration, i have a photo of it a Goodwood with my white Coupe and Richard Thornes green race prepared Beta that he ran in the 70's roadsports series.
Very underated cars and as someone said it was only the series one betas that had the rust issues the rest were like any other car of that period.
JohnnyMaestro is your car NUD521T as i knew this car when Chris Long did the complete nut and bolt restoration, i have a photo of it a Goodwood with my white Coupe and Richard Thornes green race prepared Beta that he ran in the 70's roadsports series.
As I am a Lancia lover I must admit that I really enjoyed Top Gear on Sunday, but I did a bit of digging and found that they already made a very similar episode in 1994 go and check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knpp6_fO_4E
Even the Montecarlo failing brakes part is identical...
But they love Lancias so that is fine with me! ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knpp6_fO_4E
Even the Montecarlo failing brakes part is identical...
But they love Lancias so that is fine with me! ;-)
Top shed, had several of these (1300 coupe, 2000 carb coupe, 2000i.e. HPE, 1600 HPE and best of all a 2 litre VX (supercharged) HPE which I ran as my main car for about five years. Hanging when I bought it and even more hanging when it went but a great car - fast, versatile (track days, including overtaking a diablo in admittedly monsoon conditions, towing - including jacknifing a trailer on the M1 on Friday afternoon, and chucking an improbable amount of stuff in it, and nice looking at the same time.
Quite tempted to go and buy that car, if I had somewhere to put it!
Quite tempted to go and buy that car, if I had somewhere to put it!
peteO said:
Ricky944s2 said:
Sorry, dont get the fascination with these, Top Gear has alot to answer for. 
Delta and Stratos yep, the rest . . . . 
i second that Delta and Stratos yep, the rest . . . . 
It's got nothing to do with Top Gear. Older viewers have been enjoying Lancias for years, long before William Wollard was on TV.Thanks chaps. Reasurance most welcome. Particularly fine choice of cars you have.
Here here - the lurking bit just means - long serving member and very little said (often means a lot of knowledge/experience)
B'stard Child said:
Justayellowbadge said:
Strider said:
Sorry Richard, I dont understand. If one of my posts is upsetting I'll delete it. Really dont want to upset anyone.
Good lord, no, chap, I was trying to say you should post more!Justayellowbadge said:
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.
A shame, as anyone called Richard with a fondness for Lancia could only ever be a positive asset to the forums.
Edited by Strider on Saturday 5th December 11:41
I remember walking around the Lancia dealership in Swansea back then, I so wanted one of these rather than the secondhand Escort I ended up getting.
The showroom had a Beta Coupe, Beta HPE and Montecarlo all in one place (I'll ignore the Gamma for now) why wouldn't you want one instead of a Dagenham dustbin?
The showroom had a Beta Coupe, Beta HPE and Montecarlo all in one place (I'll ignore the Gamma for now) why wouldn't you want one instead of a Dagenham dustbin?
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