1981 Lancia Beta Zagato (Spider) from North America - Comments

6th Apr 2000, 01:55

"A sports car that gets noticed, except by police"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

The fuel pump went out on the way home, which was a 1100 mile drive. I have also had to replace the thermostat and the exhaust downpipe. Some of the interior needs to be repaired due to being owned in the desert. I also replaced the rear top, because many years of sun had yellowed the rear window and made it brittle. I still need to adjust the valve lash, and fix an oil usage problem that is yet unidentified.

General comments?

I really enjoy this car, taking the tops off (targa and soft top) and driving it around on a nice day is great. This car is quite modern and refined, yet still retains some of the simplicity and character of an older Italian car. This Zagato is rust free, which is why I went so far to buy it, and why I wasn't too worried about the interior or any mechanical problems. I can fix those, but I can't fix rusty metal.


2nd Mar 2002, 07:21

My name's Biagio. We have an '81 Lancia Zagato in our garage. It needs new paint and a little work, and it will work great. When we do take it out (very rarely) from the garage, it's a blast.

Anyway, great webpage.


9th Nov 2004, 04:26

You have great taste in Italian cars. I have owned a Lancia Beta Spider (Zagato) in New Zealand for 15 years and I have never tired of driving it. It is now semi-retired at only 140,000km - but still loves to go for a spirited drive around the coast road on a sunny day.


6th Feb 2007, 23:13

I miss my little Zagato... It was a late '81 fuel-injected car and I loved it dearly, but had to sell it when my mechanic moved and engine/tranny parts became non-existant. I sold it in the Palm Springs Classic Car Auction back in...1995 or so.

Wonder if it is the car you have? It was reliable and fun.

Add another comment

Note: A Comments RSS Feed RSS Feed is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site

All Lancia Beta reviews