Lancia Beta Berlina
Model history
The Lancia Beta was launched at the Turin show in 1972. The model was developed after Fiat had taken over. The engines were sourced from Fiat - all with DOHC - 1400 ccm 90 HP, 1600 ccm 100 HP or 1800 ccm 110 HP. Lancia was then, as now, a premium car brand in the Fiat group. Among other things, the Beta got 5-speed gearboxes, independent suspension on all wheels and disc brakes both front and rear. The sloping rear model looks like a hatchback, but only had a hatch for the trunk. The original sloping front was ahead of its time when it was launched in 1972. In 1980, the model got a new front, which did not make the car much prettier - seen in today's eyes. Production continued until 1984.
Lancia Beta Coupe
The Lancia Beta Coupé was not at all similar to the 5- and 4-door versions of the Beta. It was a 2+2 seater with a shorter wheelbase and a completely different body.
Model history
The beautiful coupé model was produced between 1973-1984 and received a facelift in 1981. The car depicted in the main photo is a VX. It has a supercharged 2-liter engine that produces 135 HP. This is the largest engine in the model range, if you ignore the cars that were used in motorsport. Over the years, Beta received engines from Fiat, including the 1300, 1600 and 2000. However, several Fiat engines were modified by Lancia. Lancia was therefore not just a copy of Fiat, although many would argue the opposite. Lancia's distinctive features in design and technology have contributed to giving the models the status of classics.
Nice hobby car
There are several reasons why the Beta Coupe is suitable as a hobby car for an Italian-free car enthusiast. All models are vintage cars, the technology originates from Fiat - which is positive in terms of access to parts. In terms of price, you get good cars with small engines and low mileage from NOK 120 to NOK 000. Cars with 150-litre engines and sporting ambitions, such as the one pictured, usually cost between 000-2. Competition cars for motorsport often cost several hundred thousand - and can break the million mark if they have a famous past.
Lancia Beta Montecarlo
The Lancia Beta Montecarlo is a sports car variant of Lancia's model range. It has a transversely mounted mid-mounted 2-liter engine and is therefore quite different from the other Beta models, although one can see similarities between the Lancia Beta Coupe in the design. The Montecarlo was built in 2 series, the first from 1975-1978, the second from 1980-1981. Series II cars were no longer marketed as "Lancia Beta Montecarlo" - only as "Lancia Montecarlo". The light blue car is a Series 2 model, while the red is a Series 1. One can see, among other things, that the Series 2 cars got an extra rear side window. The Series 2 cars were marketed as Lancia Montecarlo, - i.e. without "Beta".
About the pictures
Berlina models are very rare today. The beautiful Berlina edition was photographed at a car meeting in Perignan, France in 2022. The photos of the Beta Coupé were taken in Sandvika 2017 outside the premises of AutoVia in connection with a car meeting there. It is a facelifted model from 1984 – 2,0 VX (Volumex), supercharged, 135 HP. The last picture is a Beta Zagato Spider Coupé from 1982. It was photographed at the Oslo Motor Show 2021. The blue Montecarlo was photographed in a public car park at Rud in Bærum. The red Montecarlo is pictured at one of the Norwegian Sports Car Club's spring rallies at Øvrevoll Galopp.
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