Lancia dabbled in Greek letter naming of its vehicles at the turn of the century, making its way through a succession of Greek letters before moving on to the Roman roads naming convention. Among our favorite of the old Greek models was the Lambda, a 70mph 1920s unitary body feat of design and engineering. The Roman road names began (we believe) with the Astura, and continued through the end of Fulvia production.
The reintroduction of Greek letters was accompanied by a Fiat takeover and a new lust, by those responsible for the corporate coffers at least, to introduce scaled production and profitability. Lancia vehicles had, to this point, been the dreams of engineers, and sold with high prices to compensate for low production. With Fiat at the helm, the Beta series was introduced with lofty production targets and reduced development spending; understandably, many Lancia engineers walked out during this transition.
After last week's mostly negative take on the Lancia Scorpion, here we find ourselves sharing one yet again. The reason for this is twofold. First, we had an unpleasant interaction with a painter earlier this week while stripping down a Milano Verde for some rust repair, and made us think a little bit. He was incredulous as to why anyone would spend the money to repair an 80s Alfa sedan. We don't wish to sound like that painter, so we won't rain on the Scorpion parade just because we don't 'get' the cars. Reason two? Well, we 'get' this one!
The example that we shared last week was actually in better shape, but we like the details on this one much better. First, the BWA basket wheels are all sorts of cool. And then there's the paint color; we love how the black trim works with the bright blue. Finally, this car has a quad headlight conversion from a Lancia Beta Spyder/Zagato. Mind you, these are all aspects of any Lancia Scorpion that could be altered, but seeing them all present on a car for sale is rather compelling.
You're looking at my 1976 Lancia Scorpion targa-top coupe. This is a neat little car that is almost ready to be put back on the road. I purchased this last Summer when I bought a '65 Porsche 912 from an older gentleman and he asked if I'd also buy this as well to help him out. I had always thought they were cool, and had literally only seen one other in person many many years ago, so I bought it. It wasn't running when I got it, but it looked like a pretty well taken care of example overall.
I had the starter rebuilt, performed a general tune up, oil/filter change, and she fired right up. It runs really well. I was told the motor was rebuilt a few years back. It has an Alquati intake with Weber 42 DCNF's. Exhaust is a CSC system. Bosch alternator, Pertronix ignition. I had a shop install new clutch master and slave cylinders, and new brake master and slave cylinders. The shop had the car for well over 8 months and I was getting peeved. They kept saying "It'll be ready tomorrow" and tomorrow never came. I finally went and took the car back, but they hadn't connected some of the brake lines or bled them, as well as the clutch line. They also had let the hard top fall off the car and get scratched, as well as lost one of the black plastic trim pieces on the hood, and the shift knob is missing! Needless to say I won't be going back to that shop!!!
The car was originally a different shade of blue as you can see in some of the pics (inside trunks, door jambs). I like the color now as it's very period correct and looks great. The paint job is several years old but looks good. I'd call it a 5 footer. Not really any major paint flaws, it's just not "perfect".The hood has a few small dings in it that a paintless dent repair guy can massage out. The interior is in really good condition and was restored about 10 years ago, and looks very good still. This Carolina's car has been stored indoors, and is very solid underneath for a 43 year old example.
I believe the rims are vintage 15" BWA's. Front brakes are Wilwood 4 piston calipers with slotted rotors. Koni struts in front, KYB in the rear.
The car comes with two tops...the fiberglass "double bubble" hardtop as seen in the pics, and the folding cloth top that is stored in the front trunk. As I mentioned, the shop let the top fall off the car and it has some minor damage. A paint shop can fix easily.
I am selling the car as it sits because I have moved on to another project that is more up my alley...another classic air cooled Porsche 911 to bring back to life. You can probably have this car back on the road with a few hours of work connecting and bleeding the lines. Im pretty sure everything is still there, just needs properly hooked up and bled. I'm just not fooling with it any more. Someone might ask "Why don't you just fix it and get more $$$ in the end?". It's one of those things where I got so disgusted by the shops' BS that I have just moved on. If you're handy, you'll be on the road in no time.
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The condition of this example is at a juncture where it could either descend into disrepair or emerge victorious, faults having been addressed. We see a fair amount of non-terminal scale on the underside, especially on the shield covering the coolant pipes underneath the car. The engine bay shows signs of neglect, with flaking paint and missing timing belt covers, and the seller states that some brake and clutch bleeding will be required to make the car streetable.
If there is one problem we have with this car, it's the current bidding. Seems pretty high for a repainted car without any sort of refreshing, other than the claimed engine build a few years back. With rust to address, hydraulics to bleed, and a so-so interior, we'd hope to see something under $5k. But, like us, perhaps the bidders are loving the 037 look to the quad headlights - we can blame them!
We'll follow yesterday's quintessential Lancia, the Flaminia, with a Lancia begging discussion of its bonafides, the Scorpion. Introduced to the Lancia lineup following the Fiat takeover, the Scorpion belongs to the Beta line of Lancias, which were Fiat's attempt at extracting profits from Lancia.
No innovative Lancia V6 to be found under the hood of the Scorpion. Fiat supplied a 1,756cc variant of their Lampredi Twin Cam 4-cylinder, strangled by smog equipment in the US to a meager output of 81hp in comparison to the Monte Carlo's 120hp. A small consolation - the valve lash is more convenient to adjust than on the Alfa twin cam! Shims lie on top of the buckets, right under the cam lobes, eliminating the necessity of removing the camshafts to swap shims.
This is a very clean car that is coming out of the estate of one of our Lancia collectors. He has owned this car for a very long time and took great care of it. The interior has been redone at one time and is in excellent condition. It has had a recent high quality repaint done to it and looks incredible. We just put a battery in it, flushed the clutch system, cleaned the plugs, prepping the car to get ready for sale. Car does have some fluid leaks, axle seals leaking a bit and some oil leaks on the car. The a/c compressor has been removed from this car also. The speedometer and odometer also do not work on this car, and this title is marked as odometer discrepancy But this is a great looking, very nice, very clean car. This is one of the nicest Lancias we have had in the shop.
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Condition on this example is particularly nice. Paint and bodywork are spectacular, which reflects the fact that this car was repainted at some point. The reupholstered interior shows very well too. Underside photos show that rust has been tended to or hidden very well, although we'll bet on the former. The engine bay appear neat, and the engine shows a healthy amount of typical oil leakage - nothing to worry about. We aren't 100% sure, but the engine might be missing a cam belt cover - exposed belt doesn't seem right to us.
The Scorpion isn't the best Lancia ever offered, but this is certainly one of the nicest Scorpions on offer. Are we out of line to suggest that this one sort of begs for some hot-rodding? The Fiat Twin Cams can be made to breath fire with proper upgrades. We'd say that the car even deserves the hot rod treatment, if only to restore it to its rightful 120hp.
Yesterday's Bertone X-1/9 represented Bertone's successful bid for a Fiat 124 Coupe successor, but what if Pininfarina had won the business? Well, we'd have seen a Fiat Montecarlo or Fiat Scorpion in place of the X-1/9.
Following Lancia's takeover by Fiat, the automaker sought profitability in its Beta lineup, the last of which was the mid-engined Monte Carlo. A tough sell to fans of early Lancias, it featured a DOHC Fiat 4-cylinder, known as the Lampredi after its designer, rather than a bespoke Lancia unit. After establishing itself as a true innovator in engine design, producing the worlds' first V6 engine, Lancia had stooped to purchasing its engines from the outside? One could do much worse than a DOHC Fiat engine! But, Lancia fans love Lancia engines.
Selling my beautiful 1977 Lancia Scorpion with 61,900 original miles and clear box A title.
This is a rare rust free scorpion with the rear glass buttress windows(one of 430 imported).
She starts right up with no smoke and runs and drives very well. Straight body with shiny deep black paint. Re done interior with supple leather seats and console. excellent carpet and all interior plastic refinished in factory color. Good glass , working clock and added heat/sound insulation. Fabric top in very good original condition.refinished wheels with new tires. Newer battery, new oem carb, s.s flowmaster muffler and vitaloni side view mirror. Detailed engine bay with custom insulated heat shield. De smogged and a/c removed by previous owner. included with sale are original charcoal canister, original mirror and 4 new drilled brake rotors as well as 2 factory reprint service manuals, period promotional materials, fuse location manual,original jack and lug wrench, ignition key blank and numerous receipts including engine refurb etc. Quality custom California car cover included.
This Scorpion is a wonderful true sports car with a well sorted DOHC 4 cylinder mid engine(original) and 5 speed transmission. This is a 41 year old low mileage car and as I am not a dealer or car flipper there is no warranty. In the interest of full disclosure, here are the known issues: Brakes are ok but not great-system was flushed about 21/2 years ago.Tach is sometimes erratic, mechanic suspects a ground issue but I don't have the time now to pull the instrument cluster to clean the contacts. Note all visible grounds have been cleaned or replaced within the last year. Does not effect drivability. Passenger side power window slow going up but working just slow. Aftermarket stereo/cd doesn't appear to be hooked up. Car has a great exhaust note so never a priority. Drivers side lumbar control wand is seized-common issue- new updated part can sometimes be sourced from England as well as working original part. Not really a problem.
I am a collector/enthusiast and don't need to sell her but I don't have much free time lately to drive her or my other classics. I want My car to go to another enthusiast who appreciates this seldom seen Italian Beauty. Tons of positive attention at car shows!
Serious buyers only. No low ballers or tire kickers. Please don't waste my time or yours. Happy to answer any questions. A non refundable $500 deposit with balance due by bank wire transfer within 7 days. After money clears I will express you the title and bill of sale. Shipping is buyers responsibility and I can assist you. . VIN # 137AS0101547. Please note, not all scorpions have power window option, mine does. Thanks for looking!
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Today's example exhibits remarkable condition at a reasonable mileage. Clearly the car was enjoyed, and even more evident is the fact that it was cared for properly. The location lends itself to the reportedly rust-free condition as much as it does to the re-trimmed interior - that Arizona sun will bake interiors mercilessly, given the opportunity. The traditional list of faults provides enough work to get to know the car, but not nearly enough to detract from its value.
The ad doesn't state as much, but we'd go so far as to state that one could not rehab a typical Scorpion to this condition for this price. Low mileage, presentable paint on a straight, rust-free body, an intact top, and clean, cared-for mechanical bits - were there ever a Scorpion to buy, this is the one.
