Sold but for two years, the Scorpion was easily forgettable during Lancia's brief appearance in the US market. This was a neat mid-engined car with a twin cam, 1.8 liter four cylinder engine and striking good looks by Pininfarina. This example is for sale in California has had but two owners and has recently been used as a daily driver, if you could imagine that.
1977 Lancia Scorpion
This listing is for a 1977 Lancia Scorpion. I'm the second owner. I purchased from the original owner in Northern California. I owned this car for nine years and it has been my daily driver since. When I purchased this vehicle it had 95,353 miles and started back to zero. I did all the work with the exception of the sunroof. Following is the work done:
IN THE PAST MONTH: Four new Kuhmo Solus tires, 185/70-13 with wheel alignment. New custom sunroof with canvas material, the same used in Porsches and Mercedes. New distributor cap, rotor and magnetic pick-up and Bosch Platinum spark plugs.
LAST TWO YEARS: New clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and rear main seal. Rebuilt starter, alternator and new solid state voltage regulator. Complete valve job that includes: new valve stems, new valve guides and head pressure tested. Water pump and timing belt. Radiator complete honeycomb core redone.
AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE: Replaced windshield with Pilkington glass with professional installation and rubber seal around.
IMPROVEMENTS: Replaced old point and condenser distributor with an electronic one from later Lancia model. Old plastic coolant reservoir replaced with stainless steel. Spare tire holder replaced with a made support that gives better hold and easy access for maintenance.
NOTICE: All smog equipment has been removed from vehicle and cosmetically cover all orifices. That makes the car perform exceptionally well. Top speed 110 mph and I have two speeding tickets to prove it. This car was not originally destined to run with all this smog equipment. It makes it a lame duck. The car has current California registration until November 2013.
This looks to be a very well kept Scorpion and with a lengthy history on the west coast, it stands a chance that this could be one of the more rust free vintage Lancias you could find roaming American roads these days. Scorpions are surprisingly affordable and have been likened to bargain Ferraris on more than one occasion. Anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000 will net you a good one. I'd suspect this example, due to the mileage, will wind up somewhere around the $6,000 to $7,000 mark.
-Paul