i read an article by Andrew Cliffe at Omicron:
"Most Betas are fitted with automatic chokes in the carburettor, which need to be activated with two presses of the pedal before you start the (cold) engine. Now, I know this sounds like a stupid answer, but I thought there was something wrong with my first HPE until I discovered this advice in the owners manual, and I know of at least one person who's bought a Beta sold cheap due to non-existent 'cold-starting problems' because the previous owner didn't know this. If you're already doing this before starting the car, you'll have to try another approach....."
anyone else heard of this?
http://www.omicron.uk.com/lanciacentral/beta/technical.htmllink to the whole article above