In 1975, Lancia went for a more alternative market with three new derivatives of its Beta saloon, or Berlina.
They were a coupé, a Targa-topped ‘Spyder’ and an oddball but strikingly elegant sports-estate, known as the HPE, which stood for “High Performance Estate”.
The Beta HPE later, "HP Executive", was based on the four-door Berlina's 100-inch wheelbase, giving this shooting brake-styled two-door liftback a more spacious interior compared with its short-wheelbase coupé and Zagato Spyder 2+2 siblings.
Power came from a Fiat 124-derived twin-cam four-cylinder, with all-round disc brakes and a five-speed manual gearbox, making it a very advanced car for its era and an extremely usable one today.
In total, Lancia built 71,000 HPEs globally between 1975 and the end of 1984, making it quite a rare car. This one was first registered in January 1985, meaning it must have been one of the very last examples to arrive in the UK. Finished in bold and striking red, it’s a fantastic car to look at and a rare investment opportunity.hnQ2BMLatjLyGEDBUsotMbe9SR4iGJ2IgJAg2Yj1.jpeg2.07 MB
THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK
Returned to the road by current owner after long lay-up
MoT and UK V5C
Looked after and maintained well since
The vendor purchased the Lancia from a collector in 2016 with whom it had formed part of a private collection for the previous ten years. It was a fundamentally sound car but looking a bit down at heel and in desperate need of a respray.
A combination of advancing years and too many projects led the collector to sell a few of his cars and the Beta fell into the hands of its current owner, who had been looking for one for quite some time.
Over the next three years, the Lancia was partially restored and received some underbody welding, a mechanical overhaul and a full respray in the original solid red.
It was returned to the road in 2019 after an 11-year lay-up and has been enjoyed as a weekend/show car by the vendor ever since. Unfortunately, he now needs the garage space and is unable to find somewhere else to store the Lancia, so has reluctantly decided to part with it.tHyNlLhqFydU3xFnHtvke4p15gqZtG1SZbLGoAdP.jpeg804.7 KB
THE INTERIOR
Overall very tidy
Minor wear to seats
Fold-down rear seats
Retro-styled Bluetooth stereo
Rear louvre and sun blinds
The cabin of the Lancia is 100% original, the only non-standard items being the addition of a choke cable due to the car’s carburettor conversion and a modern retro-style Bluetooth head unit.
Otherwise, it’s as it left the factory so it's only fair to expect a little bit of wear - in this case to the driver’s side seat bolster and a small patch where the fabric is worn through on the back seat. neither is disastrous and would be an easy repair for a trimmer, or could simply be lived with as they are far from horrific.
all of the dials and controls work as they should, the carpets are in good condition and the dashboard is well presented.
But it's at the rear where it gets really interesting. The Lancia has a huge luggage bay and the rear seats fold down to create even more space making this a genuinely practical load-carrying classic. There’s also an extremely cool fold-up blind/sun louvre arrangement on the rear window, that’s as stylish as it is functional.o2ZXodJhfiauJ7Bpqy2emzQgGrbZMvjE1bJaxCEK.jpeg1.44 MB
THE EXTERIOR
Stunning solid red
Repainted in 2018
Refurbished alloy wheels
Very solid and well-presented
The vendor purchased the Lancia knowing that it would need some work but the good news for him was that it turned out to be astonishingly solid for an Italian car approaching its 40th birthday. It did require a small amount of welding around the rear end of both sills and the floorpans but the work has been finished neatly and comprehensively undersealed to prevent further deterioration.
It was then re sprayed in its original solid red and today it looks terrific, with a deep shine and no major flaws. look closely and you find a couple of areas where there's a small amount of bubbling under the paint but overall it's a fine looking car, which is set off nicely by its fully refurbished alloy wheels.j5HWHRyKngeAcwGNd8fKBJ0VvLhGKDuECHdYAqa9.jpeg1.12 MB
THE MECHANICS
2.0 twin-cam four
Sports carburettor conversion with performance filter
Five-speed manual transmission
Drives well
Genuine low mileage
The Beta is powered by Lancia’s legendary 2.0-litre Twin Cam engine, which is this case has been converted to carburettors instead of Lancia’s oft-troublesome fuel injection system. A giant mesh performance air filter has been added and it sounds fabulous once warmed-up, albeit a little fussy when cold. Fiat/Lancia Twin Cams always were…
This is a great example of a very rare car, especially in RHD UK-specification. It’s not 100% perfect, but that just serves to make it all the more usable, while it’s said to be structurally and mechanically spot-on, ready to be enjoyed, used and shown.
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