This 1979 Lancia Beta HPE 1600 combines the elegant lines of an Italian grand tourer with the unusual practicality of its versatile body concept. The car is offered with just 55,000 kilometres and is said to have spent its life to date in the warm, dry climate of Sicily. According to the seller, the bodywork and interior present in remarkably well-preserved condition; the chrome and exterior trim are also said to be complete. The car also comes with its original manuals and two sets of keys.
The Beta HPE is one of those Lancia models that is difficult to fit into a conventional body-style category – and that is precisely where much of its appeal lies. Its elongated rear combines the character of a sporty coupé with additional versatility and a significantly more practical luggage compartment. Today, such a concept would probably be described as a shooting brake; in the late 1970s, it was above all an independent Italian answer to the question of how style and practicality could be combined.
The vehicle offered dates from 1979 and is powered by a front-mounted four-cylinder inline engine with 1,585 cc and 100 hp. Power is transmitted through a manual gearbox. With a recorded weight of 970 kilograms in the vehicle data, this Lancia combines modest mass with a naturally aspirated engine – a combination that aptly characterises the technical nature of this generation of Lancia.
The Lancia is finished in blue; the seller describes the colour more specifically as original Azure Blue metallic. According to the seller, the bodywork is in very well-preserved condition. Particular emphasis is placed on the vehicle's substance: the car is said to have spent its life in Sicily's dry climate and is described by the seller as completely rust-free. The chrome parts and exterior trim are also said to have been preserved and to be complete.
The period-correct appearance also includes black Italian licence plates. According to the seller, these were issued as part of a re-registration in 1984. Today, they underline the Italian character of the vehicle, without any further conclusions about its registration history being drawn from them.
According to the vehicle data, the interior is fitted with grey velour upholstery. The seller describes the interior as clean, authentic and well preserved. Particularly with a vehicle from this era, an appearance that has been preserved over decades is of special interest, as it provides a much more immediate impression of its period than a completely rebuilt interior.
Under the bonnet is the 1,585 cc four-cylinder engine, with an indicated output of 100 hp. The car has a manual transmission and is configured as a left-hand-drive vehicle. The stated mileage is 55,000 kilometres; the seller describes it as original.
For immediate use, however, an important point should be taken into consideration: according to the seller, the Lancia was most recently kept in a garage and should undergo a mechanical inspection and service before being returned to regular use. This includes, in particular, a full inspection as well as checks of the operating fluids and fuel system. The vehicle data lists the car as registered and roadworthy; nevertheless, the mechanical inspection recommended by the seller should be taken into account before regular driving.
According to the seller, this Beta HPE has spent its life to date in southern Italy, specifically Sicily. It is said to have been used primarily for short summer drives and otherwise stored in a private garage. The seller also cites this usage history as an explanation for the low mileage and the described state of preservation.
Two previous owners are recorded for the vehicle, with the first registration documented as July 1979. According to the seller, the car was re-registered in 1984, resulting in the black Italian licence plates that are still present today.
According to the seller, the car comes with two sets of keys as well as the original owner's and maintenance manuals. No current inspection report is available for the vehicle. Before returning to regular use, the seller explicitly recommends a mechanical service including checks of the fluids and fuel system.
The Lancia Beta HPE is a distinctive representative of an era in which Italian automotive design followed remarkably individual paths even when it came to practical vehicle concepts. This example combines a stated mileage of 55,000 kilometres with a long history in the dry climate of southern Italy and a remarkably well-preserved condition according to the seller. Original manuals, two sets of keys and the black Italian licence plates complement its period-correct appearance. Before returning to regular road use, the explicitly recommended mechanical inspection should be scheduled.
The Beta HPE comes from an era when a practical car apparently did not necessarily have to look like the sensible choice. Low nose, expansive glass rear hatch, velour and a silhouette somewhere between coupé and estate – wonderfully unconventional. What makes this particular example especially appealing is that it is not described as a freshly restored showpiece, but as an automobile preserved over decades in southern Italy. A Lancia for those who find the more unusual chapters of Italian automotive history particularly interesting.
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