Lancia Beta Coupe driving review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- I drive a 1978 Lancia Beta 1600 Coupe to see whether it’s as good as I said it was in my last video.
I’m not mentioning rust - this car isn’t rusty and we covered that subject already.
The Beta Coupe is (potentially) for sale - drop me a direct message if you’re seriously interested and I’ll put you in contact with the owner.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:57 The power and the glory
02:34 Handling
05:52 The inside
07:19: A diversion - the Trevi dashboard
07:50 Is the Beta a real Lancia?
08:24 Buy one and stop me
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Image credits
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Jensen FF (grey)
DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Jensen FF in snow
Francis Pullen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Lancia Fulvia
Tony Harrison from Farnborough, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Lancia Delta Integrale
Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, CC BY 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Lancia Thema Turbo
Niels de Wit from Lunteren, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Lancia Kappa
Rudolf Stricker, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
My sister had one in Wyoming, of all places. I loved borrowing it and enjoyed the handing and the antelope seats.
Wow, there can’t have been many in Wyoming!
Wyoming ! is that the land of straight grid laid roads with zero bends . because where i live we have the bendiest rd's in the world and some of the most friken dangerouse hill pass es in the world [[ look up hard knott pass english lakes ] and i have driven many old school euopean cars around british lanes . my beta was the absolute worst car around switchback roads [TBH! ] terifying over a hiupm at 60 mph who knew where it landed . oh yes it was fun to drive .
@@colinvanful Wyoming has hazardous roads because the wind and snow can blind you in a minute. If you go off the road, you can, and people freeze to death in the winter. She's an artist and bought it because she liked its looks. Plus, it was very fun to drive in the 80s! After spending too much time at the mechanic, she abandoned it at college when it wouldn't start one day. I commandeered the keys, threw in a new battery and an oil change, and drove it in the summers. My previous girlfriend's father owned a Datsun dealership and would let me drive a 1600 in the summers, but she went to school in Europe, so I never saw her again. Eventually, I traded it for a SAAB- Turbo.
I had a very similar car in metallic bronze back in the mid eighties. It also had the 1600 twin cam engine.
It was a great drive and I well remember enjoying the way it was so smooth taken up to the rev limit.
So much more stylish than a Capri or at least that was my opinion.
Come for the Lancia's, stay for the dry humour.
I bought a 1981 2000ie coupe new off the showroom floor, it was magical ! White with black striping, black leather, power windows, a sun roof and a/c. It was so far ahead of others on the market, suspension, braking, fuel injection, etc. It handled beautifully on the twisty bits, I used it daily and as a long distance tourer, put over 90,000 miles on it. Zipped along at 75-85 mph and regularly 30+ mpg. It is the one car that I wish I still had
“if you voted leave”, brilliant. Only just been shown this by the toob. Enjoying your catalogue of content Martin.
Thanks! I’ve been very much enjoying yours too - working through the back catalogue gradually, some great stuff 👍👍👍
I love these… I wish Lancia could come back producing cars like these.
eh, I wish too mate... but all our car companies are no longer Italian unfortunately.
@@italianduded1161 Stellantis makes noises, but who knows?
@@gerardclarke8096 Stellantis is French unfortunately…
I mean, I just wish we all had our car companies back.
for now it is just a dream 😅
@@italianduded1161 Capitalism has been Global for ages, so localised ownership may no longer be a thing. If Stellantis hire good designers and engineers, perhaps something like a Lancia might emerge, but I do mot kmow what will happen.
@@gerardclarke8096 yea that’s true.
I wish at least for Italian designers for the “Italian” car companies.
Like cm’on, a French designer for Lancia? Nah man, nah… it is like putting and Italian designer in Citroe- ah right Giugiaro… anyway… jokes aside, to me Lancia needs a designer that knows what actually means Lancia for the enthusiasts.
Who knows…
Sorry if I act too patriotic I hope I am not being rude ✋
martin in all sorts of verbal pervery :D - nice one sir
i had a 77 Beta Coupe. I loved it, fairly rust free, some nice details and above all it looked great and stood out wherever i went against a backdrop of 80s and 90s cars
I had a Beta coupe, loved it
I had one of the silver HPE 20i version shown in this video Loved that car
One of my favorite quirky design elements of my Beta Coupe is the way the sprayer nozzles for the windscreen are fitted to little stalks inside the engine compartment, and when you close the bonnet they line up beautifully with two corresponding cutouts. So when you shut the bonnet they appear, neatly tucked in their little holes. It would have been vastly easier to simply fit them into the valance immediately in front of the windscreen - as most other companies did at the time - but that just isn't the Lancia way.
'The Trevi dashboard is truly... something' , very apt description! Great video 👍
Superb video Martin, loving the revamped style, really slick stuff. It is odd how the Beta is now 50, as I always consider them to be 80s cars really, especially the HPE. Just shows how a good design can fend off ageing
Hi Martin, enjoyed your video - thanks very much. I have a beta Spyder and will be featuring it soon. Very underrated cars I feel. Subscribed! 🙂
great memories from the early 70s: I owned a brown metallic Lancia Beta Coupe with also brown leather interior. engine was bigger, think 1800 or 2 litre? steering wheel wood, like in the Dino coupe which I also drove. lovely cars in my youth but these care had problems with the Dutch climate!
I had a 1978 Lancia Beta Coupe 1800 USA Spec and loved it!
New to the channel and loving it. It’s great to hear sensible appraisals of cars I remember we’re derided by Clarkson and the like in my younger days. Thankfully, I was also an avid ‘Car’ magazine reader at the time, so thanks to the likes of LJK Setright and others was able to form a truer picture of some of the fine engineering in Citroëns, Lancias and latterly Hondas.
Clarkson knows Jackola about cars! Setright was annoying sometimes, but he knew a lot.
I had a 2000 version in the early 80's, and used it to travel to and from Doncaster when I lived in Morpeth, training as a mining engineer. I absolutely loved it as it rotted around me. A great little car.
I bought a 1300 Coupe that had lived outdoors all of its life in Yorkshire. It was great fun, but not surprisingly it had rusted a lot, not because it was a Beta but because it was a 1970s car living outdoors for decades. I think that the car may survive somewhere as a project. If not, its engine and gearbox could have been a gift for a racing special or a kit car.
I had the identical car just in the HPE. I loved that car. I put an Alfasud rear spoiler on the back. It really improved handling in the wet.
Bravo for featuring the Mario Bellini dashboard - I’ve always loved the design!!
Great review!!! I had a 1981 light blue metallic Lancia Beta Coupe 2 litre bought from new, and had it for 16 years. To me, it was like a baby Ferrari Dino. I loved the chunky styling, and i loved the standard light blue grey woollen material of the incredibly comfortable stylish seats.
I kept it totally original and immaculate throughout its time with me, except i had the engine blueprinted to abarth specifications, through upgraded cams and carbs etc, and were specially imported from Italy and professionally installed by a legendary Italian car dealer, ex racing car driver, and technician here in Perth Australia.
Needless to say, It became a rocket that sounded amazing, and went just over 200 kph top speed.
The twin ANSA tailpipes, sound, and a3 spoke MOMO steering wheel were the only indications that this was no ordinary Beta Coupe.
It would have been the absolute ultimate form of a Beta Coupe in Australia, if not anywhere for that matter.....and the Lancia factory would have been totally impressed and proud of.
My brother had a 1974 Fiat 124 sport 2 litre, and he too, spent big money on taking it to its ultimate factory form.... installing a new Fiat LSD, similar upgraded cams, carbs etc, leather seats, and even finding the very rare Fiat 124 sport Cromadora Alloy wheels in 5 1/2 inch width, rather then the 5 inch versions it came with.
Again, our intention was to have the Ultimate Lancia Beta Coupe and Fiat 124 Sport that looked stock standard, and as if straight from the factory, upgraded in ultimate specification, and be examples that would make their respective factories proud.
Considering the time and money we spent to achieve this, on what where already perfect stock form examples, i think we clearly did just that.
These cars were incredibly joyful to own, and drive.
Oh, lordy would love to look this one over, is it languishing in a barn in Dalkeith somewhere?
@@ActionPanda-g5n I really wish it was Ian R, No unfortunately, but Dalkieth is close to me, as i live in Cottesloe and have all my life.... i used to use victoria avenue and around the river there as one of my favourite circuits for cruizing around.
So the story of my Lancia goes like this.....i eventually sold it in 1997 after owning it from new in 1981. I look back now, and it was my biggest regret as far as cars go, but at this time my work curcumstances changed, and it was not practical or indeed respectfully right for me to use it as an everyday car, as previously i would only use it on Sundays (being my only day off work).
So i took it to "The Toy Shop" (A car dealer specialising in selling quality cars on consignment), and it sold for $10,000 AUD. It was totally immaculate and in virtually showroom condition, as I was fastidious in maintaining it....the detailed cleaning and polishing was always done by myself.
After it sold, i never saw it again, until one day about 10 full years later, i happened to be driving on a main road in Malaga, and out of the corner of my eye i saw a light blue Beta Coupe in the parking area of these shops, and i thought, no surely not!!!
Well, i pulled in to go and have a look, and to my astonishment, this was my Lancia, as it still had the private number plates i sold with the car attached to it.
Now for the very sad part to the story....it was in shocking condition!!!, and i was heartbroken by this.
Among other things, It had a huge dent on the drivers door, and inside, the roof lining was ripped and sagging. What a disgraceful and unworthy owner he would have been.
I couldn't stand to see it like this, so i immediately drove off, and have never seen it again. Now i wish i never saw it in this state, as it still hurts.
Fortunately, i took tons of photos of it during its time with me, and i try to just focus on those. It was simply an incredible car to drive that turned heads everywhere it went, and i enjoyed it at a time when roads were less congested and with less restrictions.
@@benzinabnz822 Damn, that must have been a lovely motor. Strange that it was left to deteriorate.
So true, those were the good old days when there were no speed cameras and no booze buses. ;-)
@@ActionPanda-g5n Yep, i think sometimes you get people who happen to stumble on a gem, and simply don't appreciate what they have, and why sometimes you get sellers with something special often say they want it to go to a good home....i now wish i insisted on this, but how does one know for sure without a thorough investigation.
It happened to me again, when i used to own and care for an immaculate Mercedes Benz 300CE-24 for 8 years, then sold it. The next owner happened to live in Apartments on Marine Parade Cottesloe by the ocean, and he often left it out on marine parade overnight for days on end due to the lack of parking underneath where he lived. Subsequently, i saw it deteriorate in front of my eyes over the next few years, including rust spots large enough to put a finger through.
Yet another great shame, as this was again one of the best examples in Australia.
@@benzinabnz822 pity you didn’t buy it back 😢.
What a lovely looking machine. Got to hand the best styling award to the Italians. Even their battleships looked sleek.
"Like writing with a really good pen..." That is Lancia from this era. You just said it.
Excellent video.
Clearly made by someone with a profound affection for the marque.
Love the beta, there’s something kinda magical about that line up. In the USA they were vastly under appreciated and often times pawned off for very little money. I recall getting one for $750 and driving it for a while but unfortunately it was unable to pass inspection and hastily was sold off. The beta and fiat 124 all shared that nice engine series.
Had a 1980 1600 in red followed by by a 1982 in black bought from Tony Brooks’ garage at Brooklands and loved them both
My aunt was a stewardess for PanAm stationed in LA when she bought a brand-new Coupe.
A few months after she bought it she relocated to New York and she asked me what I like to help her drive cross-country with her and her Standard Poodle.
Driving across the Western States in July I found out the A/C was pathic and the temperature inside the vehicle even when it was on MAX A/C was barely cooler than it was outside and you had to turn the air conditioning off when you slowed down when you entered a town or city because the engine would overheat.
It was powered by the 1.8 L and it was rated at an astounding 86 horsepower!
You had to stay in the slow lane and never got out of 3rd climbing the Rocky Mountains and once you got down onto the plains the engine was turning 4,000 to 4500 RPM trying to keep up with traffic.
She kept it for several years when she lived in New York but it was never really used daily.
It had a lot of problems especially electrical issues and knowledgeable mechanics and parts for difficult to obtain but what eventually killed it was rampant rust.
When you ask my aunt about it she still says it was one of her favorite cars even though she'll tell you about all the money she spent trying to keep it running and how it would spend weeks in the shop waiting for parts so it could be repaired.
She bought a BMW 320 and still drives BMW vehicles to this day.
Nice review of this now-rarity; certainly haven't seen one in the States since maybe the early-1980s; I quite-like the styling of this era of Euro cars; much more greenhouse (good visibility)...Glad to see the subscription numbers growing; you deserve it!
Thanks Craig!
Just love these as along with Alfasud highlights front wheel drive space and Italian design brio.Lancia Beta was last Oz import of the brand in ‘84 with last power steered models in Coupé and HPE form only - we never got the ¥, Trevi, Dedra, Delta or Thema models unfortunately despite a few private imports.
Chap I worked with bought one of these one weekend. He had been regaling us all the week before with the brilliance of his choice of car and his genius. Guess when the expose came out that the front subframe of these detached itself from the body in order to revisit the earth (and at any speed!). Daily Mail article wasn't it. To be fair, we didn't give him much of a hard time (?!), there but for the grace of God go I....
You should puff the Alfasud, you really would like one of those. Lovely engines, cool looks, unfortunately they also came with before-their-time 'ecological credentials' fast returning to the Earth from whence they came.... Quality steel wasn't it? Good to see one again, thank you.
The story about the subframe is not as you may recall it. Martin's other Beta video debunks the myths. The Russian steel story re Alfas is also a myth. The Beta in the video is not rusty.
Excellent video, Martin! Magnificent car. Lovely details. And I'm glad your dental work survived 😂
Brilliant. 2 installments in one week 🙊🙊 great video as always 👍🏻 hope this car can find a new home soon.
I had a HPE years ago .... and now I have one waiting for its restoration. About the Lampredi engine I must object in one detail: it never was mounted in the Kappa. Engine range in the Kappa starts with 5 cylinders.
Good luck with your restoration!
My understanding is that the Kappa was available with a turbocharged version of the 4-cylinder twin cam for the first few years, later replaced with the Fiat family C five: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Kappa
@@GrandThriftAuto Oops! You are right., I?ve overlooked that completely
I had a 2000ie coupe some years ago. I'm interested in purchasing this one. Please get in touch.
I've always liked these sadly thought I rarely see one.
This is a brilliant video 👍 I've had my fill of Lancias, 1972 fluvia 1.3 s, a very over rated HPE Volumex, a 1982 Trevi which I so wished was RWD and a Y10 turbo. Every one of them left me broke but I'm so glad I experienced them.
Newly subscribed via the previous Beta video and currently much enjoying your back catalogue. Keep up the excellent work 👍
Thanks very much, and welcome aboard!
Just discovered your channel. I like it very much, thank you. The Lancia info is very interesting and well told.
Enjoyable and informative!
Thanks Ben 😊
Spotted one of those new Kia EV 6's the other day.Looks brilliant but I think it would look downright silly in 50years time.
That Beta coupe looks sizzling still!
I agree with everything you have said about this magnificent vehicle. In early 1977 I was in the market for a new vehicle and considered the Beta, Alfetta GT and the new BMW 3 series - the Beta was far superior for about the same money and bought a new white (I ordered red) 2 litre Beta Coupe with red interior - had it rustproofed and sold in 1982 - spotted in 1989 all rusted out despite the rustproofing.
It was a great car and I would love one again but age is catching up with me and rust is catching up with the Coupes.
This one was Ziebarted, garaged, and it's in good overall nick. It's for sale!
Looks great in brown - a true 70s car.
It's more bronze when you see it in the metal.
I remember test driving one of these in 1985. It was a mate's dad's car. My 21 yo self, donned my Benetton sweater, made a shot of espresso with the Gaggia, got in my 1300 Bertone X19 all Italophilic so to speak, excited to be viewing a Lancia Beta. Mmmmmmm. Arrived at young Adrian's house, he wasn't up yet. While he was doing his morning routine of 50 000volts and a litre of pure caffine. I did a walk round of the Lancia. It was a late 70s 2000HPE in brown metalic. I sort of noticed a few patches of rust here and there. Blinded by my love of Lancias i kind of overlooked that the damned thing was full of holes. All around the windscreen, sills, wheel arce, tail gate, bonnet lip even the roof was patched with rust. So Adrian jingling the keys and grinning came out to start her up.
If you know how awesome they sound I won't waste words. If you don't, well imagine pleasuring your lady until she is screaming for more. This is how a Lancia sounds. We took off up the road like a rocket. Adrian asked if i wanted to drive. Well yeah. I aam a good bit heavier than Adrian but I could not have imagined this ever being an issue. Until we hit a small but, noticable, pot hole. Suddenly i felt like i was sitting about 100mm lower. This was because I was. The back of the seat rails had gone through the bloody floor pan.
I let him drive us back home.
I didn't buy it. I have often looked for one since.
Buy this one, it's not full of holes. gerardjpclarkeATyahooDOTcoDOTuk
I was starving my way through college in the late 1970's and I wanted a Lancia Beta Coupe, dark blue or the wine red color (I think that was what it was). But I had to get my education and a better paying job. Such is life. What a lovely car, in my opinion.
Lovely looking car.
Hi, Yes it’s me again, I’ve had the Lancia Delta HFI turbo which I Done tweaks to the suspension and operated the turbo techniques . And I think the suspension bits and pieces I’ve got from Demon tweaks,
And some other little mods as well, and I have had BMW 2002 as well, I did not do a lot to it and it got broken into and had a radio and some bits and pieces stolen out of it and it put me off a bit as the little quarter light window in the front was easy to open that’s how they got in.
PHIL FROM THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOULIN FRANCE.
Very nice. What a lovely car
Lovely car. Great review.
hi interesting collection you have, I like it and actually we seam to have the same kind of taste. Anyway i was working on my lancia Gamma Coupe injection and it was standing for more than 10 years... in the end I cleaned the tank, put in a new fuelpump and had the injectors tested and cleaned. At the end one of the injectors was a bit stuck... so try that with the Gamma, maybe it will fire up... good luck, i ll keep on watching.
Thanks, that’s very good to hear - I’m hoping mine will be the same 👍
Mine 1978 USA Spec had variable power assist steering. For parking is would kick in and as you accelerated it would drop off the assist
That’s interesting. I think the 2000s all had power steering too - I’m told it’s good but haven’t tried it myself (yet).
Excellent video. I am currently looking at one (Beta) that I may purchase and restore….thanks for posting this. 👍
Or... buy the one in the video from me!
It's good to see another sensible Lancia review. I believe the interior of that coupe was originally the same as the mustard-coloured cloth used for the door panels. I've owned many models of Lancia throughout the 80s, 90s and early 00s, but sadly never had a Beta variant. On a different note, are you planning a video of the Gamma yet?
Thanks - that makes sense about the Beta interior, they had some wonderfully bold 70s colour combinations!
I’ll certainly do something on the Gamma - it wasn’t going to be my next project, but with lots of Lancia interest I might move it up the priority list a bit. It needs a fuel system overhaul and possibly a starter motor, plus the belts are overdue.
The mustard cloth seats have a tear in the usual place on the driver's side bolster, and the sun has damaged the tops of the rear headrests. The seat covers are PVC and were made to measure by a lady in Turin. She does not do door cards. need to get some matching door card covers pending a retrim, but I may sell the car before then.
XYR111T was my 2.0 Coupe. had 9 owners and glass fibre wings at 5 years old!!
Mine had electric windows and a sunroof. Switches for electric windows were on either side of the ash tray on the dash
Fab, I had a '75 Beta saloon "back in the day" I loved it but it was as bad as all the stories and it wasn't just rust, so it isn't all nonsense. I know, all Italian cars from that time were bad, as were most other cars but this was a special case. I had a 124 Sport Coupe and a 131 Mirafiori, they were bad too but the Lancia was in a league of it's own. That said, I'd have another tomorrow but I have too many cars also. Great channel; more Lancia, show us yer Gamma!
I suggest that you had a bad car or a few bad cars - this can happen. To say that all Italian cars from the 70s/80s were bad is, I suggest, a daft generalisation. I have had several Italian cars from that era. Only one of those was bad, and it had lived its life outdoors in a rainy part of the UK.
I add that I have owned lots of non-Italian classic cars - British, French, German, and Japanese. I have found that some are rusty and some are unreliable, and some are not rusty and are reliable.
I think that old cars are old cars, and there are good ones and bad ones. I don't tend to buy into "all car Xs were great" or "all car Ys were terrible".
@@ratman9802 Has Martin appointed you the moderator of his page? He didn't mention doing so. I own three Lancias and one Fiat plus a Moto Guzzi and a Moto Morini. I have in the past owed another three Lancias, another Fiat, three Alfas, and an MV Augusta. I am not sure what the "Lancia community" might be, but I have been a member of the LMC for a while, and I went to the Betaboyz meeting last year and saw several good cars, Berlinas included. I know the story about early Berlina subframes. Have you watched Martin's other Beta video?
@@gerardclarke8096 I don't think he appointed you either
@@ratman9802 Indeed, Martin (whom I know well) did not, and therefore (unlike you) I have not sought to police anyone else's opinions or tell them that they cannot speak. Why are you so aggressive? Was an Italian car mean to you when you were little?
That dashboard was a blast from the past !
I very nearly (obviously terminated by lack of money) in the mid eighties bought a Lancia Trevi, just because of that dash, though I seem to remember the seating was spectacular as well !
Post script: my crazy eye for a motor eventually 'got me' as later I purchased a Talbot Tagora SX, a car so unbelievably unserviceable and beyond my means that it's sat in my garage broken since I moved into my home over 25 years ago !
(I did get to drive it for a total of about 200 miles @ approx 5 miles per gallon of 5 star petrol ! ! !)
My 1st was a series 1 beta coupe I was a hooked then .a trevi 4 thema turbos a gamma saloon 2 dadreas 2 hf delta turbos. And a delta intergrale and I loved them all wish I still had them.then I got into my alfa,s now that's another story
Excellent review Martin! Lovely cars, but what has happened to this illustrious but virtually dormant brand (I think the Ypsilon is the sole survivor but Italian market only). I used to get a lift to school in a beautiful pink one (not sure what this colour was really called), sadly rear leg room I recall as being a bit challenging even as a teen.
Thanks 😊 They did some epic 70s colours! You’re right about the legroom, it’s a 2+2 really. The HPE is roomier though.
@@GrandThriftAuto looking forward to seeing your HPE on the channel soon!
I hear there are murmurings of a new lancia sports car coming, so it may not be dormant for much longer! These things don't always pan out so the plug may yet be pulled, but here's to hoping they follow through with it
Thank you for this great video! I really love this car. We used to have one of the first coupes (so the old dashboard, which I prefer more instead of the newer full plastic one) when I was a kid. It was a 1800cc dark blue. I still love it’s styling. Side windows styling reminds me a lot of the Ferrari 308 😋. I would be happy to find and buy one again. Could you please let me know where I should look? Any specific web page? Lancia clubs? Greeting from Athens Greece!
Brilliant car! Bang for your buck Italian beauty.
Thanks I enjoyed the humour and the Lancia Beta is a great car.
You say there's no parts commonality between the Beta Coupe and other Fiat brands.
I think the door handles are shared with the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 and the Fiat X1/9.
More tangents if you need any - the Fiat 4-speed inline (with the engine) transaxle plus Lampredi 8V sohc, originates from the Fiat 128.
The 5-speed was used with the same engine in the Lancia Prisma, Delta Mk1, Fiat Uno Turbo, X1/9 1500, Ritmo 85 et al, is generically referred to as the Fiat/Lancia 5-speed when fitted to blocks cast with the Fiat/Lancia logo.
A Fiat/Lancia 5-speed plus Lampredi 8V dohc was used in the Delta HF, Ritmo 105, 125, 130TC Abarth, and Lancia Beta Montecarlo.
A Fiat/Lancia 5-speed plus Lampredi dohc 16V was used in the Delta HF 16V, Fiat Croma 16V ie and Lancia Thema 16V ie.
The final iteration of the Lampredi dohc block was used in the Alfa Romeo 156D2 Superturismo, featured ITB's, single spark Fiat/Lancia/Alfa 16V head, and a Hewland or X-Trac 6-speed sequential.
The Beta was also sold in 3 layouts (front transverse front drive, mid transverse rear drive, mid longitudinal rear drive) making it somewhat unique.
Thanks for this, top geekery! I’m not surprised the gearbox was widely shared and should probably have excluded it from my sweeping generalisation along with the engine. I didn’t know about the door handles though 😊 Love that stuff.
The Betakoop bashes on. It is currently having its brakes fiddled with. Some yob smashed one of its windows last Christmas, but the window has been replaced.
Late ‘70’s fwd sport coupes were all the rage. Saab 900’s were flying off showroom floors.
These are such beautiful cars, as well as being fantastic to drive. If only the rust wasn’t a problem.
Rust is no more a problem on these cars than it is on any steel car of the 1970s and early 80s. Please watch Martin's other video about Betas - it busts the pub myths about Russian steel and so on.
Sigh
I had a black beta coupe 2000 for several years, until I replaced it with a black montecarlo. Those brakes were epically bad. Bad enough to carry a huge sandbag in the front boot and even that didn’t stop them locking up and ploughing into an escort at a zebra crossing at 2am in Kentish Town. I never did find out why the Escort driver had stopped as the last child had crossed some 10 hours earlier.
Michael Darrieleux of Talon Engineering in Notting Hill sorted it out. I noticed that he was fettling a maroon beta coupe at the time which belonged to the then President of the Royal College of Surgeons. I was a trainee Surgeon at the time and these things mattered.
Fantastic
The seats are fantastic in both versions. The later version dashboard would bother people who hate all the circles close together. I however like it.
I have a US version Black & Gold convertible . They were called the Zagato in the US. Spyder in Europe. Really is a misunderstood and underappreciated vehicle in America. looking for new struts if anyone has them. Parts can be difficult.
The best looking at. Cong.
Have you tried Beta Boyz in the U.K.?
Really enjoyed this. I have a non running identical model that is possibly beyond my skills. Was looking at your eclectic collection of cars. My first job was at Vauxhall so the Royale brought back memories. Is the Rover SDi running?
The SD1 does run, but needs some work on the brake hydraulics to be roadworthy. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hello, the car in the video is for sale.
Ilike yor videos !!!
Like writing with a really good pen? Yes that was a great way to put it. It felt like a Mercedes 300E only less full of it's self. A bit like a Hobbit cottage vs an executive's uptown home. Both pretty nice places to be and smoke a pipe really.
Again these are very good Lancia cars, Now, you need a VX version which must be the best? what do you think? Bob
I had an HPE VX which was fun. But I also like the smaller engined versions of the Beta.
Don't know if this was ever a problem for other people, but I remember taking one of these for a test drive, looking in the mirror and damned near s*** myself getting a glimpse of those rear seat headrests and thinking someone had sneaked in without me noticing. they look remarkably like human heads when you just get a glimpse of them. scared me half to death.
😂 I do know what you mean! That would take some explaining on an insurance form if you panicked and crashed.
Exactly! That's what friends always used to ask when I drove up in my Beta 2.0 coupe: 'who have you got in the back?!'
Yea, the first gen headrests were weird looking though more comfortable than second gen
I had the exact same model, I'm Italian and the color is not "a scrumptious shade of brown" but it was officially dubbed "color champagne" (do I need to translate?)
Such pretty cars. Pity most succumbed to rust. I'd be terrified to take one out in the rain.
Myth. Please watch the other Beta video on this channel. A much higher percentage of Betas survive than other similarly priced cars of their era.
Couldn't help but notice the Ziebart window sticker. Do you or the owner have any thoughts about this being responsible for the state of preservation?
It spent much of its life in the not particularly car-friendly island climate of the Isle of Man, so the Ziebart treatment is very likely to have helped.
The car was indeed Ziebarted and I think that it was probably garaged for a lot of its life in Aberdeen and then the Isle of Man. It was owned by a decorated WW2 Spitfire pilot who flew for Manx Airlines. Ziebarting is good. I once had a Triumph Dolomite Sprint that had lived in Brighton for years. It had been Ziebarted and was in good nick.
i'd like to look at buying the car
It is for sale.
i loved the one I had...
5th gear was not an overdrive gear
It was, usually a 1:0.925 ratio in most specs or a few had 1:0.865.
nice isle of man registered car. does it still live there
It’s in the UK now.
Statement: I love my Gammas, end of statement.
I support this statement.
Can you daily this car?
You can. I sometimes do.
umfortunately buying it is not an option for me since its an RHD ...
Abstract - take a look at Roadster Life channel. Very interesting and competent, made with passion, and still with slightly miserable few thousands views per video. Reminds me a bit about yours. On the other hand, polish-language channel referring to modern VAG technology (...bluuurgh... ;( have few hundred times more of views... maybe its combination of "thats the way she goes" and "most of people are simply idiots", just thinking. And I swear I dont watch that VAG channel, honestly! :)
You’re right, Roadster Life makes some great videos. I guess there’s just a lot more modern VAG fans out there and we’re just an exclusive niche 😊
Don't start your Gamma up on a cold winter morning having left your steering on full lock or you'll strip the timing belt and wreck the engine. Another piece of classic Lancia design.
Get a FIAT, they're far better !
That depends on which Lancia and which Fiat. Pre Fiat Lancias are way better than Fiats, and I say that as someone who likes Fiats.
@@gerardclarke8096 If it wasn't for FIAT, there wouldn't have been Lancia after 1969. Before that , they catered for a more prestigious market than FIAT , but obviously not that well as they bankrupted themselves.
Show me any Lancia before or after the FIAT bail out that's more stunning that a Dino ?
@@neilwalsh4058 I am not hostile to Fiat. I own a classic Fiat and I like classic Fiats in general. I like many of the post-Fiat Lancias. Lancia over-engineered cars and ran out of money. Fiat saved Lancia. That does not mean that Lancia made bad cars. Opinions as to which car is the most beautiful car is subjective A Dino is a great looking car. So too is a coach-built Lancia Flaminia (the Zagato one, for example). I do not understand why some classic car fans incline to the tribal. I like good engineering and good design, whichever company made the car.
the biggest problem with 1970s Lancia cars, imo, was the layout. there is no sport feel whatsoever with any front-wheel drive car, yet Lancia (Fiat) went all the way into that. And therefore, slowly but surely, lost ground. What is Lancia now? A compact city car designed to appeal to women.
I disagree, and so do the VW Golf, the Pug 205, and many other sporty FWD cars. Lancia did not fail because of FWD. There were many factors, but that wasn't one of them. Also, Lancia adopted FWD years before Fiat bought the company. I invite you to read about Professor Fessia.
@@gerardclarke8096 you are certainly right, the decline is due to many factors and not just one; however, my point is that up until the 50s, Lancia used to be a high-end luxury and sports car manufacturer (with a a RWD lineup) and even competed in formula1, back in those days. Then, as they switched to a more economical assembly solution (FWD) they steadily downgraded their brand, no matter who was in charge. About the alleged sportiness of fwd hatchbacks, I totally disagree with your argument: they might even have a sporty engine inside, but the point is the handling, not the power. no fwd car can be considered a sport car, in my eyes
@@ilmaurizetazetaerre Have you tried a Lotus Elan M100, Peugeot 205 GTi, Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo, or 1990s Alfa GTV? All FWD and all with great handling. I like FWD and RWD cars. My FWD Beta outhandles my RWD Fiat 124 Sport Coupe.
@@ilmaurizetazetaerre Also, the adoption of FWD was an engineering choice made by Dr Fessia, not a choice made on costs grounds. There are good articles about this on "Driven to Write" .
Beautiful car, but isn’t this one of the most unreliable vehicles produced? Obviously it’s a case by case basis, but that’s just what I heard
You heard wrong. I have owned several Betas, and I own the one in the video. They are amongst the most reliable of the many 1970s cars I have owned.
A great marque; Killed by Capitalism - as it always does. Sad.
Stop the humour. You're not a funny guy.
Just tell us about the cars.
Who put fifty pence in the dickhead?
There’s humour?
@@GrandThriftAuto There's always one isn't there?
Your taste in humour may not accord with that of others. Martin is a funny guy, as well as an excellent maker of car videos.