The Lancia Montecarlo: A Scorpion without the Venom

"What is it?" you might be asking.

"Why should I care?" is what you might also be asking. That is, if you know about Lancia's brief and checkered foray into the American automotive market.

Lancia is a name that, more than likely, is alien to most American drivers. If you're not an enthusiast, it's probably just another Italian name that's never been part of your vocabulary. But it's one that should.

Vincenzo Lancia first lent his name to the Tipo 51, a plan for a high-performance car that would later be known as the Lancia Alfa 12HP. That was in 1906, when Lancia still raced for Fiat. He decided to open up shop in Turin, a small town in northern Italy that's since been home to Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Lancia's cars brought forth things like the monocoque chassic, modern electrical systems, the five-speed gearbox, and the V6 engine. Commonplace nowadays, but revolutionary in their day. And like most revolutionaries, Lancia didn't get much recognition in the early days.

In 1969, a struggling Lancia was bought out by Fiat group. This proved to be just the push that Lancia needed, however, as some of their most iconic models were born in the 1970s, 80s, and early 1990s. Cars like the Fulvia, Delta Integrale, 037, and the Stratos dominated in the rallying arena. The Fulvia took home rallying honors before the World Rally Championship existed, and the following models grabbed a total of 11 World Rally Championship titles, 6 of which were won consecutively with the Delta.

During this period of rallying domination in the early 70s, Lancia's production cars were also doing quite well. Many of these were simply road-going versions of the same cars used in rally, with very little in the way of modifications. With pressure from Fiat and success in the racing world, Lancia decided to expand its market to the United States in 1975.

The car they chose was the Montecarlo, a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive car that did not participate in any rallies (although its platform was the basis for the wildly-successful Group B 037). This was an engineered-competition. The Montecarlo was meant to be sold as an up-market alternative to the smaller, cheaper Fiat X1/9. The X1/9 had already been sold in 1974, so executives hoped that the established brand and excitement for the new Lancia would be beneficial for both cars and the entire Fiat umbrella.

The Pininfarina-designed Montecarlo was sold as the Scorpion in 1975, this due to a conflict with Chevrolet, who were already using the name for their coupe. Unfortunately, things only continued to go downhill from there. Rust was no new issue to Lancia, and it's an issue that plagued cars throughout the 80s and 90s as well. The Scorpion was no exception, and these cars experienced excessive corrosion, especially the rear crossmembers, which were made of perilously thin metal.

Fiat's 2.0 liter Twin Cam engine, meant to be a saving grace, had to be smothered due to stricter emissions regulations (in wake of the 1970s energy crisis). In Europe, Montecarlo engines made a healthy 120 horsepower, but US-spec Scorpions made only 81. Automotive magazines in the US thrashed the Scorpion, saying its engine note was loud and harsh and that the brakes were downright dangerous. Even worse, these analyses were completely valid. The Scorpion's handling and engine performance fell appallingly short of what was promised.

After only 400 units were sold in 1976, Lancia pulled the Scorpion from the US market, and pulled out completely in 1982. Lancia ceased Montecarlo production in early 1978 to fix the brake problem. The car came back to the European market in 1980, engineering tweaks to the braking system included removal of the brake servos. Lancia ceased production of the Montecarlo completely after 1981.

Did we miss out on something fantastic? Probably not. But that doesn't make the Scorpion/Montecarlo any less cool. Given the rust and other problems, there are very few Scorpions left here in the United States. I've been lucky to spot two in my lifetime, one sitting in a repair yard in south Georgia, the other a well-restored Caffeine and Octane show car. Yes, they were crap, but they are also a fantastic piece of history; a cog in a once-great bit of racing heritage.