Whilst perusing the Cohort, I came across this picture of a 1978 Lancia Beta Coupe posted by Paul Shawcross. Now, I was under the impression that these all rusted completely away sometime in early 1979, so how did this one escape the ravages of the tin worm? I also can’t decide if I find it pretty because it’s rare, or if it’s rare because it’s not pretty. I think I’m leaning towards pretty but in an abstract way, not conventional.
Somebody in my parents neighborhood had a red cabriolet version of this. The one with both a lift-off targa-top and a laundalet-like folding rear section. I’d sporadically see it being driven over a couple of decades into the mid 90s by an older gent. It was kept pristine.
Probably driven when sunny and tucked away when rainy and snowy.
Does anyone else see a ’71-’72 Vega here?
Yes I do.
Good. I wasn’t the only one that saw a Vega!
I was scrolling down to post that very comment.
That was my first thought, 65 years old brain.the picture didn’t match my screwdred recollection
The tinworms also saw a Vega when they saw these.
This one has a UK plate so it survived because it was treated with gallons of Waxoyl and garaged in the winter. The Beta Coupe is a pretty car and survives in dry climates without salt.
Maybe this was maintained by one of those mythical Beta Testers we keep reading about.
Perhaps when it was new it was treated to a Beta Blocker which prevented rust.
Comment of the day!
Yes, I’d heard somewhere of the Beta beater-blocking Beta Blocker, but sadly seems most went on to have the Beta beater-blocker blocked.
I’ll be the grouchy old man here and say I’m not a fan, and never was. Compared to the earlier Fulvia coupes, and the Fiat 124 Coupé, both pre- and post-facelift, the proportions and details seem awkward. And yes, I think the Vega is better, though I’m more of a Vega hatchback or Kammback fan.
Apparently the Beta coupes were considered at one point to function as the replacement for the 124 Coupes.
The Beta was an interesting car but it looks a bit awkward in all iterations. So for me it doesn’t have the strong appeal of the 124s.
The various dashboard designs on the Beta sedans, coupes, HPE and Monte Carlo were all hideous.
Bah humbug (maybe that should be rust bug), I think these are nicer than a 124, which always looked as a strong breeze might blow it away (which ofcourse after several rainshowers and one salt grain, it often did, in bits). These are decidedly less blowsy, and I don’t see anything gangly or ill-suited going on.
But I’ll agree the early Fulvia is far prettier – completely at odds with my argument about spindly-looking 124’s, I know, but I didn’t come here for the logic – and that the Beta dashboards various are junk sculptures.
The rust issue regarding the Beta has been wildly exaggerated; while true the fist series cars built into ’75 had a poorly designed subframe that would corrode faster than expected, later cars did not. The poor reputation the Beta faced came from a news report from the UK Daily Mirror in 1980, showing used up and rusty 7 year old cars in junkyards they claimed “were only two years old”. Tale as old as time, fabricate a story and sell it. Yes, they can rust, equally as bad as any car circa 1977. Are they worse? Doubtful.
We have anal rust regs and six monthly inspections and believe it or not Lancias still exist on the roads so do lots of other things with a rustbucket reputation, kinda depends on whether it was looked after and which area of the country it lived in, Nice car.
We have anal rust regs and six monthly inspections
I use Preparation H for this myself
While I do have medical issues, anal rust is not one.
Personally, I’ve never looked.
Gentlemen, may I introduce you to a classic of the late and great Screamin’ Jay Hawkins…
Very childish. But bloody funny!
One of my favorite designs from the 1970s. Two of these trolled the Chicago suburbs where I grew up, one owned by the Italian immigrant father of a classmate and the other by a member of our church. I got to ride in the former once, after my friend folded himself crossways to fit into the back seat and surrendered the front passenger seat to me, as I was several inches taller. The latter car developed huge, cancerous looking rust spots on the rear fender within two years (ironically a pattern very similar to the rust spots on my father’s Vega notchback) and was traded by its disgruntled owner for a 1980 Buick Skylark.
https://www.rialzi4x4evo.it/WebRoot/StoreIT8/Shops/150916/596C/885F/40C1/B6BA/ACD8/0A0A/B010/2455/lancia-beta-hpe_7.jpg
I had a Lancia Beta HPE. One of the most beautiful sports hatches ever, if you ask me. Most important: Girls liked it very much. However it was of course a rust devil. I couldn’t even sell it, I had to give it to the scrapper. The A-pillar was rusted through and the windshield was trembling.
A friend bought one of these in the mid 70s to replace an Alfasud ( that had been resprayed under guarantee !). I rode in it a few times, but we were both moving in different directions from London and I lost touch. Yes it was pretty – not sure if the later HPE was prettier.
A lot of rust problems were caused but traps in the structure for moisture and dirt. Rear subframes on Minis were notorious for rusting. On Triumph Heralds the backbone of the chassis was sound, but the outriggers that supported the body would trap dirt very badly.
Blimey, if you rode in it a few times but were both moving in different directions away from London, that IS bad rust….
This Lancia Beta coupe, stylistically, represents everything I love about Italian cars of the ’70s. It’s so effortlessly stylish – lines, wheels, accents… and it’s understated. A shame about the uninhabitable rear seats. And quality. And rust. Etc.
I also thought the HPE was a looker. I remember seeing one in traffic in Monrovia, Liberia when I was a kid and being intrigued by it’s shape. I wonder how long it lasted in the salty air of the Atlantic.
Typical case of the press getting hold of the story, and in true press fashion what they print doesn’t necessarily have to be the truth, just be a good story.
All the snide and so called clever remarks just show how ignorant people can be in ready to believe anything.
It was a problem that was already being sorted by Lancia here in the UK, and buying back affected cars, but the press and TV never bothered to print that.
Please research before you print rubbish, as the old adage goes, hardly anyone will report on how satisfied they are with any car, not just the Beta, while 100 will tell you about a minor niggle.
Brian
Uk
Lancia, especially with the Beta, had a rust problem reputation long before the reporting in 1980. Yes, the reporting had issues and could have been better done rather than being sensational, but the fact of the matter is that Series 1 cars had severe rust issues, not just with body, but also front subframes, and series 2 cars such as this one were hardly immune either. Lancia did have a voluntary recall and ended up either repairing or buying a lot of cars back and they did announce a very generous rust warranty as well. However, no matter what the reporting was, the cars did generally rust. Was it more or less than other contemporary vehicles? I can’t say for sure as I wasn’t there studying them but as you yourself stated Lancia was “buying back affected cars” – while that’s surely a good thing to have a manufacturer actually stand behind its product, it shows that there was definitely an issue and likely not a very isolated one.
I was obviously being a little facetious and playing on the rep when posting this picture as any 1978 vehicle is somewhat noteworthy in the UK these days, but a Beta Coupe IS an especially rare car in the UK, isn’t it? And most did succumb to rust, likely well before they should have.
I’ve never heard of Lancia having any cars prior to the Beta as being overly prone to rusting; quite frankly the opposite. The Fulvia that preceded these was using aluminum door skins and hoods on certain models, which obviously can’t corrode, and was very ahead of their time in such manufacturing solutions (saving weight).
The rust “issue” came about because the subframe in the original Beta only had 3 welds, and wasn’t ideal. Yes, it was a large misstep for a company that prided itself in superior engineering. Lancia corrected that with a new 4 weld design, and initiated a goodwill buyback program for the early series cars that had the previous setup. It was unheard of back then for a manufacturer to do such a thing; this was during a time when British Leyland looked real nervous, and the Daily Mirror seized on the opportunity to reframe the situation as something it wasn’t. Why? Them versus us / national pride. Lancia ended up looking like a slimy guilty party after the misleading reporting, when in reality they were trying to assure their customers they believed in a higher standard. Nobody was questioning Lancia’s integrity prior; it was the exact opposite. Yeah, you paid for it, but you knew damn well it was a superior product.
Please do some searching re: Fulvia, they did have rust issues too. If specifically more or less than other cars I can’t verify but certainly nowhere near immune no matter if the coupes got Al doorskins and hoods; those are the two of the three most easily replaced parts anyway suggesting they were there due to weight, not corrosion protection.
I’m well aware of Lancia’s superior engineering and far from not being a fan, there are numerous ones I’d love to own and spend more time with, i.e. I’m not one to just slag the marque. However, I believe the Beta had a serious rust issue. Whether it was sensationalized or not, people definitely had problems with them rusting. People may well have had the same exact problems with OTHER cars as well, but that still doesn’t mean that the Beta wasn’t problematic in that regard. The press may well have sensationalized or exaggerated it, but there was an issue.
There’s an excellent ITV video that includes an interview with a UK Lancia rep wherein the reporter, somewhat breathlessly, reports that the engines could drop out. The Lancia rep, (and this is shown to ITV’s credit) responds that no, that isn’t exactly true, instead what happens is there are four mounts that hold the engine in, and when the rust issue occurs, the rear two mounts break and thus the engine merely tilts back instead of breaking free. This doesn’t exactly instill one with confidence, I can see why buyers stayed away absent any reporting that all other cars did the same thing…
Going back to what Brian said, sure Lancia did try to address it and either bought back or offered generous part-exchange terms. Commendable to be sure, but the problem shouldn’t have existed in the first place and as far as I can tell, the cars built immediately going forward didn’t magically get cured the day after it became a public issue.
I, in my one short paragraph in this post, alluded to the fact that many Betas had rust issues and were no longer on the road due to that, any observant reader could note that I employed a little hyperbole when implying that a 1978 model would be dissolved by 1979. This is true, many were forced off the road due to rust. You guys try to make it sound like it was “a minor niggle”. Sorry, not buying it.
Let’s just agree it’s a pretty car and nice to still see this one, in apparent excellent condition, still on the road.
I appreciate your reply Jim. I’m not trying to be argumentive for it’s own sake, moreso that it wasn’t a rust issue with these cars but the poorly designed subframe, thanks in part to Lancia’s newly acquired owner Fiat dictating cost cutting measures. Its rather amazing, really, that the remaining Lancia team was able to get Fiat to agree to the buyback program they initiated. In any event, they are pretty cars, very advanced for the times, and I’m glad you posted the article 🙂
And I’m glad you chimed in, as it fleshed out the subject significantly more and interested readers can do even more research on their own and learn more. Long live the commentariat!
But as you said, yes it was quite remarkable what Lancia agreed to, very likely to their own long-term detriment. As far as I can tell, they never tried to initiate any legal action which may or may not have been successful and probably would have dragged out for much time, but may have ended up clearing their name. Of course this is all easier in hindsight, when they started their program they obviously did not conclude what the end result would turn into.
Probably 100 Betas of all kinds left on our roads.
Uh….Here’s a contemporary news report about the Lancia Beta buyback?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CjgHSqdY5nQ
Yes, Lancia were ‘sorting the problem’ by buying back affected cars, but they had to buy back -at least- 1,000 ….
I’ve always liked the look of these and quite a few years ago I test drove one that was for sale locally. It had the most awkward and uncomfortable driving position of any car I’ve ever been in. So that was a no thanks from me!
Moons past, I too sat in one, and yes, having my ears being blocked by my knees was indeed off-putting, but the awful Gear-Guesser gearchange sealed it as a “no” for good.
I love Lancia and I have to say it is a perfect nourishment for rust. That why I have one 😂 . https://youtu.be/uLQhdOibttU
Truly a wonderful car – one of those that was accessible if you were willing be slightly adventurous, and if did you realised how inadequate a Capri was. The HPE wagon was truly truly gorgeous (my pick of the bunch) and the targa Spyder quite appealing too.
So galling that the tin worm got so many, and that the rep it gained has unfairly endured.