Lancia Montecarlo...37 years and counting

Lancia Montecarlo...37 years and counting

Author
Discussion

Notanotherturbo

494 posts

208 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Love Montecarlos, and to own one for 37 years is incredible. I celebrate my 30th anniversary with my GTA Alpine in a few months. One thing though - please change those spoked wheels laugh . Spoked wheels do not belong on any car after 1970.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
mikeg15 said:
Way back in the day, I had a chum who owned one of these and suffered the normal two issues, rust and front brake lock-up . So he got rid of the car PDQ. However after this I stumbled on to my own particular 'thing' Ginetta G15s which also had the severe problem of front brake lock-up.
Wierdly I solved this issue by vastly improving the rear brakes. The G15 had drums at the back, and when upgraded to discs, firstly using Renault R10 items and later Hispec, the brakes problem was solved. I also fitted a balance adjuster which helped greatly.
Thanks for this.
I will investigate the idea of improving the rear brakes.


CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Mr Tidy said:
Thanks for posting OP - that's an amazing period of ownership and your car is just stunning. thumbup
Thanks, much appreciated

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Mikebentley said:
Brembo ones. That’s if you believe the local chavs. At 17
the Playboy bunny sticker on my Austin 1300 was a sign that I was a sex god in the sack.

Great car OP it’s lucky to have you.
Thanks.
My (now) close friend at the garage thinks so too.
He is always pleased to see me.
Ha.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Black S2K said:
Beautiful example!

A neighbour has a white one when I had my first X-1/9.

Yes, the full-leatherette interior was standard and was really specially plush. Only Lotuses were really plusher.

The X-1/9s also suffered a bit from front-end lock-up, until you learned to modulate the weight transfer. Some put on 132 rear calipers to improve the balance (at the cost of a spongier brake pedal) but it was judged to be not really worth the ag.

Servo on the fronts only was daft on the 137 - later cars dispensed with it.

It was a real shame that FIAT never developed the car further, but the numbers didn't justify it. Bit like the X-1/9...
Thanks
Car was the Fiat X-20 , then Pininfarina, finally ended up Lancia.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
How about a video, OP? Where are you based? I could bring my Beta and./or my Fiat 124 for a 70s/80s Italocool photoshoot.
Well that’s an interesting idea.
I’m in the Edinburgh area, bit far for a run out.
Would require a bit of planning, but not impossible.
Will period dress be required?
I can still get into my socks from the 70’s.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
nismo48 said:
Mr Tidy said:
Thanks for posting OP - that's an amazing period of ownership and your car is just stunning. thumbup
+1smile
Cheers guys.
Thanks

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Notanotherturbo said:
Love Montecarlos, and to own one for 37 years is incredible. I celebrate my 30th anniversary with my GTA Alpine in a few months. One thing though - please change those spoked wheels laugh . Spoked wheels do not belong on any car after 1970.
Thanks.
The basket wires are controversial...
They are presently under review with 13” or 14” Ronals possible replacements.
GTA Alpine, that’s a car !
Enjoy.

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
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I admit that I do not like the wires. I would prefer the original wheels or some Beta Cromodoras or similar, but it is of course YOUR car, OP.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all


You don’t see many of these around.

CallThatMusic

Original Poster:

2,585 posts

89 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
I admit that I do not like the wires. I would prefer the original wheels or some Beta Cromodoras or similar, but it is of course YOUR car, OP.
Yes they will have to go.
I am convinced.
But they went on in 1983 so they’ve done a shift.

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
CallThatMusic said:


You don’t see many of these around.
V good, and the Lancia Beta Berlina is a handsome car, inside and out. So too the Gamma Berlina - another faux hatchback.

DoddsyFrs

89 posts

197 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Stunning. I had a Beta coupe 2000ie, Beta Spider then a 16v Integrale. I always lusted after a Montecarlo and used to drive past a Rosso series 2 for sale £3995 which was out of my reach in 1986.I always thought of them as mini Ferrari's rather than an oversized X19. Cracking cars and i'd still have one in a heartbeat.

John-skoe0

58 posts

70 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
A lovely thing. Is it me or does the De Lorean have a wiff of this Lancia about it?

AW111

9,674 posts

134 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
CallThatMusic said:
Breadvan72 said:
How about a video, OP? Where are you based? I could bring my Beta and./or my Fiat 124 for a 70s/80s Italocool photoshoot.
Well that’s an interesting idea.
I’m in the Edinburgh area, bit far for a run out.
Would require a bit of planning, but not impossible.
Will period dress be required?
I can still get into my socks from the 70’s.
Socks only?
nono
Not that sort of 70's movie.

Black S2K

1,477 posts

250 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
CallThatMusic said:
Black S2K said:
Beautiful example!

A neighbour has a white one when I had my first X-1/9.

Yes, the full-leatherette interior was standard and was really specially plush. Only Lotuses were really plusher.

The X-1/9s also suffered a bit from front-end lock-up, until you learned to modulate the weight transfer. Some put on 132 rear calipers to improve the balance (at the cost of a spongier brake pedal) but it was judged to be not really worth the ag.

Servo on the fronts only was daft on the 137 - later cars dispensed with it.

It was a real shame that FIAT never developed the car further, but the numbers didn't justify it. Bit like the X-1/9...
Thanks
Car was the Fiat X-20 , then Pininfarina, finally ended up Lancia.
IIRC, originally FIAT X-1/20.

When sanctioned, it kept the FIAT Tipo 137 model code.

The X-1/9 was more prosaically still the Tipo 128 AS.

IIRC, the engine code was still 134, from the original 124 AC replacement that the 137 'replaced'.

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
John-skoe0 said:
A lovely thing. Is it me or does the De Lorean have a wiff of this Lancia about it?
Maybe, but a De Lorean is, we are told, a legendary bag of st as a car to drive instead of look at. Even Lotus in their 70s pomp could not stop it from being a bag of st. They just stopped it from being actually dangerous.

overunder12g

432 posts

87 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
I had one of these. The local Lanciaa dealer said they had a Lancia tech doing some training and could they borrow my car for a free service
Whe I got it back it really flew. Apparently the tech had said to ignore factory seettings and showed them different timing settings etc.Did nt acctually what thhey were though.
one problem, apart from front brakes was water ingress via engine cover. Lovely car though..

gforceg

3,524 posts

180 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
I admit that I do not like the wires. I would prefer the original wheels or some Beta Cromodoras or similar, but it is of course YOUR car, OP.
Just to be sure I'm on the right page, are these the Cromodoras you mention? They're very smart.



OP for something less original I think these look great.


anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 25th July 2020
quotequote all
Those are indeed the Beta Coupe/HPE Cromodoras in question, and I think that they suit the Montecarlo well. The ones below look like 80s Alfa Romeo wheels to me, and also look good, but I think I prefer the ones from the Beta Coupe.