The last time I saw a Lancia Zagato, such as this 1982 example was probably in 1982! Lancia, a once proud marque, known for its sporting character, has all but disappeared from global automotivedom. Based on the Lancia Beta Spider, the Zagato was first imported to the U.S. in ’79, was withdrawn in ’80, returned in ’81, and called it quits in ’82 with a paltry output of only 764 units that year according to Autoweek. We’ve covered these before, but not too often so let’s see what this Scottsdale, Arizona resident has to show for itself. It’s available, here on craigslist for $5,900, OBO. Thanks to Mitchell G. for surfacing this tip!
The story goes that Pininfarina did the design work on the Lancia Beta Coupe but didn’t have the wavelength to handle all of the bodywork for the more limited production Spider so Zagato got in on the act and thus the name, the Lancia Zagato. Total production statistics show that 9,600 Spider/Zagatos were produced overall, with 2,600 finding their way to the U.S., and 1982 being the final, and lowest production model year.
We’re told, “This car has always been very well-maintained, maintenance history with records in hand. It has always been maintained to the highest standards“. The mileage is reasonable at a claimed 68K reading and we’re told that the 108 HP, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, “runs and drive great – no mechanical problems“. The listing states this Lancia as being fitted with an automatic transmission but it’s not, it’s a five-speed manual transaxle that drives the front wheels.
One of the things that I recall from 40+ years ago is the Zagato’s styling – I thought it impressive then and still do. This example looks great, the finish has depth and there’s no sign of rust or body panel mishaps. The folding fabric top and plastic window, which covers the diminutive rear seat area, shows well too. Most cars manufactured in this era employed black rubberized trim and bumpers, components known to fade and crack, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.
Inside, we find leather upholstery which shows appropriate age wear on the seating surfaces as well as additional side bolster/piping degradation. As for the tiger-pit rear seat, it’s dealing with a split seam as is the dash pad. All-in-all, the environment is in fair shape and we’re told that the A/C system is “ice cold“.
This is a neat, seldomly encountered car and an unusual twist on the Targa body style. I’m not a fan of FWD for sporting maneuvers but this Lancia is likely to be docile and better suited to top open cruising than trying to hot-foot around. This car’s biggest drawback may be its scarcity and parts sourcing ability. And with that thought, I’ll throw it out there, has anyone owned, or currently own a Lancia? If so, how is it, or was it?
From a handing standpoint Lancia is no spring chicken to front wheel drive. They make some of the best front wheel drive vehicles. My friend had a Beta and the thing that impressed him the most was the long travel suspension that was almost impossible to bottom out.
Indeed, a Beta’s ride is best described as supple — compliant in cruising, yet taut in spirited cornering, instantly taking a level set and holding it through the turn.
Technically it understeers when pushed past the limit of grip, but not in the usual nose-heavy plowing sense, pointing the car outside your chosen steering line; rather, it comes on gradually as a neutral, even, predictable and controllable 4-wheel drift gradually wide of your line while remaining oriented as you pointed it, trivial to lock down again by easing off the gas or tapping the brakes.
Up to that limit, well, “as if on rails” never meant so much until I got mine. I like enter wide corners hot with a line a bit tighter than I need, then ride the drift out to where I want it and scrub speed slightly to lock it down, then stand on the gas again to ride it out and away, always a delightful thrill!
Remarkably, despite the transverse powertrain, Lancia engineers developed an elegantly simple solution to eliminate torque steer. They started with equal-length halfshafts, then bridged the gap between the offset transaxle and right-side halfshaft with a stout tubular jackshaft riding in a carrier bearing mounted to the nose end of the engine, where it connects to the drive flange for that halfshaft. If a Beta torque steers, either the alignment is off, or a bushing has perished, or something is bent/damaged.
One of 764 in white that year?
These are Fiats; real Lancias stopped in the early 70s, except for some awesome rally- derived models.
@jwaltb – Lancia only made 791 Zagatos in total (all colors included) for model year 1982, according to the production figures published in Brian Long’s Lancia Beta book, which is generally regarded as an authoritative reference based on factory documentation (not sure where the 764 figure came from). So many are white because they only came in 4 colors that year: white, silver, metallic light blue, and red (dropping the black’n’gold editions offered for ’79 and ’81).
The only thing Fiat about the Lancia Beta is its Lampredi twin-cam engine, which was one of the most advanced and efficient in the world at the time, making it a no-brainer decision for Lancia to adopt for their overdue new model, though they did have to alter some aspects of the engine for transverse FWD usage, which Fiat had yet to do at the time.
Everything else about the Beta was developed entirely in-house at Lancia by career Lancia engineers and designers who remained on the payroll after the Fiat buyout. Any engineering similarity to Fiat models was because Fiat borrowed from the Beta’s engineering to develop their own subsequent models.
Pretty cool little rig for the asking price. Would you be able to get parts for it?
Most engine parts are common to Fiat versions of the same engine as used in the 124 spider and 131, and FI components are standard Bosch L-jet. Most other model-specific parts are carried by Midwest-Bayless in the US, and BetaBoyz UK is sourcing caches of NOS items and even having some components remade. Some parts are getting harder to find lately, but doable with some patience and research (the Italian eBay.it site comes in handy here).
Lancia Stratos HI FI is all I’m going to say which is rally car royalty in my book! It’s too bad they didn’t flood our shores with that model as the world I’m sure would be a better place!
You and I may not have balked at the cramped interior, or the price of Ferrari engine parts, but not sure how many would have sold. I’d be happy with a Fulvia HF.
They didn’t flood any shores with the Stratos, as they only built just enough to satisfy homologation requirements for competition, and even that quantity may be dubious.
They showed rally officials the first half of cars produced, then wined’n’dined them over an extended lunch, then took them to another field to show the second half, but lore has it those latter cars may have been the very same cars as the first half, just moved to the second location during that long lunch! 🤣
I’ve owned a ’79 Lancia Zagato since 2004, used it as my daily driver for the next 15 years and ~35k miles (purchased at 114k on the odo) and maintained it myself, until it blew a head gasket due to a pinhole radiator leak I didn’t catch in time, so that will be a Project. Also purchased an ’82 Zagato a couple years ago, that I’ve gradually been going through to get everything sorted.
A Lancia Beta is one of the most “modern” classic cars around, being the first model mass-produced to the overall engineering formula that eventually prevailed in the auto industry worldwide — FWD with a DOHC transverse powertrain, 5-speed transaxle, rack’n’pinion power steering, 4-wheel disc brakes, strut-based fully-independent suspension with an elegantly simple multilink rear. Few cars had any of that, let alone all of that, when the Beta platform debuted in 1972, nor many more by the time it retired in 1984.
Citroen didn’t – but they had a hundred and one variations around the FWD theme by that point! I always liked driving Lancias and Alfas when I was working in the car world in the 80s. Few folk wanted to buy them, though, due to the rust issues back then.
These were such fantastic cars that people lined up to not buy them.
I have an 82 Zagato in red, great little car ,fun to drive. I bought it with a knock on the engine , as a mechanic i stripped the engine, (lifted body of the sub-frame ) had the crank ground , new bearings,I polished the head, ground the valves & set the shim clearance, replaced the clutch while engine was out.
Parts are avalible from Mid -west and other sites ,namely ebay. one of the hardest parts to find are front shocks,im still looking ,if anyone knows where they can be obtained or comparable ones please let be know ,
Check BetaBoyz UK; they sell suitable Spax shock inserts and threaded collars to convert the Beta’s later-type sealed stock strut bodies to accept the inserts (earlier Beta struts already had a threaded collar to allow swapping inserts).
People still spout the half truth that the Beta range of cars are Fiats. Yes it is true that Fiat bought the near bankrupt Lancia but what is true is that experienced long time Lancia engineers and designed created the coupe, HPE, Zagato and Berlina models borrowing some trim pieces and the reliable and advanced twin cam engine from Fiat. Pininfarina designed the Scorpion/Montecarlo. I’ve had two Zagatos, three coupes and three Scorpions.
lotta great cars outta Italy in late 70s early 80s (many named in last post above).
Always at a premium, and worth that to me. Plenty to drive, plenty to tinker a Saturday away. Great styles, wonderful drive train’n suspensions. My buds lumbered away w/the (fox bodied) big fords’n GMs (even X, T & F bodies) the mid-size seeming over sized gas hog straight liners. Just as the world copied the coke bottle Taurus from mid 80s – late teens I think the bellisimo straight lines & sharp angles of the 80s came from these guys 1st (and much earlier).
Just got back from a 60-mile drive in my restored ’72 Fulvia 1600HF. Parts are not hard to find. The best U.S. source for me is Adan Figueroa at LaLancia.com, but I’ve found good sources in Europe, and eBay works. The interweb makes Lancia ownership much easier. If you buy this car, join the American Lancia Club. Lancias are great fun to drive!