Interesting semi-Beta for sale.....

[thecolonel]

Anyone fancy this purchase  - nice chassis number though

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1976-LANCIABETA-SCORPION-FIRST-ONE-BUILT_W0QQitemZ280462994992QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item414ce5ae30

Geoff

[hongkongphooey]

Looks to be in fantastic condition.

[MattNoVAT]

Agreed the car looks nice and clean all round, but for a vehicle thats got a proven history of being the first built I would have thought the seller would have taken some better pictures that were staged properly to show the car off better.

or am I just being picky?

[hongkongphooey]

or am I just being picky?

I don't think so....you see it time and time again on ebay adverts. The one chance to really make your car look good,and you see badly written ads with poorly presented pictures.....Take the shot of the drivers footwell,10 minutes and that could've been clean for example.

[cheeky monkey]

looks good although i see what you mean about photos

alternatively, if you have a spare 100k you can have a low mileage Hyena 
http://www.oakfields.com/showroom01.asp?offset=10

[HFStuart]

Don't 

Two of my fantasy garage cars are in there. One of them is the Hyena.

[hongkongphooey]

Ooo yeah,i noticed that on C & C



Nice ass....poor wheel choice though.

[Paul Greenway]

Yes those 16" OZ rims are awful  , integrale Evo 2 are much better, but a lightweight magnesium 17" would have been better still. £100k is a lot of money for a grale in drag, you could have 4 good Alfa SZ's which look meaner if a little more common place and a tad slower, 52 reasonable Betas, one for each week of the year- that way you could never be bored, the insurance would still probably be cheaper although you would need a big garage. Finally what about the ultimate Semi-Beta an 037 Rallye stradale (minus daft rear wing) , this tops my dream car garage although I suspect prices are now in Stratos territory (£125k+) for a pukka original.
Returning to the Scorpion, it looks a nice car but '76 this is too late for the original car- something does not quite add up unless it is a simple error in the advertising. Providing it is no1 and unmolested and the money is right it would be a super buy for someone, although performance will sadly be lacking and to modify would lose its originality.

[LanciaDave]

Good choices. I'd have many of the same.
As to the Scorpion, '76 would be right year. US cars are sold by model year, not calender year. Would be listed as 76 even if manufacture date was the previous Fall or the like. Also if an '80 model year sedan wasn't registered until '83 it would usually still be listed as a 1980. Year is usually a defining factor here. Often the first thing listed in the ad, followed by make, model, and then hopefully engine, trans., and options, which makes it boggling to us when we scan ads for UK and some of Europe. Of course us crass Americans are blunt and just want the facts first, then go from there.
Scorpions were only sold here as a 1976 model year (around 1400 units), then with some changes (ie glass buttresses) 1977, which was cut short after about 400 units. I have a '76 that's, ahem "not quite stock", and most of the other Beta's (sold the Coupe to a friend who wanted to restore her) except for the Trevi, which was never sold here. We also didn't get the 1400 or 1600 engines, or the VX (but I have one of those too, anyway) but we did get 1800 & 2000 carbed and the 2L with FI. We didn't get any Beta's (or other Fiat or Lancia) after 1982 model year. We did get 124 spiders for a couple more years badged as Pinninfarina, and X1/9 until '87 or '88? badged under Bertone. We got some Yugos in the late '80s. Alfa pulled out in 1996. Now only Maserati & Ferrari. Plus Lamborghini (but they're not Fiat Group). I guess now we have a couple 8C's at Maser dealers. Rumor has it we'll get the new 500 starting in about a year and then a few Chrysler/Dodges on small to mid-size Fiat platforms.
I think the lady who owns the first Scorpion has had it for a long time and occassionally makes a half-hearted effort to sell it, if she can get the price she wants, and doesn't have to make too big of an effort. I suspect she wants in the $15-25K range. That's USD which equal about 65 pence each? 1 pound equals about $1.50.  Well, I think that's about enough for today.

Dave
Woodburn, Oregon, USA