1981 Lancia Beta Coupe

The Lancia Spyder Zagato was a variant of the Lancia Beta family, which was the first model developed after Fiat's takeover in 1969. It had an all-new chassis featuring strut-type suspension front and rear.

Front-wheel drive, which was a Lancia brand attribute, was part of the intrigue. Fiat's inline dual overhead cam engine, originally designed under Aurelio Lampredi of Ferrari V12 fame, was mounted transversely ahead of the front axle.

All versions of the car came with D.O.H.C. engines, five-speed manual gearboxes, rack and pinion steering, fully independent suspension using MacPherson struts both front and rear, and disc brakes on all four wheels. They were available in a number of engine capacities ranging from 1.3 Liter to 2.0 Liter, depending on the year and country of sale.

A facelift debuted in 1978, and it was this version that Lancia brought to the United States in 1979. No Lancias were officially imported to the United States in 1980, but the brand returned in 1981 with fuel injection and higher horsepower.

This car was purchased from the second owner in 1992 and was lovingly restored by the current owner in his garage between 2010 and 2014.

Only about 2,100 Zagatos came stateside over the entire run.