Lancia Scorpion Pics and discussion

my father's boss had a gold one-which seemed to be the only color to make it to the U.S. Still remember a magazine test which said the car had "Feet of Clay".Car was nice looking but IMO was much better looking in Euro trim and the performance left much to be desired.....

 

Ya gotta look for a pre-Fiat Lancia, IMHO......
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Hey, you sound just like me

 

I was blessed to have spent several summers in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany when I was younger; one of the girls I was friendly with had one of these Lancia's in an-off white color; it was her dad's car and he was claiming it was the finest car he ever owned, and he owned quite a few.

Anyone have any links/info on these fine cars?

 

there's only half a dozen(ish) in Australia, I've seen them advertised for as much as $45k, but the last two I've seen sell in the last few years have gone for ~$20k.

 

There's a pistacchio-colored one that shows at C&C from time-to-time and a couple of guys who are into Lancias. They are usually by the Alfa guys. Might be a better resource than what you'll find here. I had a Beta Spider (Zagato) in high school that was a lot of fun to drive. Silver/black. Fun car. The old literature had then-Ferrari F1 pilot Jody Sheckter saying, "Nothing handles like a Ferrari, but the Lancia Zagato comes damn close." Dirt cheap, but repairs might be a little pricey.

 

I had this one back 20 or 30 years back..
Turbocharged, forged pistons, alcohol injection, BWA Rims, Koni shocks..

It was a beautiful car but it really did often break even just sitting in the garage..

I sold it for half of what it cost new....probably after 15 years of ownership..

Beautiful car..

Chasing parts over the years from Georgia or AZ was fun but it was getting tougher and tougher..



I did manage to put probably 160 thousand miles on the car..! three motors if I remember correctly..

After the turbo motor blew I put in? a 2 liter. Nice car but I wouldn't advice it to anyone other than someone who was going to use it as a show piece..

 

There were actually two white/black Zagatos at C&C this morning. Total fluke. The guys didn't even know each other before this morning. One was a '79 that had been autocrossed, the other an F.I. '81 the guy was selling for "under 5 grand." Amazing how many people gathered around them saying they had owned or knew someone who owned one back in the day.

 

Here's a turbocharged one on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lancia-Scorpion-1977-LANCIA-BETA-SCORPION-TURBO_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6292QQihZ018QQitemZ280157026366QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Neat cars.
I remember one of my favorite pictures of a red Rally car in a quarry with a skinny model next to it.

 

I have a '76 Scorpion in very good original condition with under 60K miles and a working factory A/C (see the attached pic). The Scorpion in stock US spec is way underpowered thanks mostly to the primitive '70's era smog equipment. However after some messaging these cars can be quite quick, fun to drive around town and handle like a "baby Dino" according to a review in the July '07 issue of Classic & Sports Car Magazine out of the UK. Once sorted out maintenance is not that that difficult either and the Lampredi designed twin cam Fiat engine is rock solid. Prices for Beta coupes and the Montecarlo-Scorpion are supposedly on the rise.

I totally agree that pre-Fiat era Lancias are the best to own and I'll take it even a step further that pre-Pesenti era Lancias are the absolutely the finest. A Lancia Aurelia Spider B24S was the very 1st car that I ever drove and we logged well over 100K miles on a 4th series B20 coupe that was in our family for over 17 years. Since driving and maintaining these cars nothing ever seems to be quite the same for me! Although not as powerful as the their Ferrari counterparts of the era, the Aurelia and Flaminia are outstanding road cars to own and are becoming increasingly collectible. The Fulvia and Flavia are super fun to drive as well and run like "swiss watches" often outperforming larger displacement cars from their period. All just IMHO. Thanks for the air time.
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Wow! that looks awesomely clean

 

+1
I had a Ltd Ed. Black & Gold Zagato a long time ago. For a FWD car it drove pretty decent, but I always prefered the Scorpicarlo.

 

Thanks guys for the kind words about the Scorpion. She is no Ferrari but is a neat little scoot to drive around town in on a summer day.

 

jjay,

I owned a stock 1.8 liter Scorpion, and, as others have said, it was woefully underpowered. On the other hand, the build quality is good, they handle nicely (not tail-happy like a lot of mid-engine cars), and when you are sitting in the cabin, the various different angles of glass all around you give the interior a unique feeling. The roll-up canvas top is clever and fun, and doesn't leak. The lines of the car are an intoxicating blend of hard angles and subtle curves. The Scorpion/Montecarlo is as seductive as many Italian cars, but you don't realize it at first, because it is so cheerful. It is a unique blend of stylish, sleek, and racy . . . yet fun and carefree. And in 1976, dual overhead cams, 4-wheel disc brakes, 4-wheel independent suspension, and 5-speed transmission all together in one car was a desirable level specification.

The Montecarlo/Scorpion is really underappreciated here in the States. It has a respectable pedigree for a 1970s car -- its prototype placed well in the Giro d'Italia (IIRC), and its rigid center structure went on to become the basis for the legendary 037. And then there were the Turbo Beta Montecarlos that placed 1-2 at Watkins Glen (again, IIRC -- not bothering to check my facts here. Group 5?). I may stand corrected, but I believe it was the first car built entirely in-house at Pininfarina. It was also, plain and simple, a great sporting road car offered by Lancia during the height of their rallying and road racing success.

I think the biggest mistake one can make with this car is to liken it to a Ferrari, or any other all-out sports car. It is a sports car, but in a more touring sense. It is easy to get in and out of -- among the easiest of any mid-engine car of the era. There is room for tall drivers (I am 6' 2.5"). It has a large and very useable boot (trunk) in the front. It is roomy inside for a mid-engine car, except the top of the windshield is rather close (the sun visors are useless for anyone over 5'6", and it is real easy to bump the rearview mirror). It is practical and can be driven every day, and the fuel and maintenance costs are not "exotic".

My advice to you, if you want one is, either buy a Scorpion with a 2.0 FI conversion from a 1981 Beta coupe/Zagato (or do the converstion yourself), or import a Montecarlo from Italy/Europe. Either way, look for the cleanest original car you can find, and watch out for the "Home Depot restoration". Now that they are all over 25 years old, importation should be easier. There seems to be no shortage of old Fulvias and Flavias flowing into the States from overseas these days; I wonder how long it is going to take before we start seeing the Montecarlos trickle in . . .


Timo04 -- I saw your car a while back on viva-lancia -- beautiful!!! It is great to see one so well taken care of!



- Tony K.

 

Tim,

Your Scorpion is gorgeous! I've been wanting a scorpion real bad but being in Texas, A/C is almost a must so I've been kinda reluctant to pull the trigger. Ended up getting a nice Delorean and another fixer/upper Delorean 6 months after. So after I get rid of one of my Deloreans, I think I'm going to take a chance and acquire a nice Scorpion!

 

Go for it

 

Here are some Scorpion/Montecarlo pictures.

First is an example of how these Scorpions are well liked and respected in Ohio....
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On a more positive note, here is the first Montecarlo I ever saw. I was in Italy for a class trip in 1979 when I took this picture. Thats when I decided I really wanted one of these cars.
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Here is a picture of my Scorpion when I got it in 1980. It is along side my daily driver Beta Coupe. (Both have dual Webers)
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Here are some recent pictures of the Scorpion which I still own. Sadly, I sold the Beta Coupe in 1988. I used to think it was on of the nicer original ones around, until I saw the awesome blue Scorpion posted by Timo04.
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Beta Scorpion,

Thank you for complements about my car but on the contrary I really think that your Scorpion is the nicer example of the two. In any case let us hope at the very least that both of our Scorpions will still be on the road 31 years from now still representing the marque & model.

All the best,

Tim

 

Here's some more Lancia porn for you. This is my former Scorp, now residing in Quebec (photo take by new owner).
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