Lancia Montecarlo — BrandWiki

Lancia Montecarlo

Overview

Lancia Montecarlo

aka	Lancia Beta Montecarlo Lancia Scorpion (U.S)
production	1975–1978 and 1980–1981
manufacturer	Lancia
assembly	Italy: Grugliasco, Turin (Pininfarina plant)
designer	Paolo Martin‡R1R‡ at Pininfarina
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 Lancia Medusa
engine	2.0 L Lampredi I4 1.8 L Lampredi I4 (North America)
transmission	5-speed manual
wheelbase	2300 mm‡R2R‡
length	3813 mm
width	1696 mm
height	1190 mm
weight	970 –
sp	uk

The Lancia Montecarlo (Type 137) is a two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by Lancia in Italy for model years 1975-1981, across two series. It was designed by Pininfarina and has a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.

The first series (1975-1978) were marketed as the Lancia Beta Montecarlo and the second series (1980-1981) as the Lancia Montecarlo.[3] In both cases Montecarlo was spelled as one word, unlike the city of Monte Carlo. Both series were offered in Coupé and Spider bodystyles, the latter featuring a unique roll-back manually operated targa style convertible top. A modified version of the Spider was marketed in the United States as the Lancia Scorpion (1976-1977).

Total production spanned from 1974 to 1982 with a hiatus in 1979 — reaching 7,798 total.[4] 3,558 first series and 817 second series targa models were manufactured; along with 2,080 first series and 1,123 second series coupé models — as well as 220 competition models built (Lancia 037).

Design

Models

First series

The Beta Montecarlo was finally unveiled at the 45th Geneva Salon International de l'Auto in March 1975, marketed as the Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Power came from a twin cam, 1995 cc Lampredi inline four, developing 120 PS at 6000 rpm and 126 lbft of torque at 3400 rpm.[7] Lancia claimed a top speed of over 190 km/h and a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of 9.3 seconds.[8]

First series featured 5.5Jx13" "bow-tie" alloy wheels. Very early production had solid rear wing panels above the engine bay, although these were glazed for most of the first series production. The interior was upholstered in vinyl (TVE, Elasticized Vinylic Textile), with cloth optional. The driver's side mirror (passenger side was optional) was a Vitaloni Californian.

In 1978, production of the Beta Montecarlo went on hiatus.

Lancia Scorpion

The convertible version of the Beta Montecarlo was federalized and marketed in the United States from 1976-1977 as the Lancia Scorpion, to avoid conflicting with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. 1,805 were manufactured in 1976 and sold as model year 1976 and 1977 (1396 and 405 respectively).

To accommodate U.S. emission regulations, a smaller emissions-tuned 1,756 cc twin cam engine was fitted. With less aggressive camshaft profiles, a smaller carburetor, and the compression ratio reduced to just 8.1:1, the Scorpion delivered 81 hp, down from the 120 of the Montecarlo. To meet crash test and lighting requirements, the Scorpion had bigger 5-mph bumpers and low-rise pop-up, sealed beam headlights, adding some 130 lbs to the curb weight. Two additional series of vents on the engine cover were required to cool the catalyst.

Second series

After a two-year hiatus the revised second series was introduced in 1980, no longer using the Beta prefix and marketed simply as the Lancia Montecarlo.[9]

Exterior changes included a corporate split grille design introduced with the 1979 Delta, glazed rear buttresses for better visibility and, in place of the model badging on the tail, a full-width brushed aluminium strip. Larger eight-spoke 5,5Jx14" alloy wheels from the Beta were adopted to clear the upsized brake rotors and calipers, and the brake servo was removed to address a brake lockup issue. The interior featured a spoke Momo steering wheel as well as revised trim and fabrics. The engine featured a higher compression ratio, Marelli electronic ignition and new carburettors.

Racing

Abarth SE 030

The first offspring of the X1/20 project to actually be revealed to the public wasn't the definitive Beta Montecarlo, but rather the Abarth 030. Powered by a 280 hp, 3.2 liter V6, sporting conspicuous aerodynamic appendages (including a snorkel over the roof to feed the engine) and the Abarth red-yellow livery, the SE 030 was first intended as a replacement to the 124 Abarth in motorsport. Nevertheless, Fiat for the time being preferred racing the high volume selling 131 for marketing reasons, and only two Abarth 030s were ever made.

In 1974 one of the two prototypes took part in the then-popular Giro d'Italia automobilistico, a championship consisting of both road and track races. Driven by Giorgio Pianta and Cristine Becker it scored a remarkable second place, just behind the Lancia Stratos Turbo of the duo Andruet-Biche.

Montecarlo Turbo

The Montecarlo Turbo was a Group 5 racer. It was the first racing car to be fielded by Lancia in eight years when it entered the May 1979 Silverstone Six-Hours race.[13] It won the 1979 World Championship for Makes (under 2-litre division) and overall for 1980 World Championship for Makes and 1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes. Hans Heyer also won the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in 1980 at the wheel of a Montecarlo. In 1980 Turbo also placed first and second at Giro d'Italia automobilistico, an Italian counterpart of the Tour de France Automobile.

Being a silhouette car, the Montecarlo Turbo only shared the centre section of the body with its namesake production car. Front and rear tubular subframes supported the suspension and housed the engine, still mid-mounted with Colotti gearbox. Three engines were used: 440 hp 1,425.9 cc, 490 hp 1,429.4 cc and 490 hp 1,773.0 cc.[14]

Rally 037

The Montecarlo was the basis for Lancia's successful Group B rally car, the Lancia 037. Debuting in 1982, the car won the 1983 WRC Manufacturers' Championship for Lancia.

Similarly to the Montecarlo Turbo, the 037 only retained the centre section from the Montecarlo but little else, and its supercharged engine, while still midship, was mounted longitudinally rather than transversely as it is in the Montecarlo.

Lancia Montecarlo

Design

Models

First series

Lancia Scorpion

Second series

Issues

Racing

Abarth SE 030

Montecarlo Turbo

Rally 037

In popular culture

Gallery

External links

References