Spotted Stunning Lancia Beta Coupe
Discussion
Hi,
I'm a newcomer to this corner of Pistonheads but over the weekend I spotted what I think was a Lancia Beta Coupe in Lytham near Blackpool and would love to know more about it if the owner is on PH.
It was bright red, with large white 5 spoke wheels and looked every inch a rally car (minus stickers etc). It was certainly a Lancia and definitely a Coupe, but I'm not 100% sure about the Beta bit but don't have enough knowledge of Lancia's to suggest an alternative.
Can anybody match the description to a known car?
It really was stunning and I'd love to know more about what has been done to it.
I'm a newcomer to this corner of Pistonheads but over the weekend I spotted what I think was a Lancia Beta Coupe in Lytham near Blackpool and would love to know more about it if the owner is on PH.
It was bright red, with large white 5 spoke wheels and looked every inch a rally car (minus stickers etc). It was certainly a Lancia and definitely a Coupe, but I'm not 100% sure about the Beta bit but don't have enough knowledge of Lancia's to suggest an alternative.
Can anybody match the description to a known car?
It really was stunning and I'd love to know more about what has been done to it.
Could it have been a Fulvia? They are a more likely rally car than a Beta, although they did rally the Beta....
Beta:
Fulvia:
Probably come from Ferdi's:
http://www.ferdisgarage.co.uk/
Beta:
Fulvia:
Probably come from Ferdi's:
http://www.ferdisgarage.co.uk/
Definitely far more like a Beta. It was the closest I've seen to something that could conceivably resemble a coupe version of a Delta Integrale if such a thing existed.
It was a modern rather than a period rally style too, no chrome and very brash (but in a good way).
I forgot that Ferdi's was nearby, not that I've ever used them but I've driven past plenty of times admiring the cars waiting nearby.
It was a modern rather than a period rally style too, no chrome and very brash (but in a good way).
I forgot that Ferdi's was nearby, not that I've ever used them but I've driven past plenty of times admiring the cars waiting nearby.
Edited by Wigeon Incognito on Wednesday 26th March 16:16
Wigeon Incognito said:
Definitely far more like a Beta. It was the closest I've seen to something that could conceivably resemble a coupe version of a Delta Integrale if such a thing existed.
Could it have been one of the later Deltas?
Could it have been mid-engined? MonteCarlo? 037 Replica?
Wigeon Incognito said:
I think you've hit the nail on the head with the 037, this is what it was:
Although as you suggest, far more likely a replica.
Thanks for that, it'd been bugging me ever since I spotted it. It really did look staggeringly good!
Mmmmmmm. 037......................Although as you suggest, far more likely a replica.
Thanks for that, it'd been bugging me ever since I spotted it. It really did look staggeringly good!
Not the most successful rally car Lancia ever made, but second only to the Stratos looks-wise.
Always loved 'em 
Lovely looking cars. Could have been a Beta Montecarlo - the 037 used the cabin monocoque from the Montecarlo, glassed in the back, shortened it, widened it, and built the rest of the body from perspex and fibreglass. The Montecarlo was essentially a Beta Coupe (like the one Clarkson took across Botswana) but with the engine in the middle.
The Montecarlo Turbo was a very successful GT car in competition:
If you did see an 037 Stradale then that is mind-bogglingly rare - they only made 220! And it is very likely they didn't sell them all either - you could buy a Stratos new from a Lancia dealer in 1981! (they built 250 of those in 1974).
It is also highly possible you saw an 037 replica. Because of the similarity between the Montecarlo and the 037 there are a number of kits available like this one
A couple more pics of a rally spec 037:
This second pic shows you the montecarlo middle of the car quite clearly.
The Montecarlo is often thought of as being derived from Fiat's X1/9, another mid engined sports car, but it was actually originated as model X1/8 by Pininfarina under guidance from Fiat Centro Stile. Fiat's protoypes were all developed as X models, the X1/9 being the only one to take it's prototype name through to production. The only other Fiat group car known to have done this was ... the 037 - which was Arbarth's development name for the car (Stratos was project 036 if I remember rightly, the LC1 and LC2 GT cars were also Arbarth "0" prototypes). The X1/8 was quetly shelved, only to be redeveloped into the X1/20 which eventually became known as the Montecarlo.
P.s. No-one quite knows why the Montecarlo's name is spelled in such a way - the principality also known as Monaco is actually called 'Monte Carlo'
P.P.s Weirdly the 037's first WRC rally win was the 1983 Monte Carlo rally - where it romped home in 1st and 2nd
I really should get a life, shouldn't I?
The Montecarlo Turbo was a very successful GT car in competition:
If you did see an 037 Stradale then that is mind-bogglingly rare - they only made 220! And it is very likely they didn't sell them all either - you could buy a Stratos new from a Lancia dealer in 1981! (they built 250 of those in 1974).
It is also highly possible you saw an 037 replica. Because of the similarity between the Montecarlo and the 037 there are a number of kits available like this one
A couple more pics of a rally spec 037:
This second pic shows you the montecarlo middle of the car quite clearly.
The Montecarlo is often thought of as being derived from Fiat's X1/9, another mid engined sports car, but it was actually originated as model X1/8 by Pininfarina under guidance from Fiat Centro Stile. Fiat's protoypes were all developed as X models, the X1/9 being the only one to take it's prototype name through to production. The only other Fiat group car known to have done this was ... the 037 - which was Arbarth's development name for the car (Stratos was project 036 if I remember rightly, the LC1 and LC2 GT cars were also Arbarth "0" prototypes). The X1/8 was quetly shelved, only to be redeveloped into the X1/20 which eventually became known as the Montecarlo.
P.s. No-one quite knows why the Montecarlo's name is spelled in such a way - the principality also known as Monaco is actually called 'Monte Carlo'
P.P.s Weirdly the 037's first WRC rally win was the 1983 Monte Carlo rally - where it romped home in 1st and 2nd
I really should get a life, shouldn't I?
Thanks for the info and pictures everyone.
I'll assume it was a replica not only because of the rarity of the original but also the more 'modern' accessories fitted i.e. the big wheels and I seem to remember big flappy rally style mudflaps too.
Stunning car replica or not, the owner/driver (a young chap) was getting in it just as I passed. I wish I'd stopped and asked him about it now!
I'll assume it was a replica not only because of the rarity of the original but also the more 'modern' accessories fitted i.e. the big wheels and I seem to remember big flappy rally style mudflaps too.
Stunning car replica or not, the owner/driver (a young chap) was getting in it just as I passed. I wish I'd stopped and asked him about it now!
funwithrevs said:
As for the wheels, people spend quite a lot of money getting period or period style wheels for replicas, so (unless it was still running on wheels from the donor car 
) you can't tell from those.
They didn't seem period though. They were very similar to these Enkei's but 17 maybe 18", and white too: ) you can't tell from those.
They did suit the car fantastically though, just not in a 'period' kind of way IMO.
BTW - Soxlade - the first production Montecarlo was unveiled as the Fiat X1/20. Its looks came from the absolutely insane Abarth 030 which competed on the Giro D'Italia (if anyone here knows where to get Giro D'Italia videos, I'll bite your arm off for information).
I love the remark about it scaring small children - 'daddy, what's that nozzle on the top for?' - 'it's for eating small children, son': http://www.stratossupersite.com/forum/showthread.p...
The 030 had 285 BHP from a Fiat 130 V6 engine. Guy Moerenhout is making replicas, if you're that crazy.
I love the remark about it scaring small children - 'daddy, what's that nozzle on the top for?' - 'it's for eating small children, son': http://www.stratossupersite.com/forum/showthread.p...
The 030 had 285 BHP from a Fiat 130 V6 engine. Guy Moerenhout is making replicas, if you're that crazy.
Edited by flat16 on Saturday 29th March 22:01
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