Lot Ended
Description
Low-mileage one-owner car; last on the road in 1984; engine
turns; interesting project; rare model, one of only around 30 in the
UK
The first new
model introduced by Lancia after it was taken over by Fiat in 1969, the Beta was
very well received by press and public alike. Powered by Fiat’s punchy
Lampredi-designed twin-cam engine, it was widely regarded as a ‘driver’s car’
with bags of character and oodles of funky Italian style.
Ultimately though, the Beta was undone by a somewhat undeserved
reputation for being rust-prone, an accusation that really only applied to the
pre-1975 models which had a tendency to corrode where the front subframe was
bolted to the underside of the car. Later cars were certainly no worse than any
BL products of the era but mud sticks and the sales figures never really
recovered until the Beta was quietly shelved in 1984.
Purchased
new by its sole keeper from Puttocks of Guildford in August 1978, this pretty
Beta Coupe 1600 was specified with Bronze Windsor metallic paintwork and a
Gold interior. By the time number plates and RFL had been added, the bill came
to £4,635 – less the allowance given in part/ex for a one-year-old Colt
Celeste Coupe which presumably hadn't found favour with its owner.
A
couple of maintenance invoices show the car had covered 11,700 miles by April
1980 and 31,400 miles by July 1981 but other than that we don’t know much about
it. The service book is unstamped and it seems to have been last taxed in 1984
so the current indicated mileage of 59,558 seems likely to be
correct.
As you can see in the photos, time has
taken its toll on the tin-work but it is by no means a basket case and we are
told that the engine still turns over. Yes it will need new front wings and
attention to the sills and subframe, but the funky interior is still in pretty
good shape and, given that only around 30 of these pretty Coupes are still on
the road today, it is surely worth saving.
Lovely to drive and pretty to look at, any Beta Coupe would be a
great car to own. On offer here at No Reserve, it looks like a worthwhile
project for someone.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]