1976 Lancia Scorpion

Lancia commissioned Pininfarina to design a mid-engine sports car to serve as a replacement for the 124 Coupe. This new model would come to be known as the Montecarlo. The first series was built from 1975 to 1978 and were known as the Lancia Beta Montecarlos while the second series, produced from 1980 to 1981, was dubbed the Montecarlo. A coupe and spider version were offered, with the 'spider' using a roll-back manually operated Targa-style convertible top. The United States received a modified version of the Spider, known as the Lancia Scorpion, between 1976 and 1977.

The Montecarlo was stylish and sporty but production remained exclusive, with 7,798 units built from 1974 through 1982. Of the first series production, Targas were more popular with 3,558 units built compared to the 2,080 coupes. For the second series, the positions reversed as 1,123 were coupes, and 817 were Targas.

Paolo Martin of Pininfarina penned the design for the Montecarlo, and the initial design work was finished by 1969. The production version - the Beta Montecarlo - was unveiled at the 45th Geneva Salon International de l'Auto in March 1975. During this time, Bertone created a competing design for a two-seater mid-engined sports car, which eventually became the Fiat X1/9. It was developed from the 1969 Autobianchi A112 Runabout concept, with styling performed under chief designer Marcello Gandini. The two-seater X1/9 had sharp, wedge-shaped styling, retractable headlights, a removable hardtop roof panel (known as a Targa top), and an integrated front spoiler. Fiat produced the vehicle from 1972 through 1982, and then Bertone took over production through 1989. Around 140,500 examples wore Fiat badges, and a further circa-19,500 had Bertone badges.

The Lancia Montecarlo had a similar angular profile to the Fiat, but with conventional headlights, sloping buttresses (fastback roofline), and a slightly curved (wraparound) windshield.

Mounted mid-ship was a two-liter twin-cam four-cylinder motor sourced from the Fiat 124 Sport Coupe backed by a five-speed gearbox. It used a MacPherson suspension and disc brakes all round.

The Lancia Beta Montecarlo holds the distinction of being the first project designed and developed in-house by Pininfarina rather than based on an existing production car.

Lancia Scorpion

Since Chevrolet had used the name 'Monte Carlo' in the United States, Lancia's exported Montecarlo became known as the Scorpion, and although they were manufactured in 1976 and 1977, all were titled as 1976 models. 1,396 examples were sold in 1976 and 405 units the following year.

To comply with emission regulations in the United States, the Lancia Scorpion received a smaller 1,756cc twin-cam engine with a smaller carburetor, a reduced compression ratio of 8.1:1, and less aggressive camshaft profiles. It developed 81 horsepower, which was down considerably compared to the 120 hp produced by the non-detuned Montecarlo. Two additional series of vents on the engine cover were added to cool the catalyst.

Changes were made to the exterior design to comply with safety regulations, particularly the addition of larger 5-mph bumpers and low-rise pop-up, sealed beam headlights. All of the updates to comply with safety and emission regulations added around 130 lbs to the curb weight, which decreased the performance even further.

All Scorpions featured the convertible top.

by Dan Vaughan

Sport Coupe

Introduced at the 1975 Spring Geneva Show as a Lancia Montecarlo, this Italian vehicle is an attempt to mix the classical Ferrari Dino looks, including sloping buttresses, into a modern design. Although manufactured in 1976 & 1977, all were titled 1976 models. Since Chevrolet had claimed the Monte Carlo name, those imported to America were re-named 'Scorpion.' This was the first time Pininfarina had undertaken the design of a complete vehicle rather than adapting a body to an existing chassis. A total of 1,801 were built for import into this country. It is known as a 'spider' because the canvas top folds and tucks neatly into the roll bar. This is an original automobile except for a re-paint.

Sport Coupe
Chassis number: 137AS 0101158

This vehicle is number 1158 out of approximately 1800 Scorpions designed and built by Pininfarina in Italy and imported to the US for the 1976-1977 model years. This rust-free California car has had several modifications, including the following:

- 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine with 40/80 Cams

- Dual Weber 42 DCNF Carbs on Alquati Manifold

- 4-2-1 Header Exhaust system

- Lowered suspension

- A/C removed

- Repainted PPG French Blue

- European bumpers in both front and rear

- Quad headlight conversion

- Momo road wheels with Yoko AVS-Is

- Momo steering wheel and shift knob

- Racing belts & custom harness bar

- Canvas soft top and fiberglass 037 bubble top.

Sport Coupe

The Lancia Scorpion was sold in America in 1976 and 1977. Originally sold in Europe as the 'Monte Carlo, ' the name was changed because the Monte Carlo was already used in America by Chevrolet. The Scorpion differed from the Montecarlo in a number of ways. It had a smaller engine (1756cc) because the 1995cc unit in the Montecarlo did not pass U.S. emissions standards yet. Between the decrease in engine size and the addition of smog equipment, the Scorpion came with 81 horsepower versus 120 in the Montecarlo. The Scorpion had different bumpers to meet American crash tests. The Scorpion had semi-pop-up headlights, and the 1976s had solid rear buttresses (Montecarlos had glass inserts except for very early models.) All Scorpions featured the convertible top.

Sport Coupe

The Lancia Scorpion was designed to be a 'big brother' model to Fiat's X 1/9 - but larger, more powerful, and more luxurious. While the X 1/9 was a product of the Bertone studios, the Scorpion (Montecarlo in the rest of the world) was designed and built at Carrozzeria Pininfarina as Fiat Project X 1/8, and later X 1/20.

The Lancia Scorpion, sold in other parts of the world as the Lancia Montecarlo, was sold in the United States from 1975 through 1981. The Scorpion was the same vehicle as the Montecarlo, except it had a de-tuned engine. The car was based on the Abarth 030 Prototype, which would evolve into the X1/8 and later the X1/20. The design was penned by Pininfarina of Turin, Italy. The design had the engine mounted mid-ship with a rear-wheel drive layout. Two body styles were available, a two-door coupe and a convertible. The convertible, known as the Spyder, had a roll-back Targa-style top that was manually operated.

The name 'Montecarlo' was not used in the United States because Chevrolet had already laid claim to the name. It had a de-tuned engine and other modifications in order to comply with US government regulations and crash test requirements.

The Montecarlo had a 1995cc engine that produced 120 hp, while the Scorpion had a 1756cc unit with 80 horsepower.

There was one series of the Scorpion, while the Montecarlo had two, the S1, which lasted from 1975 through 1979, and the S2, which saw production from 1980 through 1981. 1396 Scorpions were sold in 1976 and 405 in 1977.

The Lancia Montecarlo was used successfully in racing, though it was given a turbocharged engine. In 1980, Hans Heyer won the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in Group 5 Competition.

by Dan Vaughan