∙2.0 litre ∙Bare metal respray in Italy ∙Solid base
THE BACKGROUND
Lancia launched the Beta in 1972 and it was in production up until 1984. Made in six different body styles over the production run, the first on offer was the Berlina which was a four-door saloon with fastback styling. The second was the three-box saloon known as the Trevi, and this was followed by the 2+2 Coupe in 1974 which ran until 1981. The Beta HPE was a three-door shooting-brake, the HPE stood for High Performance estate. The final version was the Lancia Montecarlo which was a rear wheel drive mid-engined two seater. It was 1975 when this particular model was released, the two-door convertible called the Spider Zagato
The body of the spider was designed by Pininfarina but built by Zagato. It was a very complicated build process for the Spider. It started off with the Coupe bodies being delivered to Zagato for the conversion to roofless. They were then shipped back to Lancia for rust proofing, then back to Zagato to be painted and have the interior trim installed, and then finally back to Lancia to have the engine installation and final assembly. Quite a lengthy process we’re sure you’ll agree.
This 1975 Lancia Beta was purchased by the seller in 2017. It was found in southern Italy and is believed to have had just two previous keepers. The Lancia was in need of some light restoration and as the seller does spend quite a lot of time in Italy, the work was entrusted to a local Fiat specialist to carry out the restoration of the Lancia.
This firstly involved a full strip down to the bare metal, which included taking the engine out, and this is where any areas needing attention were dealt with. Then it was onto the paint, the car received a generous coat of bright red to make the Lancia stand out from the rest. The engine received a full check over and paint to freshen it up, and a timing belt change in 2019.
The external restoration was completed in 2018, and the interior refitted which does have some signs of wear, but it is functional. The Beta was used in 2018 for a road rally in Italy. It was then used a handful of times throughout 2019 before the seller decided to import the car to the UK in March 2020. Since arriving in the UK the Lancia has been registered, but does require a few jobs to get it through an MOT test.
The reason for the sale is that the seller has another project on the go, which is taking longer and is more expensive than originally thought.
The V5 is present and shows 0 previous keepers, as the seller is the first UK owner.
The Lancia currently has no MOT certificate. It does retain the owner's manual, but as is quite common with an import, the paperwork with any history is usually missing, and this is the case with the Beta.
Open up the door of the Lancia and you will spot the seats are trimmed in Houndstooth material, which is in quite a nice and tidy condition, with no obvious signs of wear. Present is the original steering wheel. Just behind, the instruments have been hit by the sun and this has clouded the faces slightly.
The odometer has a reading of 16,488 kilometers. The dashboard in the Lancia has suffered some sun damage and has cracked in a couple of places. Other items affected by the Italian sun are the sun visors, door cards and carpet which have faded in the heat.
There are a few jobs that need finishing off in the Lancia on the electrical side of things. The oil pressure gauge and water gauge don't work, neither does the clock and there is an issue with the wipers. This would obviously need to be resolved before an MOT could be carried out. Other than that just a general health check on the wiring would be good practice, as we all know Italian electrics can sometimes be a little hit and miss, so best to get things checked over professionally.
The boot area of the Beta is nice and tidy, with the original boot carpet in place and the spare wheel is there along with the wheel brace and jack.
This lovely 1975 Lancia Beta Zagato has had the engine removed and been stripped back to bare metal, primed and repainted in the only colour an Italian sports car should be, a nice bright red. This work, as already mentioned, was carried out by a Fiat specialist in Italy in 2018.
Starting at the front, and the lights are free from any chips. The grille is in good condition with no splits showing and lower down the bumper is a nice bright chrome finish with no corrosion. The bonnet aligns uniform and straight with the wing rails and grille.
Moving to the sides of the Lancia, and as you would expect, being repainted not so long ago, there is no damage down the flanks. The doors align nice and straight. Chrome door handles are used and these are finished nice and bright along with the window trims. The car does come with two new targa roof panels, which are different styles and the rear hood section is new, so it still fits nice and tight.
Onto the rear end of the Beta and the back lights are free from any damage. There is a 2000 badge to the left and a Lancia B to the right, and these are in good condition. The bumper does have some small areas of chrome missing around the number plate area.
The wheels are the originals that have been refurbished to the same colour and fitted with new tyres. On the underside of the Lancia it has been coated in stone-guard to protect it for the future.
The Lancia is believed to have been fitted at some point with the later 2.0 litre engine over the original 1.6 litre. This information came from the Italians who carried out the restoration. This was given some attention at the time of the restoration, and in 2019 it had a service and the timing belt replaced.
The revvy 2.0 litre runs lovely with no untoward noises that shouldn't be there. It was used for a road rally in Italy where the seller's wife drove the car and had great fun in the Lancia.
It pulls through the gears quickly and smoothly with no issues or noise from the transmission. Keeping the Lancia nice and tight are some new anti roll bar bushes and the CV joints have been replaced.
Just 9,390 Pininfarina designed Lancia Beta Spiders were built, not too many made it to the UK and now with just 32 registered on the UK roads, it’s not the type of car you’re likely to see two of in the same day. Vehicles from around the era of the Beta are generally quite easy to maintain for the home mechanic.
So it's just a case of taking out the targa roof and off you go! Summer is here, what are you waiting for? It's time to jump into that affordable Italian classic.
**The photographs in this listing were supplied by the seller**
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NO RESERVE - 1975 Lancia Beta Spider Zagato
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