Lancia has to be one of the most enigmatic car companies to ever exist. The legendary Italian company was founded back in 1906, but today it is sadly a shadow of its former self, producing just one car that surprisingly is the second best-selling car in Italy as of 2019. But of course, we remember Lancia for such epic cars like the Stratos, the Delta Integrale, the 037 Stradale, and the Montecarlo. The Montecarlo, we hear you ask? Yes, indeed, the Montecarlo is a Lancia that never gets the attention it deserves.
The Montecarlo was first brought on the scene in 1975 and was designed by Pininfarina. It was a fantastic sportscar, a sort of mid-engine, mini-Ferrari that looked just as good as it drove. But it is so often overshadowed by other Lancias such as the aforementioned Stratos, 037, and so on. Even the little Fulvia gets more mentions than the Montecarlo. But it is a car that certainly deserves a lot more attention than it actually gets, being potentially the most underrated car to come from the famous Italian company and a car that deserves to have its story told.
Development Of The Montecarlo
The design and development of the Montecarlo is quite an interesting tale. The Montecarlo was first conceived to be a Fiat, a replacement for the company’s 124 Coupe, which it was looking to supersede. Pininfarina was tasked with creating this 124 replacement, and thus the Fiat X1/8 was created. However, Fiat then went for the Bertone alternative, the Fiat X1/9 but Pininfarina kept on developing the X1/8 which would then morph into the X1/20 during the first oil crisis of the 1970s. The brief had also changed, and what was created was a mid-engine V6 powered sports car.
The X1/20 project was soon handed over to Lancia, as they aimed at creating a halo car that was a more premium option compared to the Fiat X1/9. The Lancia Montecarlo was thus born. It was powered by a two-liter twin-cam four-cylinder engine, ironically the same engine that powered the Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, and it shared virtually nothing with other models in the Lancia Beta range, the Montecarlo technically being a Beta car. Pininfarina was tasked with building the car in its entirety, and the first Montecarlo’s went into production in 1975.
Montecarlo Models
The Beta Montecarlo as it was initially known was unveiled to the world at the Geneva Motor Show of 1975, and the inline-four engine that was under the hood produced roughly 118 hp, and a top speed according to Lancia of just over 190 km/h. Lancia went on to produce a convertible version of the first series Montecarlo’s too, which was to be dubbed the Lancia Scorpion in the United States so as not to be confused with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Despite a promising initial reception, things soon started to go wrong for the Montecarlo.
The biggest problem with the car was that the series one and Scorpion models suffered from overly boosted brakes. This meant that the fronts would simply lock up quite easily in wet conditions. Lancia took this problem quite seriously, though, and production of the car was actually stopped in 1978 whilst changes were made that even saw the brake servo removed. Rust was also a problem for the Montecarlo, but this was a general issue with a few Lancia’s and other cars of the time, so was almost an expected issue. Thankfully, though, things would pick up for the Montecarlo.
The Second Series
The second series Montecarlo emerged in 1980, and by then Lancia had chosen to drop the Beta prefix and marketed the car solely as the Montecarlo. The Lancia split grille had been revised on the Montecarlo was akin to that found on the 1979 Delta, and there was a revamped trim and interior, a higher compression ratio for the engine, and more changes that made the new version of the Montecarlo a much more refined and complete car, exactly what it should have been at the time. Despite the earlier issues, both the series one, Scorpion, and series two Montecarlo’s became very well-liked machines, with sharp poise and handling and solid performance that, whilst it wasn’t the fastest sportscar in the world, it was certainly one of the best handling.
Quite often, the Montecarlo has been dubbed the ultimate baby supercar. The front brake lockup is still going to cause you problems if you own a classic first series, but when you step out of it, walk away slightly and take a look at the car…well you will just be in awe of how pretty the Montecarlo really is. Sure, it wasn’t the most powerful sports car ever created. But in some ways, that didn’t matter.
Undervalued Classic
Simply put, the Montecarlo is an undervalued classic from Lancia. So few of these were built over the years that it has become quite a rarity, and the Montecarlo was even used as the basis for the mighty 037 Stradale, a Lancia rally car that took on the might of the Audi Quattro and won. Proportionally, you would be hard-pressed to find a car as well proportioned as the Montecarlo, and it really is up there with the Stratos, 037, Fulvia, and Delta Integrale when it comes to the looks department. The Montecarlo is a classic that is grossly underappreciated and a reminder that yes, Lancia was bonkers. But by god, they could produce a gorgeous and wonderful car when they tried.
Sources: Autocar, Brightwells Classic Cars, Bring a Trailer, Historics Auctioneers, Passione Engadina, Car Shooters, Classic Trader, Auto Evolution