The Lancia Montecarlo (Type 137) is a
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (; ; short for Pininfarina Società per Azioni) is an Italian automotive design, car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 ...
-designed two-seater,
mid-engined
In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.
History
The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout of ...
sports car
A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...
manufactured and marketed by
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...
in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
for model years 1975-1981, across two series.
The first series (1975-1978) were marketed as the ''Lancia Beta Montecarlo'' and the second series (1980-1981) as the ''Lancia Montecarlo''.
[Production Data](_blank)
Retrieved from lnx.betamontecarlo.it on 2 April 2009 In both cases Montecarlo was spelled as one word, unlike the city of
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
. Both series were offered in
Coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
and
Spider
Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
bodystyles, the latter featuring a unique roll-back manually operated
targa
Targa or TARGA may refer to:
Car racing events
*Targa Adelaide, in Australia
* Targa Canada West, in British Columbia
*Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977
* Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978
* Targa High Country, in Victoria ...
style
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...
top. A modified version of the Spider was marketed in the United States as the Lancia Scorpion(1976-1977).
Total production spanned from 1974 to 1982 with a hiatus in 1979 — reaching 7,798 total.
3,558 first series and 817 second series targa models were manufactured; along with 2,080 first series and 1,123 second series coupé models — as well as 220 competition models built (
Lancia 037
The Lancia Rally (''Tipo 151'', also known as the Lancia Rally 037, Lancia 037 or Lancia-Abarth #037 from its Abarth project code ''SE037'') was a mid-engine sports car and rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s to compete in the FIA Group ...
).
Design

Fiat commissioned Pininfarina to design and develop the replacement for its
124 Coupe. Bertone came up with a less expensive alternative, which became the
Fiat X1/9
The Fiat X1/9 is an Italian two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Gruppo Bertone, Bertone and manufactured by Fiat from 1972–1982 and subsequently by Gruppo Bertone from 1982–1989.
With a transverse engine and gearbox in a mid-engine ...
. Pininfarina continued with its project called Fiat X1/8 that called for a mid-engined sports car with a 3-litre V6 motor. The X1/8 project was to be Pininfarina’s first ever car to be wholly developed and built in-house rather than based on an existing production car.
Initial design work was done by 1969, and a final design by
Paolo Martin
Paolo Martin (born 1943) is an Italian car designer widely known for his career with Studio Tecnico Michelotti, Carrozzeria Bertone, Pininfarina and De Tomaso/Ghia where he styled the ''Ferrari Dino Berlinetta Competizione'', Ferrari Modulo co ...
was completed in 1971.
During the
first oil crisis
In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Eg ...
in the 1970s, the project was renamed "X1/20", and the motor was changed to a 2-litre four-cylinder version. The first X1/20 prototype was
Fiat Abarth SE 030
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
for racing in 1974. After the racing season of 1974, Fiat terminated its Abarth SE 030 programme. The X1/20 project was given to Lancia, who wanted a premium alternative to Fiat's X1/9
halo car
The halo effect (sometimes called the halo error) is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, country, brand, or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings. The halo effect is "the name given to the p ...
.
For a premium level of equipment, Lancia had the new 1,995 cc variant of the twin-cam four-cylinder motor from the
Fiat 124 Sport Coupé
The Fiat 124 Sport Coupé is a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Fiat Automobiles, Fiat in three generations between 1967 and 1975. It was based on the Fiat 124 Sedan (car), saloon.
Its inline four ...
, MacPherson suspension and again like the 124 Sport Coupé, a five-speed gearbox and disc brakes both front and rear. As the resulting Montecarlo shared very few components with the other
Beta
Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; or ) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represe ...
models, Pininfarina was chosen to build the car in its entirety.
The Montecarlo was available as a fixed head "Coupé" and as an open-roof "Spider" with a large folding canvas roof between solid A and B pillars.
''*stated by Pininfarina production records''
Models
First series
The Beta Montecarlo was finally unveiled at the 45th
Geneva Salon International de l'Auto in March 1975, marketed as the ''Lancia Beta Montecarlo''. Power came from a
twin cam
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combusti ...
, 1995 cc
Lampredi inline four, developing at 6000 rpm and of torque at 3400 rpm. Lancia claimed a top speed of over and a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of 9.3 seconds.
First series featured solid rear wing panels above the engine bay and 5.5Jx13" "bow-tie" alloy wheels. The interior was upholstered in vinyl (TVE, Elasticized Vinylic Textile), with cloth optional. The driver's side mirror (right one was optional) was a Vitaloni Californian.
In 1978, production of the Beta Montecarlo went on hiatus.
Lancia Scorpion

The convertible version of the Beta Montecarlo was federalized and marketed in the United States from 1976-1977 as the ''Lancia Scorpion'', to avoid conflicting with the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the Monte Carlo, city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car ...
. 1,805 were manufactured in 1976 and sold as model year 1976 and 1977 (1396 and 405 respectively).
To accommodate U.S. emission regulations, a smaller emissions-tuned 1,756 cc twin cam engine was fitted. With less aggressive camshaft profiles, a smaller carburetor, and the compression ratio reduced to just 8.1:1, the Scorpion delivered , down from the 120 of the Montecarlo. To meet crash test and lighting requirements, the Scorpion had bigger 5-mph bumpers and low-rise pop-up, sealed beam headlights, adding some 130 lbs to the curb weight. Two additional series of vents on the engine cover were required to cool the catalyst.
Second series
After a two-year hiatus the revised second series was introduced in 1980, no longer using the ''Beta'' prefix and marketed simply as the ''Lancia Montecarlo''.
Exterior changes included a corporate split grille design introduced with the 1979
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
, glazed rear buttresses for better visibility and, in place of the model badging on the tail, a full width brushed aluminium strip. Larger eight-spoke 5,5Jx14" alloy wheels from the Beta were adopted to clear the upsized brake rotors and calipers, and the
brake servo was removed to address a brake lockup issue. The interior featured a spoke
Momo
Momo may refer to:
Geography
* Momo (department), Cameroon, a division of Northwest Province
* Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province
* Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, Italy
People Given name or nickname Athletes
* ...
steering wheel as well as revised trim and fabrics.
The engine featured a higher
compression ratio
The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine.
A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...
,
Marelli
Marelli Europe S.p.A. (formerly Magneti Marelli S.p.A.) is a European subsidiary of Marelli Holdings which develops and manufactures components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufact ...
electronic ignition and new
carburettor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter)
is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Vent ...
s.
Issues

The Montecarlo/Scorpion suffered from several issues. Between the taller springs used to meet the US height requirements, a lack of caster, and bump steer, handling suffered. Engine noise was criticized; ''
Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published 1947. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published six times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York City.
History
''Road ...
'' listing noise as one of their biggest complaints, with "little joy listening to the wheeze of an emission equipment-stifled 4-banger",
[''Road & Track'', September 1976] and ''
Motor
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...
'' calling the engine noise a "raucous cacophony".
[''Motor'', April 23, 1977]
Harsh shifting is common and increases as the bushings wear (a common trait in mid-engined cars). The rear crossmember is a design flaw; the metal used was too thin and is susceptible to corrosion and eventual failure, although stronger replacement crossmembers are available from aftermarket companies.
The Series One Montecarlos and Scorpions suffered from overly boosted brakes, which caused the fronts to lock up easily in the wet. These were often criticised in reviews; for example ''Road & Track'' complained of "severe front locking and 37% fade"
and ''Motor'' that they found "it disconcertingly easy to lock up the front wheels when approaching corners".
Production was suspended in 1978 while the braking problems were resolved by some engineering changes, including removing the
brake servo.
Rust is an issue for the Montecarlo and Scorpion. Unless kept in a dry environment active prevention is required to fend off rust. The firewall and wheel wells are common locations for rust. Rusted floor pans are a major cause of early Montecarlo/Scorpion demise.
Racing
Abarth SE 030
The first offspring of the X1/20 project to actually be revealed to the public wasn't the definitive Beta Montecarlo, but rather the Abarth 030.
Powered by a 280 hp, 3.2 liter
V6, sporting conspicuous aerodynamic appendages (including a snorkel over the roof to feed the engine) and the Abarth red-yellow livery, the SE 030 was first intended as a replacement to the 124 Abarth in motorsport. Nevertheless, Fiat for the time being preferred racing the high volume selling 131 for marketing reasons, and only two Abarth 030s were ever made.
In 1974 one of the two prototypes took part in the then-popular
Giro d'Italia automobilistico
The Giro d'Italia automobilistico was an automobile race around Italy, historically first held in 1901, then reinstituted as annual event between 1973 and 1980, resurrected for 1988 and 1989, and again in 2011. Both in its historical and modern ...
, a championship consisting of both road and track races. Driven by
Giorgio Pianta Giorgio may refer to:
* Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy
* Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname
* Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer
** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder
* "Giorgio" (song), ...
and
Cristine Becker it scored a remarkable second place, just behind the
Lancia Stratos Turbo of the duo Andruet-Biche.
Montecarlo Turbo
The Montecarlo Turbo was a
Group 5 Group 5 may refer to:
* Group 5 element, chemical element classification
* Group 5 (motorsport), FIA classification for cars in auto racing See also
* G5 (disambiguation)
{{Disambig ...
racer. It was the first racing car to be fielded by Lancia in eight years when it entered the May 1979
Silverstone Six-Hours race.
It won the
1979 World Championship for Makes (under 2-litre division) and overall for
1980 World Championship for Makes
The 1980 World Sportscar Championship season was the 28th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship for Makes which was contested as a series running under both Fédération Internationale d ...
and
1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes. Hans Heyer also won the
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (translated as ''German Racing Championship'') or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series. It is regarded as a predecessor of the current DTM as Germany's top national series.
Hi ...
in 1980 at the wheel of a Montecarlo. In 1980 Turbo also placed first and second at
Giro d'Italia automobilistico
The Giro d'Italia automobilistico was an automobile race around Italy, historically first held in 1901, then reinstituted as annual event between 1973 and 1980, resurrected for 1988 and 1989, and again in 2011. Both in its historical and modern ...
, an Italian counterpart of the Tour de France Automobile.
Being a
silhouette
A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...
car, the Montecarlo Turbo only shared the centre section of the body with its namesake production car. Front and rear tubular subframes supported the suspension and housed the engine, still mid-mounted with
Colotti gearbox. Three engines were used: 440 hp 1,425.9 cc, 490 hp 1,429.4 cc and 490 hp 1,773.0 cc.
Rally 037
The Montecarlo was the basis for Lancia's successful
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations for Grand tourer, grand touring (GT) cars used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World S ...
rally car, the
Lancia 037
The Lancia Rally (''Tipo 151'', also known as the Lancia Rally 037, Lancia 037 or Lancia-Abarth #037 from its Abarth project code ''SE037'') was a mid-engine sports car and rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s to compete in the FIA Group ...
. Debuting in 1982, the car won the
1983 WRC Manufacturers' Championship for Lancia.
Similarly to the Montecarlo Turbo, the 037 only retained the centre section from the Montecarlo but little else, and its
supercharged
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...
engine, while still midship, was mounted longitudinally rather than transversely as it is in the Montecarlo.
In popular culture
* A Lancia Scorpion appeared in Disney's ''
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' is a 1977 American sports film, sports adventure film, adventure comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and written by Arthur Alsberg and Don Nelson (screenwriter), Don Nelson. The film is the third installment in ...
'' (1977) as
Herbie
Herbie, the Love Bug is a sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle racing car which has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with ''The Love Bug in'' 1968. He has a mind of his own, being capable of driving himself and often be ...
's girlfriend Giselle.
*
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), T ...
drove a Lancia Montecarlo across
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
in 2023 in
The Grand Tour
''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...
finale, ''One For The Road''.
The Grand Tour reveals first look at final ever special - and confirms release date
''Radio Times
''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' 22 August 2024
Gallery
File:Lancia Motor Club AGM July 2011 DSC 4810 - Flickr - tonylanciabeta (cropped).jpg, Lancia Montecarlo
File:Lancia Scorpion US spec, Belgian reg.jpg, US-market Lancia Scorpion
File:Lancia Beta Montecarlo badge.JPG, Lancia Montecarlo Badge
File:Monte-s2.jpg, Lancia Montecarlo
File:Lancia Beta-Montecarlo Rear-view.JPG, 1977 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Spider with early solid buttresses
File:Lancia Beta Montecarlo Goodwood.jpg, Group 5 Lancia Montecarlo Turbo
References
External links
*
The Lancia Montecarlo Consortium
Scorpion Yahoo Group
Lancia Montecarlo restoration tips
{{Lancia modern timeline
Montecarlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to a larger district, the Mont ...
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Convertibles
Coupés
1980s cars
Cars introduced in 1975
Cars discontinued in 1981
Pininfarina
it:Lancia Beta#La Montecarlo