Lancia Scorpion

If looks were the only thing that mattered about a car, the Lancia Scorpion (which was known as the Montecarlo in most of the world) would have been a best selling car. The Pininfarina designed body still looks great today.

Unfortunately, here in the US, the Scorpion's power didn't match its looks. While the rest of the world got a 1995cc, 120 HP engine, we got an emissions strangled, 1756cc engine that put out just 81 HP. We also got the federally mandated big bumpers, which added weight, and taller springs, which did nothing for the car's handling.

The good news is that there are a bunch of different ways to bring the Scorpion's performance up to more than respectable levels. How respectable only depends on how much money you want to spend. (One of the coolest ways is by installing a turbo, as the owner of this car did.)

The Scorpion was built by Pininfarina. Maybe because of that, the Scorpion didn't rust as badly as the Lancia Betas from the same era. However, these cars are old and Italian, so checking thoroughly for rust is a must.

This is a typically frustrating Craigslist ad. The seller gives virtually no information about the car. He doesn't even mention what year it is. (It would have to be a 1976 or 1977, the only two years they were sold here.) Based on the pictures it looks to be in nice shape.

Located in Cleveland, OH, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

A big thanks to John for sending the the link to this car!