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Title: Monte Carlo Historique 2017 Post by: Aureliab20gt on November 21, 2016, 10:36:29 AM Betas on the up........there are no less than 9 Beta Coupes and a Monte out on the Rally in January! I've never seen so many on the entry list. They are joined by about 15 Fulvias!! Over the last few years that I've followed this, there have usually only been 2 Beta coupes out. This is always great publicity for any marque.
Title: Re: Monte Carlo Historique 2017 Post by: Neil-yaj396 on November 22, 2016, 08:08:30 AM I think Fulvias are starting to price themselves out of the market, plus, it is finally dawning on people how well the Beta handles. Who knows how well it would have done if the Stratos had not already been in the pipeline for competition? It certainly held it's own in that brief rally career with minimal development.
The rear suspension would be my only worry. Title: Re: Monte Carlo Historique 2017 Post by: Aureliab20gt on November 22, 2016, 10:20:54 AM One of the Beta retirements in GR4 was down to FRONT suspension breakage I seem to remember reading.
As for the rear suspension, the IRS on the 131 Abarth used beefed up transverse links and I think the GR4 Beta must have had similar treatment. There is a photo of Pregliasco's car in rally guise which shows a wider PCD on the hubs which appears to be around 130 mm. The works Betas used adaptor plates (homologation papers confirm this) as this allowed the team to carry a minimum amount of wheel types. At one stage they had 3 types of car making up the team, Fulvia, Stratos and Beta, so the number of wheels required would have been getting out of hand! A few of the Delta lads up here in the NE used to weld a plate to the underside of the rear axle beam so that it formed a box section as opposed to a channel section. Stiffens back end a lot...........just remember to cut a couple of access/drain holes in it. |