1982 Lancia Zagato | Retro Review

Here's an Italian car you won't see at your Cars and Coffee.
Show 118 | Originally Taped 3-30-1982
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[@Motorweek]

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[@gatorpics09]

why do we have to donate money when all you're doing is copying old Beta tapes to youtube?

[@watershed44]

@@gatorpics09 LOL...I agree, they are also funded by MPT Maryland Public Television too. That being said I like John's old delivery style in his early years doing MW, later on it seemed he was putting too much affectation in his delivery voice.

[@jamiee9257]

My favorite part of the retro reviews is all the "engine compartment grabbing." At 2:40, this one didn't disappoint.

[@quincee3376]

LMAO. I never even thought of that. Nice!

[@MathsYknow]

I like the shift lever wrecking.

[@maineiacman]

The perfect car for taking on a trip through Africa.

[@catjudo1]

I’d rather drive Oliver.

[@jdubskiwright2380]

@@catjudo1 Oliver actually did rather well on its trip across Botswana

[@dalewasson5919]

Probably blasting through the Sahara Desert

[@williamegler8771]

WOW... They drove it in the rain and it made it to the end of the test without it developing terminal rust!

[@julianvizio2190]

No dude, it wasnt any 70’s 80’s american car

[@HighSockDavid]

@@julianvizio2190 not really I own a 1979 trans am and it only has some surface rust in the common areas (please note car is unrestored and was poorly repainted at some point)

[@combosucks]

@@HighSockDavid so it's not unrestored

[@HighSockDavid]

@@combosucks it’s more or less unrestored though it has some work in it like an engine rebuild and a very terrible repaint about 10 years ago but had no major rust repair

[@williamegler8771]

@@julianvizio2190 You should do some research on the Lancia Beta series of vehicles before you make such uninformed statements. They are infamous for their propensity for early significant corrosion .

[@tjkelner01]

I had the hardtop coupe version of this car ($2000 cheaper than the Zagato and I liked the styling over the Zagato too), and loved it, and put over 90,000 miles on it. These cars were rather cutting edge for their time. Most were brought into the US market at full spec, so A/C, leather, electric windows, tilt wheel, etc. They had electronic fuel injection when Detroit was still giving us carburetors or maybe a mechanical throttle body, power rack and pinion steering while others had recirculating ball, and true 4-wheel independent suspension and power disc brakes all around while others got disc/drum set ups at best from most other manufacturers. It was a breeze to work on as many of its parts were plated and didn't rust. It was really more comparable to a BMW 320 of the period. If there was a problem with them it was they didn't like to sit, they needed to be run regularly. Sadly early examples had severe rust issues from ill-spec'd Russian steel and they got a horrible reputation. I used it for many fast cross-country road trips, was never let down and it even returned darn good mileage too. I have to say it is the one car I miss the most.

[@John-ip7qo]

Blimy look at that nose jump up on acceleration! It does look good though.

[@ubernoob103]

You know this is an early episode when David himself is starring in the ‘usability’ footage

[@Sapp440]

Not to mention the cadence of his narration. He hadn't quite developed his enthusiastic tv host voice yet.

[@anasevi9456]

thank you for keeping these old videos alive!!

[@theturtle2121]

I think these old videos are “funner” then the new videos!!!! 👍👍👍 nostalgia might be talking though! Lol

[@oldtwinsna8347]

@@theturtle2121 What kills the new videos are the 1) annoying music (though seems toned down from the complaints), 2) awful cheezy sound effects, and 3) John Davis spoke normally back then vs talking in riddles like today that get tiring on the ear. Also recently would add 4) just lazyness of the reviews like the last one they recently did didn't even bother with proper instrumented test and used admitted out of their butt numbers for 0-60.

[@Bubblun1]

Always liked these and let it be known that John was satiated as it had a full assortment of gauges! (that probably didn't give correct readings)

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Satiated or satisfied?

[@shortsongs9394]

40 years later and this Lancia Zagato still looks great.

[@paulzerner1429]

Hey Ben - thanks so much for posting this! A white Lancia Zagato was my first car purchase back in the 1980's, and I got a real kick out of watching this review!

[@floofycarsalesman]

You can see the rust spots developing on the grille at 1:06

[@albear972]

How thoughtful, it came with factory equipped rust.

[@itzed]

The test car had over 3,000 miles on it. That had to be considered high mileage for one of these.

[@hertzair1186]

Ya, that cars about done…

[@landyachtfan79]

Something a bit different today. Lancias are still being sold in Europe, but haven't been here since 1982. The Zagato, like all other Lancias from this time period, was a MAGNIFICENT car to drive, but rusted away to nothing if you so much as showed it a picture of a rain cloud.

[@picpeige02]

LMFAO!!!

[@edwardautrey3671]

I’m happy the air cleaner was sturdy

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

ikr

[@scdevon]

Nobody on this show had any idea what they were tugging and yanking on under any hood of any vehicle. Maybe Pat Goss did, but that's it.

[@henryespinosa9283]

In 1982 I wanted to buy a new a sports car and I considered the MG MGB, the Triumph Spitfire, the Triumph TR6, the FIAT X 1/9. However, it came down to two cars to choose from, the Lancia Zagato, and the FIAT 124 Spyder. I ultimately bought the FIAT 124 with a 5-speed manual for $12,642.82 (I still remember the exact amount I paid in March 1982. I chose the FIAT because of it’s more classical styling, that it was rear-wheel drive, and it was easier to store the soft top when opening it. It was a beautiful cherry red with a tan vynil interior and genuine wooden dashboard. It was quite a looker when brand new. Unfortunately, just like any other European sport car I constantly had mechanical problems with the car and I had to sell it two years later. I presently own a 2008 Mazda MX/5 Grand Touring PRHT in Black and Tan interior with a 6-speed manual - it’s light years ahead of the FIAT in reliability and performance; I’ve had it now for more than thirteen years and over 134,000 miles. However, the Mazda doesn’t have the Italian charm that my old FIAT had.

[@robertmiller1442]

I bought a new 124 spyder in 2017 which was made in Japan by Mazda. But nothing but problems for 4 years months after months until the warranty ran out in 2021, The problem was the 2017 Fiat 124 spider was built in Japan by Mazda but the engine was made in Italy & shipped to Japan. I just traded in the Spyder for the 2021 Mazda MX5. I learned the hard way But the first year the Lancia, Beta coupe in 1975 for the U.S. market was much, much worse. I guess I have been burnt twice by Italian cars,

[@624radicalham]

Interesting that you remember the exact price of your Fiat 124 Spider (it didn't have a Y, it had an "I"). Remembering these prices really puts things in perspective. That was quite an expensive car. We bought a brand new 82 Fiat Brava for $8,600

[@robertmiller1442]

@@624radicalham My mistake for spelling the Fiat spider wrong! But where do I quote the price of the car? Maybe you are a little confused.

[@624radicalham]

@@robertmiller1442 No my apologies as well because the comment is for the OP, Henry Espinosa in this very thread we're commenting on hehe

[@mitchmcguire6321]

I’ve had one of these for about five years. Kind of a pile, but it sure doesn’t blend in!

[@tkewrestler2662]

Wow, here is a real blast from the past.

[@grantmills4184]

I for one had no idea Lancias were even sold here in the us

[@cubdukat]

They were, but they pulled out about a year or two before Fiat did for the same reasons Fiat eventually left. They were certainly beautiful cars, especially the Zagato. A Lancia Delta concept car made the rounds at a couple of American auto shows the year Fiat came back to see if there was any interest in Lancia coming back. Unfortunately, it looked like there wasn't, because FCA stopped making comeback noises for Lancia. They should really try again. supposedly they've rebooted the Stratos, and it sounds hellacious.

[@grantmills4184]

@@cubdukat man what I would do for a new Lancia Stratos. All they got now is that Ypsilon thingy in Italy but if it’s coming back the stratos would be mad cool

[@JK061996]

Ironically I've never seen this car in Italy but I spotted one during a trip in Tucson, AZ

[@parsons79]

I’ve only seen 1 Lancia ever and that had to be Mid-80’s….

[@watershed44]

*When I was in high school back in 1983 a classmate actually owned one of these, it surprisingly was reliable and fun to drive, plus it had loads of character, also had some other nice cars in our parking lot at school, SAAB 900 Turbos, MB 400 SEL, Audi Quattros too.* I believe it was purchased from Westtown Imported Cars, West Chester PA on West Chester Pike...they sold FIAT, Lancia, and Pininfarina back until the early 1990s. The store is long gone now and on that land is a McLaren Dealership now...

[@RoadCone411]

I’ve never seen a Lancia on American roads. I was wondering if this car would make it through the test without breaking, which apparently it did. It’s like a slightly more sophisticated Fiat.

[@JKRoss-zm3zu]

Так и есть. Это немного более сложный Фиат.

[@watershed44]

@BloomingOnion They were not rare in the Northeast between NYC, Philly, DC..back during the late 70s and early 80s.

[@RoadCone411]

@@watershed44 Got it. I was too little to remember them. Don’t remember ever seeing one in the mid to late 80s. Saw some rare metal back then, even a few Citroens and a Rover, but never a Lancia.

[@watershed44]

@@RoadCone411 I was still just a kid but was already car crazy anyhow so I remembered these unusual and interesting models in the USA. We even had a Citroen dealership (CX Auto) back in the late 80s and early 90s in West Chester PA, (John Smith Motorcars) They had small batches of federalized CX, BX, and XM models for sale! Cool stuff ! CX Auto was the federalizing company.

[@RoadCone411]

@@watershed44 I always loved the CX. You used to see them all the time across Europe in the 80s and 90s, Lancias too, but CX was truly ahead of its time like a lot of Citroens back then. I knows they were imported, sans Citroen name, into the US and federalized but they were certainly a rare treat to see in CT where I lived.

[@danieljames2015]

Would make a TR7 seem well made and reliable.

[@BertoD103]

Oh yes. The Italian Stallion.

[@basshead.]

Failure*

[@nessuno5403]

@@basshead. as much as you are, childishly posting "First" in these and other videos

[@joeyconservative]

Thought the Lancia only came in two colors, brown and rust

[@joelervcolon]

I had an 82' (I believe) my 88' senior year in Florida. Definitely a looker back in the day. Originally it was black with gold rims but the previous owner painted it red with black rims. Loved driving that car every weekend. I say the weekend because then on Monday it'd be in our garage being worked on after school. Still loved the car and would definitely pick up another just for the memories.

[@joskjj3625]

I saw one of these lancia’s in my neighborhood couple days ago,it was my first time seeing a lancia in person in the United States

[@judethaddaeus9742]

Every now and then, I see one of these here in the Pacific Northwest. But it’s never been an ‘82 model with that shield- like grille. Also, I have no idea what John was complaining about with the car’s round headlights. The contemporary SL, XJ-S, XJ, and every BMW had them, too. What an odd remark.

[@624radicalham]

Exactly!

[@MrMACHINE]

Crazy brakes!! Wow!

[@duster3404]

We had 6 Lancia Beta in Europe ( Beta, Trévi, coupé , HPE, Spider, Monte-carlo) but never with the Zagato nameplate .

[@mcrsit]

Thank you Motorweek!

[@davidmckibbin4440]

in the 70s lancia had a coupe look it uu, great looking car, if i remember right it was the beta coupe, it was a fiat.

[@kennethhenry6096]

It had a fiat twin cam engine installed but the car had been styled in house by the same chap that did the Fulvia coupe so there was a direct link to the old company pre FIAT. The engine had a different cylinder head to the FIATs and better performance in general. they were lovely looking cars for the time regardless and drove really well. Good fun to drive. You could rev the hell out of them and they loved it. Build quality was nothing close to the pre FIAT days all the same which is what did for the marque in Europe eventually. A shame as the companys heritage is incredible. They built some of the best cars that ever took to the road

[@davidmckibbin4440]

@@kennethhenry6096 i had 4 fiats from 1970 thru the early 80s, a 124 sport coupe, 128sl, and a 124 spider., correction three., they were fun cars to drive, during a time when most cars were boring.

[@kennethhenry6096]

@@davidmckibbin4440 the 124 was a nice looking car as well and drove well. I like Italian cars in general from that era and earlier

[@7rays]

I had one of these in the early 80s when I lived in Manhattan Beach… Total chick magnet.

[@dm5374]

I owned one of these (actually the coupe version) for five years. Great handling and road holding even in snow. The downside was that everything that could break, did. Went through four mufflers. The instrument panel worked well, fortunately, which alerted me that the alternator regulator had broken when the voltmeter pegged to the top of the scale.

[@sharedknowledge6640]

Interesting and rare car. I’m sure there are not many left in the US and parts availability is likely a big problem.

[@RoadCone411]

The major mechanical parts were all Fiat, so they should be available in Europe (have to allow time for shipping, of course.) Any survivors wouldnt be an everyday car any way. You are right though, Zagato-specific parts and trim pieces may be very hard to source from anywhere.

[@boss12]

I live in Vegas. There’s a guy right off of the Strip with a beat up Lancia Zagato with a tarp over it. I’ve seen it move though.

[@Hotlog69]

What a nice little sports car. Would've done well next to a Delta if they imported that.

[@markallen2984]

I always loved the look of these cars. If I recall correctly, the Zagato was a modified Beta Coupe.... the Beta was also a beautiful car

[@SodiumWage]

And to think Lancia was also racing (and dominating) in Group B when this car was being made. Those were the glory days of my favorite car company.

[@cargogh]

These were really pretty cars back in the day. I remember the ads for the all-black with gold trim in Car and Driver and Road andTrack. I liked the Lancia Scorpions, but always thought the front sat a little too high as did the Beta, but that Beta was a gorgeous body.

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

I was just talking with a friend of mine who recently saw a Lancia in the wild. I wondered if it was a private import or if it was actually sold here, and I was surprised that it was. And then KZbin suggests this video!

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

Pretty good car for 1982. I betcha repairs and parts would have been been a nightmare then and impossible if you owned on now.

[@davidmckibbin4440]

yes they were a fiat

[@624radicalham]

On the contrary William. Plenty of Fiat parts to keep them around plus enthusiastic clubs here in America. A friend just bought one last year in pretty good shape. All you need is the desire. No nightmare at all

[@GForceVRX]

Very attractive and fun car

[@catjudo1]

I could be wrong, but I don’t think 14 grand was cheap back when John Davis had that much hair. And neat looking as it was, service and repair costs must have been unpleasant.

[@frankez1975]

You talking about John’s hair? You are correct, keeping those beautiful locks in check must have been unpleasant and costly!

[@rabit818]

The last time I saw a Lancia on the freeway was in the late eighties

[@alastairward2774]

My father had the hard top Beta coupé version in the late 70s. He got it shortly before I was born because he wanted a "practical" car. Got it good and cheap because by that stage the rust scare was in full swing in the UK, but then had to sell it on good and cheap in turn. Nice car compared to his British sports cars before, buzzy engine and quite nippy. Strangely enough he deemed it more reliable than the Volkswagen Scirocco that came afterwards.

[@624radicalham]

Because it WAS more reliable than the Volkswagen Scirocco that came afterwards. Nothing "strange" about that. Fiats and Lancias had solid bulletproof engines. They rusted and had electrical gremlins like any British car of the times did as well

[@klasseact6663]

I've been going to carshows and C&C's since 1989 and have NEVER seen one of these🤔

[@alexander1485]

Ive only seen one, for sale used in St. Augustine....

[@klasseact6663]

@@alexander1485 that makes sense because no salt on the roads, didn't Lancia have a massive rust issue that made Vega's look like stainless steel?

[@624radicalham]

@@klasseact6663 They rusted far less than any Fiat from the era. That's not saying much, but you could still see Lancias around in the ealry 2000s without that much rust. A friend bought out last year here in Florida. Not bad at all

[@klasseact6663]

@@624radicalham ...meanwhile here in the midwest😱

[@624radicalham]

@@klasseact6663 Well there you go lol ... yes it was quite popular in the coastal areas like Miami and Los Angeles

[@joethebluesman3312]

you'd see one at cars and coffee las vegas from 06-13... mine!

[@pigeonpoo1823]

I suppose as these cars get rarer and parts nigh on impossible to attain, the case for electric conversions on pretty little numbers like this must be quite compelling

[@josephthomas8318]

It'll get an LS swap before an electric conversion

[@goclunker]

@@josephthomas8318 in a fwd car the size of a Miata. Were you dropped on your head as an infant or were you just born this way? Don’t answer.

[@goclunker]

The rustgato!

[@quincee3376]

I loved these.

[@TennesseeArborist]

ha. wow. i have one in my garage - its a fine little car

[@milfordcivic6755]

Notice vehicles are not marketed for their low sticker price nor gas mileage anymore?

[@MultiRokusho]

With our lame modern “safety” standards something this cool wouldn’t be allowed to be made

[@faztang]

My dad had one of these. It was def a looker and handled great but had zero power. We enjoyed it though. Wish Lancia was not dying a slow miserable death. Shame on Fiat!

[@noseefood1943]

I have never seen a Lancia outside of Europe

[@624radicalham]

They were plenty in Florida and you can still come across a few. A friend just bought one last year and it's very nice

[@andersonfirmino8925]

Muito bom 👍👍

[@andersonfirmino8925]

👏👏👏👏💯💯💯🇱🇷🇱🇷

[@McRocket]

Nice looking, FWD and fab brakes. But that semi-convertible top seems silly.

[@landruatfestival]

Wait. What? John of Camray fame schools us on how to pronounce Lancia?

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Yeah. That's true. 👍👍👍

[@goclunker]

Camrayyyyy

[@warrenny]

LOL. Yes, I just watched the infamous "Camray" episode a few days ago, and I was thinking while watching this: hmmmm, can I really trust John's pronunciations now?

[@stupidvideos1449]

Amazing

[@rmknicks]

2:09 Stop taking Adderall and touching everything!

[@SataniaMcDowel]

No HP/Torque numbers? .____.

[@unclejoe6811]

Just take a guess and then take 1/3 off that and you should have an optimistic ballpark number.

[@autofox1744]

My family's Chevrolet Spark was 14 grand...

[@rogerk2049]

It did need an overdrive 5 or 6 gear for US roads.

[@MWorsa]

I thought it was a BRAT in the thumbnail 😂

[@stupha1]

In Italia non fece fortuna. La carrozzeria arrugginiva da dentro. Io avevo lancia spider del 1976 2000cc. Ottima tenuta di strada. A volte la penso con nostalgia...

[@captainchaos0666]

IDK, Zagato sounds more like an exotic candy bar as opposed to a sports car 🤔

[@markallen2984]

❤ this 🚙

[@alexander1485]

I could have bought one of these in 2002, but i was a high schooler so no PS- anyone notice the cone that fell down? lol

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

94 Galant please!

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Oh no.

[@ThePolandball]

I actually saw one of these on the road in my area. Other than being a Lancia, it wasn't that good looking, and at 19.2 sec of 1/4 mile time, probably not too compelling to drive either.

[@razvandobos9759]

Bring the Delta to the US

[@jacobjordan7144]

Nearly 30 years to late buddy.

[@johnnymason2460]

I've never seen this car in America before! If there is one with an automatic out there, I would definitely consider getting it!

[@hertzair1186]

John Davis has a different personality and voice…almost sleepy…in these early episodes

[@watershed44]

@Hertzair I prefer this delivery because it isn't forced like it is later on. It's basically his normal speaking voice, I wonder who it was that pushed him to change it.

[@JKRoss-zm3zu]

Хорошие времена.

[@ryanm.3681]

Im getting 1st gen Prelude vibes

[@deborahchesser7375]

I swear I thought he called it a lawn chair

[@jdubskiwright2380]

Why does this look like an Italian version of the dodge rampage??

[@jdubskiwright2380]

@Kunta Kinte it kinda is..it rides like a car gets the mileage of a car but hauls stuff like a truck .not as much hauling capacity but definitely more then an average trunk can hold

[@jdubskiwright2380]

@Kunta Kinte it looks like a copy of the dodge rampage..look up the rampage and you'll see it

[@frankburns8871]

Wait, I thought low-end torque and acceleration was a trait of V8s, not little 4 bangers. I do wish they'd bring back the "passing time" as a performance metric. Don't see that anymore; 0-60 and 1/4 mile times don't tell the whole story.

[@mubd1234]

Mmmm iron oxide

[@georgeh6856]

The Zagato's round headlights look dated. The Honda e concept has round headlights which make it look futuristic.

[@624radicalham]

Looks like any BMW from the time period up until the 2000s. No one complained BMW's lights looked dated

[@Noah_E]

$14k in 1982 = $39k today. I wish they would include that info in the retro reviews.

[@klasseact6663]

That would've been nice but they did butcher pronouncing TONNEAU though🥴

[@alexander1485]

@@klasseact6663 he sounds SUPER bored and not excited in the least

[@angelsepulveda8393]

Or you could just look it up…

[@Camopar87]

0-60 time?

[@silverpairaducks]

We're these us sold?

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

Yes, a few hundred a year.

[@624radicalham]

Dude yes there were plenty here in America. And not just that model either.

[@20alphabet]

Rather have something usable and serviceable from Japan.

[@624radicalham]

But that's boring. Makes you an appliance operator instead of a car guy. What's the point of watching car videos if not for a love of enthusiasm and passion bro?

[@20alphabet]

@@624radicalham Lol, apparently I love cars more than the Lancia designers and engineers do. 😆

[@unclejoe6811]

Buy an Italian car, become an Italian car mechanic within 6 months. It's on the job training through ownership. Some Italian cars even have a starter tool kit included!

[@RallyLancer95]

This is not the Mitsubishi Cordia

[@davek12]

Which is a better $14,000 buy: A Lancia 29 years ago, or a Mitsubishi Mirage now? I'd have to say the Mirage...

[@jareknowak8712]

Inflation!

[@silverpairaducks]

Longer than 29

[@realazduffman]

This thing is $38,000 in 2021 dollars.

[@McBeamer94]

I'd say the Lancia. Nobody scored a chick in a Mirage. 😉

[@alexander1485]

Lancia is probably more reliable than the Mirage

[@MrHeem94]

LOL.

[@jareknowak8712]

❤ LANCIA

[@MSimmonsAZ]

it looks a lot like a 1979-81 celica sedan. and not in the good way.

[@basshead.]

1st

[@nessuno5403]

Haven't found a new mission or hobby in life yet?

[@mikek5298]

Nobody cares. Get a life.

[@basshead.]

@@mikek5298 And yet here you are whining about it.

[@matevukojevic7193]

2nd