Greetings from Hungary

[AndrewJ]

Hi everybody  !

 I bought a red '81 Lancia Beta Coupe 1300 a few days ago . I want to restore it   for myself within one year - now it has many failures yet: body, electricity, painting. I also have other Lancias - a Kappa 2.4 20v, an Y10 Missoni ( http://picasaweb.google.com/MyKappa2.4/Y10Missoni# ).. And an A112 Elite under restoration - but after buying the Beta now I want to present it to anyone, because it's too little for me - I'm tall and "wide"

Here in Hungary I'm one of the leaders of the local Lancia community, I usually organise meetings, and now we try to base a new Lancia Club here, because the older one hasn't been available for the last few years.. The page  "lanciak.hu" and the new hungarian Lancia owners' forum ( forum.lanciak.hu ) is also managed by me.

I already have some question about Beta, but now I have too much work , so I will try to return  with them in the evening or tomorrow.

[MattNoVAT]

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum, I think maybe you are the first member from Hungary.

Are there many Lancia in Hungary, can you still get spare parts easily?

Nice work on the Y10, you do all the work yourself?

We look forward to your questions 

[AndrewJ]

Hi !

I've seen 2 coupes and 1 HPE from Hungary in a Beta registry ( http://www.betasportmodels.net/registro.htm ) but it's very-very rare by us. There are only 1-2 pcs of Montecarlos, 10-20 HPE-s and maximum 5-10 coupes - I guess.. I drove it only one time in my town 2 days ago - but many people looked back on the streets..

In Hungary <'90 people could buy only East-European cars, so the West-European cars -produced in the '70s-'80s- were imported generally as second hand cars - mainly from Switzerland and Austria and Italy. There are many Lancias here but mainly Delta-Dedra-Kappa-Y and other younger models. My Y10 is originally imported from Switzterland , my Beta coupe is from Holland.. You can also see some donors here - for example nowadays a HPE and a coupe Volumex: http://www.autoalkatresz.hu/auto-bontott_jarmu/jarmu_bontasra/lancia_beta_volumex_hpe_coupe_bontott_jarmu-147719  

My Y10 Missoni is used by my wife for driving to work, so it was not a real hobby car restoration with high budget (I restored it myself) - it is used every day because of its ~5-liter-consuption. I have bought it for  160EUR, and have spent ~ 1000EUR for changing most of the parts..

So the questions   ...
-The drapes of the seats seems to be raunchy, and I want to have rather leather seats. Is the pattern and, sewing and form the same by the leather and non-leather seats? So can I take it simply to an upholsterer, or do I need a used  leather seat-set as donor? - If I want to have original look leather seats.. I would like to have the local oldtimer qualification, so that's why it is important for me..

- Were leather seats also for 1300 basic model (in'81) orderable? And also black and beige for red cars??
- Can I find the color code somewhere on the car body?
- Do the different engine versions have the same radiator? -Unfortunately I need to buy another one ...

Today I was lucky, so I could get some spare parts from one of my friends :






  

[cheeky monkey]

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum.

Nice to see your 1300 coupe. There are not very many in the UK either and i have not seen one in red before. Good luck with restoration

regards
Graham

[AndrewJ]

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum.

Nice to see your 1300 coupe. There are not very many in the UK either and i have not seen one in red before. Good luck with restoration

regards
Graham

Wow - also 1300 ?? - Fortunately I met another Beta coupe owner on a Hungarian youngtimer forum a few days ago - so I am already not alone here ! He also knows 2-3 other beta coupe owners in our country..   

Your car is in much better condition than mine - I guess ..

 I got a Beta Coupe serie 2 FL catalog for this Christmas and scanned it today - If you don't have it yet or anyone else needs it, then it is available here for a few weeks (soon will be these downloads password protected):

http://download.lanciak.hu/BETA/Lancia%20Beta%20Coupe%20catalog.pdf 

[rossocorsa]

[quote author=AndrewJ l I would like to have the local oldtimer qualification, so that's why it is important for me..

- Were leather seats also for 1300 basic model (in'81) orderable? And also black and beige for red cars??
- Can I find the color code somewhere on the car body?
- Do the different engine versions have the same radiator? -Unfortunately I need to buy another one ...

Today I was lucky, so I could get some spare parts from one of my friends :






  
[/quote]

options such as leather seats will be market dependent afaik they were never offered in the UK but were in some mainland countries I don't know whether they were available on a 1.3. Colour code should be on the bootlid underside radiators did vary in size according to engine and if air con fitted. going back to the leather i think you'll find the seat pattern was the same and anyway it is very unlikely that any official would know more about a Beta than you will

[AndrewJ]

options such as leather seats will be market dependent afaik they were never offered in the UK but were in some mainland countries I don't know whether they were available on a 1.3. Colour code should be on the bootlid underside radiators did vary in size according to engine and if air con fitted. going back to the leather i think you'll find the seat pattern was the same and anyway it is very unlikely that any official would know more about a Beta than you will

Thank you for the information!  I 've found  some pics on  the german lancia beta page (lancia-beta.de) too. If they are true, then leather seats were available only between '79-'81, so it can be really very rare -I guess . For me can also be interesting the TVE imitation leather, but I don't know how durable it is.

As I know - the air conditioner was not available for 1300 models, but if the engines have different radiators, then first I will try to send it for a radiator restorator here in Hungary. I 've found some specialized workshops for this. Fortunately all kind of car repairing is relative cheap in my country - there are many professional car restorator services here that work 90% for export because of the lower price..

The oldtimer qualification is not so easy by us  ..  It is true that the delegation knows less about betas than me, but when they have any question, or they are in doubt about something the I must demonstrate the things and I must have the car documents for that. That's why I collect any kind of beta documents. I won a german original factory Beta repair document on a hungarian auction a few days ago. I have bought a haynes beta book too, and have already downloaded many beta pdf-s (mainly french)

[rossocorsa]

I have lots of beta documentation if you are ever stuck over anything please ask! To give you an idea

http://s724.photobucket.com/albums/ww247/rossocorsa/lancia%20beta%20brochures/?action=view&current=075c953c.pbw

this is some but not all of the beta brochures I have, I have a lot missing because they printed many variations!!!

[Neil-yaj396]

My 1300 has leather seats (red/blue). Chris Bastow (ex Betacar) recons that they were an aftermarket item sold mainly in Germany.

[AndrewJ]

I have lots of beta documentation if you are ever stuck over anything please ask! To give you an idea

http://s724.photobucket.com/albums/ww247/rossocorsa/lancia%20beta%20brochures/?action=view&current=075c953c.pbw

this is some but not all of the beta brochures I have, I have a lot missing because they printed many variations!!!

Hi,

Wow!! Maybe you can get in the Guiness book  . It's a very-very large collection . Thank you for the offering - Now the most important for me is a a high quality/resolution electrical plan for 1300 coupe, because my car is a real electrical trouble. For example on the cockpit works simply nothing except km/h mechanical measure. My favourite issue is electrical repairing - I love these errors - and have also some instruments such as digital oscilloscope & others, but I have now only a low resolution PDF plan of 1300 coupe - that I can read hardly without a high quality zoomed copy. I hope, that the haynes book contains it  ..  I have to wait for some days, because I ordered it from the uk ebay..

But I would be very thankful, if you could send me once in the future  - when you have enough freetime for it -  some catalog pics of a '79-'81 coupe with original factory leather seats ! 

[AndrewJ]

My 1300 has leather seats (red/blue). Chris Bastow (ex Betacar) recons that they were an aftermarket item sold mainly in Germany.

Maybe He's right - till now I 've read only about black and beige orderable leather seats, except some 1st serie TVE seats. I like leather seats very much, but my wife hates it - that's why my Kappa has only blue alcantara seats as a compromise, and her Y10 Missoni has an alcantara-Missoni velour combination. But Beta coupe would be my own hobby-car - that's why I am thinking about leather - my wife would sit in very rarely ..  

[rossocorsa]

American market cars had leather seats (but they didn't get 1300s) I'll try to find some pictures when I have more time just changing the underbonnet and in tank fuel pumps on my MG ZT what fun!

By the way someone on this forum has black leather seats in their series 2 FL but I can't remember who

[AndrewJ]

American market cars had leather seats (but they didn't get 1300s) I'll try to find some pictures when I have more time just changing the underbonnet and in tank fuel pumps on my MG ZT what fun!

By the way someone on this forum has black leather seats in their series 2 FL but I can't remember who

Only  these  cars ? I also know, that 1300 coupe wasn't orderable there - but these are bad news for me, because then it means, that I will have to have two seat sets - one for the oldtimer  qualifications and another with leather  . I don't know if my beta has the original drape, because I haven't seen this type of carpet on any betas on the internet. It is a bit bizarre for me in a sport coupe with these leafy branch motifs ...

[betaveloce]

Only  these  cars ? I also know, that 1300 coupe wasn't orderable there - but these are bad news for me, because then it means, that I will have to have two seat sets - one for the oldtimer  qualifications and another with leather  . I don't know if my beta has the original drape, because I haven't seen this type of carpet on any betas on the internet. It is a bit bizarre for me in a sport coupe with these leafy branch motifs ...

Never seen this before either. I think that someone did some "interior tuning" at one time or another!
Looks original though 

[rossocorsa]

American market cars had leather seats (but they didn't get 1300s) I'll try to find some pictures when I have more time just changing the underbonnet and in tank fuel pumps on my MG ZT what fun!

By the way someone on this forum has black leather seats in their series 2 FL but I can't remember who

Only  these  cars ? I also know, that 1300 coupe wasn't orderable there - but these are bad news for me, because then it means, that I will have to have two seat sets - one for the oldtimer  qualifications and another with leather  . I don't know if my beta has the original drape, because I haven't seen this type of carpet on any betas on the internet. It is a bit bizarre for me in a sport coupe with these leafy branch motifs ...

never seen that before I'm sure it isn't original but at least the stitching pattern appears correct! Series two FL coupés usually used the same wool cloth as Berlinas but some German market cars appear to have had the 'L' cloth same as the later Gamma coupés

this is the usual cloth
either grey or light blue

German market I think this picture is of a HPE but I think coupés were also upholstered this way

[AndrewJ]

Never seen this before either. I think that someone did some "interior tuning" at one time or another!
Looks original though 

Yes - maybe the owner was a gardener or feng shui fan  ..

[AndrewJ]

never seen that before I'm sure it isn't original but at least the stitching pattern appears correct! Series two FL coupés usually used the same wool cloth as Berlinas but some German market cars appear to have had the 'L' cloth same as the later Gamma coupés

this is the usual cloth
either grey or light blue

German market I think this picture is of a HPE but I think coupés were also upholstered this way

Yes I have seen many betas with L cloth on autoscout24.eu  - but most with the style on the first photo. There is also a HPE  with L style cloth in Hungary for sale :

http://www.hasznaltauto.hu/auto/lancia/beta/lancia_beta_hpe_2000_a_c_friss_muszaki-4167481

Maybe I will buy a used grey style seat set in Italy and will simply change the cloth on my seats to leather  .

[rossocorsa]

I am pretty sure that leather would have been an option in Italy no time to look further at the moment but will check later

[rossocorsa]

the brochure that you uploaded quite clearly states that leather was available! I'm still looking for a decent photo though

[rossocorsa]

....and can't find one , I have a brochure of an American spec. FL coupé which in the main photo clearly has black leather seats otherwise the interior shots are all of FL spiders which had the same seat pattern. I would have thought that was enough. Lots of pics of earlier style interiors in either vinyl or leather which is ,of course, of no use to you