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Lancia Montecarlo

Lancia Montecarlo
Lancia Montecarlo (24750084830).jpg
Lancia Montecarlo (1980–81)
Overview
Manufacturer Lancia
Also called Lancia Beta Montecarlo
Lancia Scorpion
Production 1975-1978 and 1980-1981
Assembly Grugliasco (Turin) Pininfarina plant
Designer Paolo Martin at Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class Sports car (S)
Body style 2-door coupé
2-door targa
Layout Transverse rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related Lancia 037
Abarth SE 030
Powertrain
Engine
  • 2.0 L Lampredi I4
  • 1.8 L Lampredi I4 (North America)
Transmission 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,300 mm (91 in)
Length 3,813 mm (150.1 in)
Width 1,696 mm (66.8 in)
Height 1,190 mm (46.9 in)
Kerb weight 970–1,040 kg (2,138–2,293 lb)

The Lancia Montecarlo (Type 137) is a Pininfarina-designed mid-engined sports car which was produced by Lancia in Italy from 1975 to 1981.

Cars from the first series, which were produced from 1975 to 1978, were known as Lancia Beta Montecarlos and those from the second series, produced from 1980 to 1981, simply as Lancia Montecarlos. In both cases Montecarlo was spelled as one word, unlike Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. Both series were offered in Coupé and Spider versions, the latter featuring a unique roll-back manually operated targa style convertible top. The Spider was sold in the United States as the Lancia Scorpion during 1976 and 1977.

Total production numbers come to 7,798 units, with production spanning from 1974 until 1982 with an interruption in 1979. 3,558 first series and 817 second series targas were built; 2,080 first series and 1,123 second series coupés. There were also 220 competition models built (Lancia 037).

This was a rear-wheel drive, mid-engined two-seater sports car that shared very few components with other Betas. The car was originally designed as Pininfarina's contender to replace Fiat's 124 Coupe, but lost out to Bertone's cheaper design, which became the Fiat X1/9.

At the early stages of development the Montecarlo was known as the Fiat X1/8 Project, commissioned by Fiat for Pininfarina to build a 3.0 litre V6 mid-engined sports car. An X1/8 chassis was designed and developed for the first time in-house by Pininfarina and not based on any existing production car. Due to the Oil Crisis later on, the project was renamed X1/20 and updated to 2.0 litre. The first car to be made out of the X1/20 Project was the Abarth SE 030 in 1974. The project was passed to Lancia, and was constructed by Pininfarina, the original design company, in Turin, Italy. The Lancia Beta Montecarlo was the first car to be made completely in-house by Pininfarina.


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