Dean Scharer
True Classic
So this is the “Free” car from Craigslist that was 12 miles from my house. No title, no engine/transmission, no soft top, and left outside in the Pacific Northwest rain for several years uncovered.
Dean: Thanks for rescuing this relic. May I suggest you make it a cosmetic replica of the 1980 Watkins Glen 6 hour winner. Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo. Driven by Riccardo Patrese and Hans Heyer. Fit it with a stock 1.8 with a lumpy cam and a minimal muffler (who wants a $30,000 race engine?) Good luck finding a set of the correct centerlock hubs and wheels. Pirelli will probably give you a free set of tires if you show it at C & C or car shows. I saw this one at the San Francisco auto show Thanksgiving weekend in 1980. Make sure you have the air intake screens on the rear wing struts perfect. They are Italian Art at its industrial best. ( for more fun, look up "Riccardo Patrese drives his wife crazy" on UTube.)Since the carpet is coming out, I might as well pull the brake/clutch assembly. Despite having all the proper tools, I finally had to cut the lines. This assembly is probably the worst one to date. Good thing I have spares!