Gordon travels to the Mangaweka home of Italian classic car specialist Carteroni to swot up on his Alpha Beta
The Lancia Beta range had big shoes to fill. Whether or not it succeeded is debatable, however, old-school Lancia fanatics answered with a ‘no!’ Despite that, the Italian marque’s ability to dish up large helpings of motoring pleasure suggests that Lancia got it right.
Total worldwide sales of well over 400,000 units between 1972 and 1985 says the Beta was a success.
Premio Beta
The Beta Berlina (saloon) was released in 1972 to replace the long-serving and much loved Fulvia and Flaminia ranges. It was the first new model after Fiat’s takeover of Lancia. Sceptics said it would be a badge-engineered Fiat, a view reinforced by the use of the twin-cam engine designed by Fiat’s Aurelio Lampredi. While it was a major departure from Lancia’s trademark flat fours or narrow angle V-motors, the new unit became one of the great classic engines.
Unlike Fiats, the Beta retained Lancia’s traditional front wheel drive, with the engine placed east-west in the engine bay. Various tuning modifications and a different cylinder head gave the Lancia version more power and torque than its Fiat equivalent. Most Fiats had four-speed gearboxes; all Lancias were fitted with five speeds.
The Beta had MacPherson struts at each corner and an early type of multi-link system at the rear. There were disc brakes all round and rack and pinion steering. Combined with the lively and very sweet engine, it added up to a thoroughly competent package.
The Lancia styling team was too busy working on the Beta coupe to design the exterior of the saloon, so the very attractive two-box shape was penned by Fiat’s styling department. Inside, there was comprehensive instrumentation and extremely comfortable seats. The Beta saloon was an exceptional blend of understated luxury and highly satisfying driving dynamics, a sporting saloon in the true Lancia tradition.
Shorta Beta
With a wheelbase 190mm shorter than the saloon, the Beta coupe announced in 1973 was 295mm shorter overall. No panels were shared with the saloon, although it utilised the same suspension and running gear. The new body housed extra instrumentation and patented seats. Its 2+2 configuration and high tail provided good boot space. Cromodora or FPS alloy wheels were standard equipment.
Where the saloon was available with 1400, 1600 and 1800cc engines, the coupe was initially offered in 1600 and 1800 versions only, in a higher state of tune than the saloon. The gearbox was unchanged, but the coupe had a higher final drive ratio. A weight loss of 100kg helped performance, and the saloon’s suspension in a shorter wheelbase made the coupe a good-riding and very nimble car.
The Beta Spider followed in 1974. Identical to the coupe from the A-pillars forward, its targa top featured a removable solid roof panel, a fixed middle section and a folding fabric rear. The early Spider had frameless side windows and was more like a true convertible when the front roof panel was removed. Later cars had fixed side rails above framed side windows. Its specifications, including wheelbase and mechanicals, were identical to the coupe, except the open car was 45mm longer overall.
The HPE of 1975 was built on the saloon floor pan, with a coupe front section and two-door wagon body. It was a full four/ five seater, and the 50/50 split/ fold rear seat gave it good load-carrying ability. Initially the HPE was offered in 1600 and 1800cc versions, in the same state of tune as the saloon with the coupe’s higher gearing. Known as the High Performance Estate, it later became the High Performance Executive.
The mid-engined Beta Montecarlo was announced in 1975. This was the same year that 2000cc engines became an option on all models, and the coupes received the same engines as the saloons. The whole range was facelifted in 1978, with a new grille and a few other detail changes. An automatic gearbox was offered for the first time in Lancia’s history. There was a further facelift in 1979 when the grille was changed to the twin-segment shield that harked back to the earlier traditional Lancia radiator grilles.
Fuel injection arrived in the form of the 2000IE in 1981, and the 2000 Volumex introduced supercharging in 1983. The Volumex (VX) models were fitted with Roots-type superchargers that gave a 10 per cent increase in power. More importantly, 90 per cent of the 206Nm torque was available from 1500rpm. The VX option was available on all Beta models. Production of the Beta range ended in 1984.
Kiwi Betas
A small but dedicated band of supporters is keeping the Beta name alive in New Zealand. The main movers are Allan and Alex ‘Carteroni’ (Carter) of Mangaweka. Allan and Alex’s business is called Carteroni, and they specialise in repairing and restoring Lancia Betas, and supplying new and used parts. They suggested a drive-off in a Spider, a coupe and an HPE, an idea that sounded pretty appealing to me. They supplied two of the cars — their re-furbished Spider and ‘enhanced’ coupe. Robin Holdsworth generously brought along his HPE, a car that has been fully restored by Carteroni.
Spend a day with these three and their cars, and you wonder why you don’t drive a Lancia yourself.
Beta Spider
I tried the Spider first, on a beautiful sunny morning made for convertibles. The lack of power steering was noticeable at parking speed and fine above that — reasonably direct with plenty of feel. It’s been many years since I drove a Lancia or Fiat, and I had forgotten how wonderfully smooth and revvy their twin cam engine is. It makes the right noises, and the open top allowed me to enjoy the typically raspy exhaust note.
The Spider sat firmly on the road with that feeling of having glue on the tyres that I always associate with Italian cars. Not that I got to really test its handling and road-holding, but it was enough for me to know the Spider is a thoroughly enjoyable car. What seemed strange initially soon felt comfortable and familiar. The gear change had a pleasantly notchy yet loosened-up feel that encouraged gear changing almost for the sake of it.
It was easy to forget the Spider was a convertible, and I needed to look up or hear the extra-loud sound of a following motorcycle to remind me the roof was missing. The benefit was complete lack of wind buffeting. The unusual design obviously gives the car greater strength than most convertibles. There was no scuttle shake, and just a little creaking from somewhere within the body shell. Allan and Alex bought the Spider in 2000. They drove it for some time until Allan went to undo a brake hose retainer and the whole bracket pulled off the body. An extensive refurbishment followed.
Beta Coupe
Next up was the coupe, a car of very different character. Although Bruce Wilson, a former race mechanic with Chris Amon, had moved on by the time Allan went to work at Wilson Motors of Hunterville, Bruce had a well-equipped workshop and the two of them worked some magic on the coupe’s engine when it was overhauled. It was balanced and flowed, and some other trickery went into it as well, partly because Allan intended to use it for competition work.
A few Volumex additions, including the front air dam and steering wheel, add to its appeal.
With these modifications and fuel injection rather than the Spider’s carburettor, the coupe is a bit of a hot rod. That engine just wants to rev, and its performance is certainly adequate. It invites you to drive it hard. Where the Spider’s exhaust note was raspy, the coupe’s was plain nasty. It would be a great car for a quick drive over a winding road, but it’s probably equally at home on a long run. Allan used it in hill climbs for some time, but he has developed too much respect for the car to use it that way now.
The gear shift felt a bit rubbery compared to the Spider’s, but the performance allied to that Lancia handling meant the coupe was a lot of fun. I drove a Fulvia coupe for several months as a youngster, and I remember it being stylish and slightly quirky fun. I doubt it was any more fun than its replacement, and I believe the Beta coupe was a worthy successor.
High Performance Executive
Robin and Judy Holdsworth had driven their newly restored 1982 Beta HPE from Hamilton to New Plymouth so I could drive it. Their car couldn’t have been more different to the other two. It’s pretty close to a brand-new Lancia HPE and felt tight and stiff where the others had a nicely worn-in feel.
The steering was disconcertingly direct, and the ride was surprisingly firm given the HPE’s longer wheelbase and greater weight. The gearshift was tight and notchy and caused me some problems, prompting Robin to suggest that I need a bit more Italian in me. However, he conceded he needed a week to re-acquaint himself with the car after its restoration.
Once I settled in and adjusted to its different feel compared to the other two cars, I thoroughly enjoyed the HPE. I would like to spend more time in it, and would also like to re-visit it in about 20,000km. It should be nicely settled in by then, and its ride is likely to match those superb seats.
Robin and Judy bought the HPE in 1984 to replace their aging and well-used Cortina wagon. Robin took one look at the Lancia and knew it was the car he wanted. There was a ‘discussion’ because Judy didn’t want yet another two-door car, but the Lancia joined their family in 1984 with 40,000km on its odometer.
It was used for all manner of daily duties and trips, like any family car. After some years there was a series of minor issues with the engine, and the dreaded rust bubbles started appearing here and there. Robin arranged to have the rust removed and the seats re-upholstered. He said the new upholstery was done very well, but he was disillusioned by the early reappearance of the rust.
The Lancia Register asked Robin to display his car on its stand at the Ellerslie Concours, as it was the only HPE it knew of that was on the road. He wondered how it tracked him down, and was stunned to be told the car had been seen on the Auckland motorway two years earlier!
It was at the Concours that Robin met Allan and Alex ‘Carteroni’. Allan was very keen to save the HPE and, on further inspection at his workshop, gave Robin an agreeable estimate of the price and time frame to remove the rust properly. As work began, the true extent became apparent. Robin said they needed to take a deep breath and go for a total restoration, so go for it they did.
The work took 14 months, and included some extra triangulation where the front subframe meets the body shell to give the whole structure extra strength. Robin says he can notice the difference this modification has made. Allan is satisfied that, in some respects, the car is now better than new. The one item that hasn’t been touched is the engine, and it’s still in very good health at 170,000km.
The HPE is no longer a daily car. Robin tends to avoid rush hour traffic or other high-risk situations. A semi-retired scientist/engineer, he now has a daily bicycle for health reasons, and Judy drives a trusty Toyota. I forgot to ask how many doors it has. The Lancia shares shed space with three elderly Rileys.
Best Beta
Which did I like best out of these Betas that are almost from the same mould and yet are so very different in character? The Spider would be the car for beautiful Saturday mornings like the one we enjoyed; the coupe would be the choice for a quick blast to blow away the weekday worries or a quick trip for two, and the HPE would be ideal if I often had gear to move or I was planning a long motoring holiday.
For me, the Spider was the one I most wanted to take home. Its combination of open air motoring with few of the disadvantages of a convertible, its nicely used feel in a re-furbished skin, its good but not startling performance and easy demeanour, its rarity and the feel-good factor made it almost irresistible.
I would be happy to own any of these characterful vehicles, and I thank Carteroni and the Holdsworths for reminding me that Lancia Betas are thoroughly enjoyable cars.
Words: Gordon Campbell Photos: Adam Croy
