1978 Lancia Beta 1600 Coupe
Discussion
(Does that mean that the red wheel centres did not happen during your stewardship of the Spider?)
It is a sad fact that a number of Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, Ferraris and the like end up being repainted in resale red but on the other hand designers working for Alfa Romeo always say that their shapes have to look good in red, no matter what.
Lovely machines all three, congratulations. The Fiat in that hue I find quite fetching, never seen it before. Pity it met such an undignified end.
It is a sad fact that a number of Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, Ferraris and the like end up being repainted in resale red but on the other hand designers working for Alfa Romeo always say that their shapes have to look good in red, no matter what.
Lovely machines all three, congratulations. The Fiat in that hue I find quite fetching, never seen it before. Pity it met such an undignified end.
A Lampredi Vs Alfa Nord face off would make for an interesting PH article? I've heard the camchain on the Nord is easy to adjust.
I'm sure technically for it's time it was quite something, but it's not as dainty and pretty as your yellow Dolomite is it?
I've only driven one Lampredi and two Bussos. I prevaricated over a 16VT Fiat Coupe a few years ago, I think in metallic blue, that was sold to someone who brought for the engine for a 'project'.
Correlation isn't causation but whenever I've been in a relationship I've been driving Fiats, though one of those continued across two Fiats. It was only the second one that broke down when they were in the car.
Thanks BV, I wasn't aware of that some say Fiat 132 resembling Dolomite replacement done by Michelotti, in silver, half way down the page on the right, just as I wasn't aware of the adverts used by the British importers to peddle Moto Guzzis and Ducatis in the 70s The Norton uncomplicated sophistication advert has a classy, tasteful vibe not too far removed from a well appointed Dolomite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Dolomite
I'm sure technically for it's time it was quite something, but it's not as dainty and pretty as your yellow Dolomite is it?
I've only driven one Lampredi and two Bussos. I prevaricated over a 16VT Fiat Coupe a few years ago, I think in metallic blue, that was sold to someone who brought for the engine for a 'project'.
Correlation isn't causation but whenever I've been in a relationship I've been driving Fiats, though one of those continued across two Fiats. It was only the second one that broke down when they were in the car.
Thanks BV, I wasn't aware of that some say Fiat 132 resembling Dolomite replacement done by Michelotti, in silver, half way down the page on the right, just as I wasn't aware of the adverts used by the British importers to peddle Moto Guzzis and Ducatis in the 70s The Norton uncomplicated sophistication advert has a classy, tasteful vibe not too far removed from a well appointed Dolomite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Dolomite
My Fiat Coupe Turbo was in Sprint Blue, but I made the mistake of ordering black leather seats instead of tan leather, which would have made it the proper mini FWD Ferrari that it sort of was. The advert for it said "In Italy, nobody wants to be a train driver when they grow up".
The Alfa Spider had black and silver Alfa logos on its steely wheels. It fell victim to family politics.
But.... I have now driven the 124 in daylight and in darkness and it is very fun. Proper 70s rorty twin cam carburetted rev box. Italian gorilla driving position, good gearchange, light steering, fun handling, brakes a tad soft but not too bad. It has, as advertised, an idling problem, and cuts out at junctions, but the hand throttle helps to deal with this pro tem. The car has had a not very good paintjob, but it is very shiny and the chrome is good. The interior is well patinated and shows its age and mileage (115,000 showing), but the interior is not doggy, and the car seems quite original. It appears never to have had a radio (same as my Lancia Beta). It has static seat belts (front seats only). There are lots of switches and buttons, and the Veglia Borletti dials are yummy, and they all work. No voltmeter in these (Dolomites lack oil pressure gauges but have volt meters "because Castrol more reliable than Lucas"). The tall, thin, and slightly bulbous tyres are terrible! I will get on the blower to my mobile tyre bloke tomorrow and see about some Pirellis or Uniroyals.
The car comes with a handbook, a Haynes manual, and a bunch of bills and other docs to riffle through. There is a spare carb in the boot. The seller was a total gent.
If I CBA over the weekend I might give the car its own thread and return this thread to the Lancia, which is still awaiting clutch fitting and has not yet seen its cousin.
The Alfa Spider had black and silver Alfa logos on its steely wheels. It fell victim to family politics.
But.... I have now driven the 124 in daylight and in darkness and it is very fun. Proper 70s rorty twin cam carburetted rev box. Italian gorilla driving position, good gearchange, light steering, fun handling, brakes a tad soft but not too bad. It has, as advertised, an idling problem, and cuts out at junctions, but the hand throttle helps to deal with this pro tem. The car has had a not very good paintjob, but it is very shiny and the chrome is good. The interior is well patinated and shows its age and mileage (115,000 showing), but the interior is not doggy, and the car seems quite original. It appears never to have had a radio (same as my Lancia Beta). It has static seat belts (front seats only). There are lots of switches and buttons, and the Veglia Borletti dials are yummy, and they all work. No voltmeter in these (Dolomites lack oil pressure gauges but have volt meters "because Castrol more reliable than Lucas"). The tall, thin, and slightly bulbous tyres are terrible! I will get on the blower to my mobile tyre bloke tomorrow and see about some Pirellis or Uniroyals.
The car comes with a handbook, a Haynes manual, and a bunch of bills and other docs to riffle through. There is a spare carb in the boot. The seller was a total gent.
If I CBA over the weekend I might give the car its own thread and return this thread to the Lancia, which is still awaiting clutch fitting and has not yet seen its cousin.
carinaman said:
I thought it was only Alfas that had a hand throttle, I remember seeing them on the dashboard drawing in Autocar or Motor.
No, Fiats also had them for years. My Mum's 1967 Fiat 600, Dad's 1970 Fiat 125, Mum's 1971 127, Mum's 1975 128 1300 estate and my 1977 132 1800ES all had them.
Maybe it was an Italian thing?
I'm looking forward to seeing how BV rates his 124 Coupe compared to his Beta Coupe as I love them both!
Mefistofele said:
Have a look here:
https://www.kijiji.it/annunci/ricambi-auto/cuneo-a...
The lighter bits seem to match your upholstery but I wonder how much material is actually savable there.
Methinks looking for s/hand fabric in Italy may end up being rather pointless unless the car had been always garaged. Have you tried any Lancia clubs in Germany, for example?
Grazie tanto!https://www.kijiji.it/annunci/ricambi-auto/cuneo-a...
The lighter bits seem to match your upholstery but I wonder how much material is actually savable there.
Methinks looking for s/hand fabric in Italy may end up being rather pointless unless the car had been always garaged. Have you tried any Lancia clubs in Germany, for example?
Update on the Lancia: non update. It is currently amost buried in assorted tat in the barn that I rent to store rustheaps, gimps, and so on.
Last week I moved house fifty metres, from a large old farmhouse full of cobwebs with huge heating bills (and a working Cthulu Portal in the damp cellar) to a modernised cottage on the other side of the barn. This has resulted in the barn being crammed with surplus furniture pending disposal, and box after box of books (I have many thousand of those and never dispose of any book). The Lancia is trapped immobile amidst the wreckage.
Meanwhile my mechanic is working on his own house in Gloucestershire. The Lancia has thus remained untouched. It last drove in 2017 but should need only a light recommission once its new clutch is in. I hope it will be on the road within a month.
Space is now short so I am thinking hard about whether to keep my Sherpa campervan, project Lotus Eclat, and one of two bikes.
The barn is way fuller now than this pic taken during the move shows. That 2009 Fiesta is my mum's and is to be sold ASAP.
Last week I moved house fifty metres, from a large old farmhouse full of cobwebs with huge heating bills (and a working Cthulu Portal in the damp cellar) to a modernised cottage on the other side of the barn. This has resulted in the barn being crammed with surplus furniture pending disposal, and box after box of books (I have many thousand of those and never dispose of any book). The Lancia is trapped immobile amidst the wreckage.
Meanwhile my mechanic is working on his own house in Gloucestershire. The Lancia has thus remained untouched. It last drove in 2017 but should need only a light recommission once its new clutch is in. I hope it will be on the road within a month.
Space is now short so I am thinking hard about whether to keep my Sherpa campervan, project Lotus Eclat, and one of two bikes.
The barn is way fuller now than this pic taken during the move shows. That 2009 Fiesta is my mum's and is to be sold ASAP.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 3rd July 07:09
Breadvan72 said:
Sticky outy characters on a yellow plate would have been very late 1973. In fact, they were very 1973. I was in 1973, so I know this. I turned 11 around about the time that this car rolled out of a Fiat dealership.
Point of order No.1 m'Lud : m'lud makes an excellent point in relation to 1973 and all that razzamataz, but said sticky outy characters on reflective plates as per the above pictogram were available over the counter in broad daylight as far back as March '68, but cost the average road going punter a few sovs and took a few years to really catch on...
Point of order No.2 m'lud : the odd anomoly still crept up post late '73, this spaceshiptastic early LP400 Countach wore these b&w plates from new....
Point of order No.3 m'lud : small cute Italian heaps are ace, whatever their degree of heapiness happens to be.
Edited by P5BNij on Sunday 5th July 14:04
Righty Ho. The Beta is going to get its clutch done by a local garage, as I am am keen to test it against its new Fiat 124 barn mate. Meanwhile, here is some HPE lifestyle blah for yers -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyiVTQTM04s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyiVTQTM04s
I can speak opera Italian (which is all "traditore!", "scellerato!" and "perfido!") so I get about half of this. There is too much of him and not enough of the car. Hey, dude, you're a good looking guy, but not as good looking as the car, so get out of the way!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJVfM8cgKzA
This one is about a resto -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNhrqUkPfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJVfM8cgKzA
This one is about a resto -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNhrqUkPfI
Cheers!
My researches suggest that the real story as to the rust issues might perhaps be something like this.
The early Berlinas had very real problems with sub-frames rusting and engines falling out. Lancia then addressed this. The Mafia and Russian steel story appears to be unsourced, and is probably just a rumour.
In the UK, the Daily Mirror launched a massive attack on Lancia, and Lancia's PR and/or legal teams advised against suing, or perhaps they advised in favour of suing, but management decided that suing would not be a good look. So, the rust story spread, aided by pub rumour (after all, what is more fun than slagging off the hi tech foreign car you cannot afford, when you drive a Marina). Then along comes the young Jeremy Clarkson, and blah blah blah.
The reality is that you can find rusty Betas and unrusty Betas. I have had two that were rotten (one was a spares car) and three that were about as OK as most 1970s and early 1980s steel bodied cars that I have owned (which is to say patched up here and there).
I hear rumours that James May quite likes Betas (and he is after all the only one of the three who knows anything about cars), but he goes along with Clarkson as part of the schtick.
My researches suggest that the real story as to the rust issues might perhaps be something like this.
The early Berlinas had very real problems with sub-frames rusting and engines falling out. Lancia then addressed this. The Mafia and Russian steel story appears to be unsourced, and is probably just a rumour.
In the UK, the Daily Mirror launched a massive attack on Lancia, and Lancia's PR and/or legal teams advised against suing, or perhaps they advised in favour of suing, but management decided that suing would not be a good look. So, the rust story spread, aided by pub rumour (after all, what is more fun than slagging off the hi tech foreign car you cannot afford, when you drive a Marina). Then along comes the young Jeremy Clarkson, and blah blah blah.
The reality is that you can find rusty Betas and unrusty Betas. I have had two that were rotten (one was a spares car) and three that were about as OK as most 1970s and early 1980s steel bodied cars that I have owned (which is to say patched up here and there).
I hear rumours that James May quite likes Betas (and he is after all the only one of the three who knows anything about cars), but he goes along with Clarkson as part of the schtick.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 11th July 14:07
I have a Beta Montecarlo purchase from a weird set up housed in a multi story car park in London somewhere.
Bought it in March 1983 when I was quite young and unable to get any kind of insurance so my Mum went onto the paperwork with me a named driver. This went on for 30 years or so.
Took the train to London with a mate had a classic night out in the big city drove the car home to Scotland....arriving was such a joy.
Car wasn’t crazy expensive but I’ve done all the necessary over the years and reckon if I hadn’t invested in the car and saved that money I could have merged myself with FCA and been a better bet than the French.
Now I need to change the wheels and ideally want to replace the basket wires with Ronals 13” if anybody out there has a set....?
I have the original wheels but I won’t put them on since they look crap.
Car has done almost 70k now and the engine is sweet, interior refurbed and a lot of new metal.
The roof is original.
Every drive an adventure since I’ve not upgraded the brakes.
Bought it in March 1983 when I was quite young and unable to get any kind of insurance so my Mum went onto the paperwork with me a named driver. This went on for 30 years or so.
Took the train to London with a mate had a classic night out in the big city drove the car home to Scotland....arriving was such a joy.
Car wasn’t crazy expensive but I’ve done all the necessary over the years and reckon if I hadn’t invested in the car and saved that money I could have merged myself with FCA and been a better bet than the French.
Now I need to change the wheels and ideally want to replace the basket wires with Ronals 13” if anybody out there has a set....?
I have the original wheels but I won’t put them on since they look crap.
Car has done almost 70k now and the engine is sweet, interior refurbed and a lot of new metal.
The roof is original.
Every drive an adventure since I’ve not upgraded the brakes.
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