Lancia Montecarlo...37 years and counting

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So after the first car - Yellow Triumph TR7 - cylinder head disaster and the second car - Orange Ford Capri 2.0 S - gearbox failure and various electrical problems - I took the safe option and bought a Silver (unobtrusive) Lancia Montecarlo in 1983.
Lusted after one for ages before I took the plunge.
A close friend had an HPE with problems (electric windows didn’t work and garage advised him to carry a house brick in the glove box...can’t see that advice given out these days..) but I ploughed on regardless.
Epic trip to London with said mate which included a visit to a soho where we country boys bought non alcoholic champagne in a dodgy cellar bar followed by a trip to a multi storey car park based garage. All high ( several floors in fact ) end stuff....
Uneventful trip back to Scotland, a huge relief, and the ownership experience was underway...
It’s been a gas !

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The Capri...

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The Monte with original ugly wheels.

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Thanks Jimmy. The interior is all original. The exterior not so much.

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TR4man said:

That interior looks so lovely. Was leather an option or standard?

Strangely enough it’s a vinyl like cover which is intended to look like leather.
It’s a bugger to repair.

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I certainly have an emotional attachment but it goes beyond that.
Money.
I am so far behind the 8 ball I just keep hoping that some Italian-Scandinavian noir TV thriller will feature a gorgeous 30 something female lead detective who drives a Montecarlo and I will open a bottle of Prosecco to toast the fact I may just get some of my investment back....
I am not deluded I go to bed at night believing this can happen.
The car has been looked after and is an ongoing source of enjoyment and worry (£).
Here she is not so long ago....

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gforceg said:

That's a SAAB behind the orange Capri, and ICMFPN.

I've found a renewed love of orange cars recently. Flat orange not fizzy.

Well spotted a Saab 99 , one of several my Father owned.
I passed my test aged 17 years and 3 months in a brand new (only days) Saab 99 which swung it I think. My passing was a great surprise to my tutor who phoned up after the test to book a set of lessons...

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Another pic from the big restoration project...

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Having looked at these photos again I will just take the basket wires out and see how the wheels look, it might work and save me some dosh.

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TwigtheWonderkid said:

CallThatMusic said:

The Monte with original ugly wheels.

I like the original ugly wheels.

Yes I get that quite a lot of people do like them.
Wish I did too but despite believing that cars look best with the wheels the factory put on I just don’t like them much.
Might dig them out the garage and re-visit my dilemma.

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Breadvan72 said:

Fabby, OP. At what point, if at all, did the car transition from everyday car to groovy toy?

I think that was probably around 1987 when I acquired my first Company Car...a Renault 18 Diesel.
From that point on there was a procession of work related cars until the taxman got greedy and I bailed out of that game.
The Montecarlo was always around through the 80’s 90’s until 2007 when I escaped overseas and it went into dry storage for almost 10 years. This explains the relatively modest mileage.

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where the magic happens...

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Out for a cairryoot with well heeled friends

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Orange cars....yes.
That Fulvia looks gorgeous.
Here’s one of mine with a bit of orange....but it’s mostly not...

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Rangeroverover said:

I bought a black widebody kitted Monte Carlo from Chatsworth ( nr baker st) I so wanted to like it. This was in 1988 pedals so close together I had to drive in bare feet. Didn't stop in the wet, at the time I also had a gtv6, Daimler dart,and some others . Didn't ever choose the lancia, eventually bit a badger at speed and put it out of its misery.

If they had put the volumex in it would have been a different story. If memory serves it was supposed to be a bigger x19. Mine also had an odd canvas roof that was a bit porous. As I said I so wanted to love it just didn't click.

Yes tiny space for pedals. Brakes notorious....I disconnected the servo on mine so I have better feel and a bit more warning of things locking up. I try to avoid going out in the wet. Not always possible living where I do.
You had a nice selection so always an interesting choice to make...
Yes was code named X20 or X21 for a period with the Alfa V6 for power.
Oil crisis put paid to that idea.
I know of one owner who whipped the Lampredi engine out and put an Alfa V6 in but he had a lot of issues one way and another.

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This one taken last year at Thirlestane Castle near Lauder.
Car complete with crazy paving on the front hoop as it started to de-laminate as I flew around the Edinburgh bypass at 50mph.

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And now with the new front bumper and hoop assembly.
Since the new bumper is fibreglass in theory the car will be faster.

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Thanks.

Beauty and the Beast

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Krikkit said:

Lovely car, cant beat an 80s Lancia!

With the brakes issue, hasn't someone done a suitable servo with the right size front and rear ports to sort the balance issue out?

Yes there’s an upgrade from Tarox I think.
I should investigate this since I am using the car a bit more currently.

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Breadvan72 said:

The May 2020 edition of "Viva Lancia", the magazine of the LMC, reprints an article from "Classic Driver", in which Georgio Schoen, who runs the Rossocorsa Ferrari and Maserati Dealership in Milan talks about his collection of Lancia Martini racing cars. He says that the Beta Montecarlo that he raced in during the 1981 season is his favourite. He was a "gentleman racer", but 1981 was one of the two seasons in which he got paid to race rather than paying to race. He describes racing the Montecarlo against Jacky Ickx at Le Mans, and being knocked a metre sideways every time that the Porsche blasted past him. He retired from contemporary racing after he saw Herbert Mueller dying in his burning Porsche 908 at the Nurburgring in that same 1981 season. Schoen then bought the 1981 Montecarlo and has kept it in its "as raced" condition ever since.


PS: Wikipedia indicates that (thankfully for Mr Mueller, if you see what I mean) he was killed by the crash, and did not burn to death in the ensuing fire.

The Beta Montecarlo sits very much in the shadow of the 037 Rally car which is a shame I think.