Coupé Beta Montecarlo

Rédaction : Albert Lallement

A Lancia with a fiat birth

The Montecarlo coupé was originally intended to complete Fiat's range, as it wanted to launch a small sports car with two seats and a mid-engine. But the oil crisis decided otherwise...

The mid-rear engine configuration, inherited from racing, was adopted by a number of manufacturers at the end of the 1960s for their sport models targeted at the general public. Matra, Alpine and Dino were all successful using this configuration. When Lancia was taken over by Fiat in 1969, the group was working on two chassis designs with a central engine, a solution that was unheard of in Turin at the time. The first was the Fiat X1/9 and the second was the Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Lancia's sporting tradition was reflected in this model, which also brought Lancia numerous successes in racing.

Thanks to the team of Riccardo Patrese (left) and Walter Rörhl, the Lancia Beta Montecarlo wins the 1979 World Championship for Manufacturers in the under 2-litre category. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.

The Beta Montecarlo's evolution took place in several phases, sometimes hesitantly, which resulted in a number of closely related models, some production models and others intended for competition. In 1969, Fiat was considering the replacement of its current sports models, the Spider 850 and the 124 Sport coupé, dating from 1965 and 1967 respectively. Fiat was working on a sports car with a rear transverse 1.3-litre engine developed by Bertone and presented at the 1972 Turin Motor Show with the name X1/9. At the time, Pininfarina was to produce a larger version with a 1.8 or 2-litre engine. The project was initially referred to as the X1/8 at Fiat, while in the manufacturer's official nomenclature it was listed as the Tipo 137, the name which was adopted when the model was later built by Lancia.

LANCIA PICKS UP THE PROJECT

Pininfarina pushed the project even further and, in 1971, the X1/8 was renamed the X1/20 in reference to the Lampredi 2-litre engine. But the oil crisis changed the plans and Fiat, concerned about its image as a responsible manufacturer, did not want to associate its name with an energy-consuming sports car and ‘passed on the baby’ to Lancia. The same was to happen to Volkswagen's future 924, which would be entrusted to Porsche. However Pininfarina did not want to stop there, and continued to develop a prototype in collaboration with Abarth named SE 030.

The car made its debut in competition and finished 2nd in the Giro d'Italia in 1974. There were plans for a production version, but in order not to compete with the commercial success of the Fiat X1/9, Lancia inherited the project. The oil crisis meant that the brilliant 3-litre, 285 bhp V6 had to be sacrificed in favour of the Lampredi 2-litre, 120 bhp 4 cylinder engine used in the Fiat 124. The car's design evolved into a compact coupé with taut lines created by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina.

The car was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in 1975, where its raw beauty, a masterpiece of simplicity, was admired by the public. Named Montecarlo, in Italian script, it became part of the Beta family, which lacked a sporty model, even though it had little in common with the hatchbacks and coupes included in the range.

MIXED SUCCESS

As no large production volumes were planned, production was entrusted to the Pininfarina factory in Grugliasco, on the outskirts of Turin. With 3,854 units sold since its launch, Lancia decided to stop production of the Beta Montecarlo in May 1978, but kept the model in the catalogue in order to sell off stock. After a brief interruption, a second series model (type 137 AS.565) was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1980. Its architecture and engine remained identical, but differed from the first version in having a redesigned radiator grille in the style of the Delta, with a central bar. This new version, simply called the Lancia Montecarlo, proved to be no more successful than its predecessor and, in June 1981, production ceased for good. A total of 7,595 units were built in seven years, including 1,801 of the American ‘Scorpio’ version produced between 1975 and 1977.

The Lancia Beta Montecarlo's modern styling reminds us of the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer, another coupé with a central rear engine designed by Pininfarina. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.

THE MONTECARLO IN RACING

The Beta Montecarlo Group 5 was presented on 18 December 1978 and took its first test runs two months later at the Verano track. Its official debut took place on 22 April during ‘Fiat Day’ at the Vallelunga circuit. It made its race debut at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on May 6th, with Riccardo Patrese and Walter Rörhl ( withdrawn). Since 1954, Lancia had not participated in any official circuit races. With victories in the under 2 litres category at the Nürburgring, the Coppa Florio and Brands-Hatch, Lancia claimed the world title in its category.

In 1980, the engine was modified to allow the Beta Montecarlo to compete in the over 2-litre category. That year, the Lancia Montecarlo achieved 14 victories, including 3 overall, at the 6 Hours of Brands-Hatch, Mugello and Watkins-Glen, and the world title was once again won at the expense of Porsche. In 1981, to prepare for the new Group C regulations, Martini & Rossi provide Lancia with support. Success followed and Lancia claimed 6 class victories and a third consecutive World Championship. The introduction of Group C in 1982 put an end to the great adventure of the Group 5 Beta Montecarlo, of which a total of 11 were built.

DATASHEET

Lancia Beta Montecarlo, 1st series (1974)

• Engine: Lancia Type 137.AS.000, in-line 4-cylinder, transverse central rear axle

• Displacement: 1,995 cm3

• Bore x stroke: 84 mm x 90 mm

• Power: 120 bhp at 6,000 rpm

• Fuel system: Weber 34 DATR4 inverted twin carburettor

• Ignition: Magnetti-Marelli electronic ignition system

• Timing: 2 overhead camshafts, 2 valves per cylinder

• Transmission: rear-wheel, 5-speed + M.A.

• Tyres: 185/70 HR13 (front and rear)

• Brakes: discs (front and rear), diameter 227 mm

• Length: 3815 mm

• Width: 1695 mm

• Height: 1190 mm

• Wheelbase: 2300 mm

• Front track: 1422 mm

• Rear track: 1466 mm

• Weight (empty): 1,040 kg

HISTORY OF NAMES

In 1969, engineer Sergio Camuffo was appointed head of development at Lancia. At the time, the range was based on three models that were already old: the Flaminia (1957), the Flavia (1960) and the Fulvia (1963). Camuffo's team worked on a new model that was presented in 1972, the Lancia Beta, available as a saloon, coupé, Trevi three-door saloon, Spider and Fastback.

The name Beta was selected to mark the brand's new beginning and to pay tribute to its founder Vincenzo Lancia, who chose letters from the Greek alphabet to name his cars. However, this tradition was discontinued in the 1930s. Beta had already been used for a 1909 model and Alpha was dropped to avoid confusion with Alfa Romeo, another Fiat Group brand. As for the name Montecarlo, it refers, of course, to Lancia's many victories in the famous Monte Carlo rally.