1978 Lancia Beta 1800 Coupe

The Lancia Beta was the car that, to this day, still evokes shudders with car enthusiasts. Known for their propensity to rust at a rapid rate, these cars did the company no favors in the sales race. From 1975 to 1982, the Beta was the mainstay of the US lineup, but was withdrawn from the market along with Fiat due to poor sales. A little over a decade later, Lancia would withdraw from the UK market as well, again due to lagging sales. Few Betas exist here in the US to this day. Most of those you see are the later Zagato open roofed variants. This 1800 Coupe for sale in New York is a bit tatty but is all there and would make for an inexpensive

1978 Lancia Beta 1800 Coupe

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Here you have a great little piece of Italian motoring history. The Beta 1800 coupe is just a blast to drive. This car has great bones and with a little TLC will be great. You will see in the pictures and video that overall in very good condition. Runs great, drives great, stops great. The car has a new timing belt, full tune up, new valve cover gasket, complete rebuilt carburetor and new rear motor mount.

Some of the things that need attention. The clutch is working but needs to be replaced or we think pressure plate is bad. Car shifts fine but clunks hard when releasing the clutch. Someone looked at it and said a spring on pressure plate is missing. Front motor mount needs to be replaced and then the things you see with interior and body. You will see the only spot of major rust / hole is in front of the driver rear wheel and not near suspenion, see pictures. Floor pans are clean and pictures show undercoat peeling not rust. AC – not working , it might need to be charged. Heat works great, power windows, tilt steering, sunroof, 2 extra aluminum wheels, power steering.

With a starting bid of $1,000, the seller is being realistic to get this car its fair share of interest. I'd say $3,000 to $4,000 might be the most that we see, but if I was bidding, I would not go much beyond $3,000 given the issues that need to be addressed. Still, for those handy with a wrench and some time on their hands, this could be the perfect project for the budding Italian car enthusiast for 2013.

-Paul

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