![Your guide to buying the classic Lancia Beta HPE, Coupé and Spider Classic & Sports Car – Buyer’s guide: Lancia Beta HPE, Coupé and Spider](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2022-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Lancia%20Beta%20Buyer%E2%80%99s%20Guide%20%E2%80%93%2014.png?itok=4m5ov0bB)
Why you’d want a Lancia Beta
Fiat backing finally gave Lancia the resources to develop an all-new range, launched 50 years ago as the Beta Berlina.
Lancia did the coupé job properly: this was no cut-down saloon. It boasted its own chic styling (created in-house by Aldo Castagno and Piero Castagnero) and no panels were shared with the Berlina.
A foot shorter, 2in narrower and 5in lower, with a 9in shorter wheelbase, the Coupé was sharp, lithe, lively and distinctive, and would have a long, healthy life spawning both Spider (convertible) and High Performance Estate variants, all looking great and selling well.
The engines were based on the Fiat twin-cam, but Lancia engineers were allowed considerable freedom – to the extent of changing the cylinder-head configuration to hemispherical combustion chambers. The engine, with the gearbox on the end, was mounted transversely in the front subframe.
The suspension was developed in-house, with MacPherson struts all round and a unique rear set-up using the anti-roll bar as fore-aft location alongside twin transverse links: it worked well and would be much copied.
![Driving the Lancia Beta Classic & Sports Car – Buyer’s guide: Lancia Beta HPE, Coupé and Spider](/sites/default/files/2022-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Lancia%20Beta%20Buyer%E2%80%99s%20Guide%20%E2%80%93%2004_0.png)
‘There are no cars in the class that are more fun to drive along twisty roads,’ said Motor, ‘nor any that create more interest among bystanders.’