Fuel injected Lancia Scorpion at no reserve auction (not mine)

The car looks good, but this is a really nice price for a non-running one. Even if my finance were good, I wouldn't had pay that much without thorough inspection. But I believe this is all good for all of us, having our cars (Fiat and Lancia) increasing value... but still affordable. ;)
 
I hate to admit it but I was the previous buyer.
eBay didn't give much room to tell the story but it is, and was, definitely fraud. The car is a steaming pile. I bid on the car based on the pictures, and that's where the fraud comes in. The pictures are very old. The thief that listed the car kept talking about having the car for 14 years so I'm guessing the pictures are 14 years old. The car is not as represented. Apparently over the years the car was hit in the driver's side front and repaired poorly. The front bumper is pushed over to the passengers side about an inch and a half. The entire front of the car is pushed over, it needs to be put on a frame machine. The passengers side door hinges are worn or broken, the door pops down when it's opened. The latch that opened the engine cover is broken and has been replaced with a loop of cable. It appears someone pried the engine cover open when the latch broke, because it's bent badly. Overall the car has a bad rattle can paint job and the fender flares are sculpted Bondo. What's under the Bondo is anyone's guess, rust perhaps? The interior is much worse than the pictures show, it's as if it's had at least 14 years more abuse and neglect than the interior in the pictures.
This car might be a decent rat rod, maybe. It is better suited to be entered into the Concourse de Lemons. It's that bad.
If you are interested in bidding on the car I urge you to inspect it BEFORE you bid. In my opinion the car isn't worth the $500 deposit. I'm guessing the next buyer will also loose their $500 deposit too. That's probably just fine with the thief. I'm thinking the theif is hoping the new high bidder will not inspect the car, and have it shipped. If they do, they will NOT be happy when it's delivered.
So far neither PayPal or eBay is concerned about the fraud. I hope the authorities in Euclid and Ohio are more interested, we'll see.
For me it was a hard lesson learned - Inspect in person, or pay someone to inspect it for you, before you bid. There are plenty of crooks out there that will steal your money. At least I didn't loose more than my deposit (and a 16 hr round trip drive! At least, I was able to buy gas at $1.16 a gallon.).
If anyone here has placed a bid on the car please PM me. You might be interested in knowing how my efforts to stop this fraud are progressing.
 
Last edited:
Yikes! What a mess. Thanks for sharing the story and sorry about your deposit, it's really too bad that some sellers are so shady.
 
RJ80 said:
Yikes! What a mess. Thanks for sharing the story and sorry about your deposit, it's really too bad that some sellers are so shady.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
BTW - I now have the Scorpion fever. I would love to find a good example, if you know anyone that would like to sell a nice example please let me know.
 
I don't know what's more shocking, the ripoff or the fact that Mike is breaking away from Xs.
This is the second Scorpion rip off I know about. A friend of mine drove from the DC area to Atlanta pulling tow dolly to get a Scorpion for sale and it was it also was so misrepresented that he drove home with an empty dolly. Like Mike, he was not in a happy mood.

Sorry, Mike.
 
MikeHynes said:
Thanks.
BTW - I now have the Scorpion fever. I would love to find a good example, if you know anyone that would like to sell a nice example please let me know.
Click to expand...

Good luck Mike, hopefully the next attempt will have a happy ending.
 
carl said:
I don't know what's more shocking, the ripoff or the fact that Mike is breaking away from Xs.
This is the second Scorpion rip off I know about. A friend of mine drove from the DC area to Atlanta pulling tow dolly to get a Scorpion for sale and it was it also was so misrepresented that he drove home with an empty dolly. Like Mike, he was not in a happy mood.

Sorry, Mike.
Click to expand...
No, not breaking away, I've got plenty of cars that aren't Xs
 
Glad I stepped away from that.

I too would really love to get a Scorpion. I would be OK with one that has a bad engine/transmission (in reality prefer it).

Should have tried for the red one that sold in northern Vermont on BAT a couple of summers ago.

Truly a bummer for you Mike, that is a tough one especially right now. Sad to see another car which is likely beyond reasonable restoration.

I will ask some questions on the auction around the pictures etc.
 
Mark’s Scorpions are heart-breakingly beautiful
I would buy any of his cars no matter what gets clipped.
 
Mark’s cars are very very nice indeed. He is an amazing builder of cars.

I don’t like white cars, but the white over gray one he built was a remarkable example. It really elevated my perception of the car’s design. Brought a good bit of Berlinetta Boxster to it, another Pinnin design.
 
I guess I should chime in here.

I’ve been planning to put my orange Scorpion and my ‘85 Bertone on BaT but haven’t had the time to invest in all that’s required; videos, lift photos, answering a week of arm chair tire-kicker questions, etc.

I’m not in a position to let them go at a discount. I know that’s arbitrary, but anyone who has gone through the process should be able to appreciate that comment. I sold my 850 for $15k a few years ago, so that should give you an idea of their relevant value; in my mind at least.
 
kmead said:
Glad I stepped away from that.

I too would really love to get a Scorpion. I would be OK with one that has a bad engine/transmission (in reality prefer it).

Should have tried for the red one that sold in northern Vermont on BAT a couple of summers ago.

Truly a bummer for you Mike, that is a tough one especially right now. Sad to see another car which is likely beyond reasonable restoration.

I will ask some questions on the auction around the pictures etc.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on the bad engine/trans. I am thinking K20 swap. The thing that bothers me about the X K20 swap is hacking up the "frame" I don't think that would be required on a Scorpion.

The first clue that the pics are not current is the condition of the wheels. The wheels in the pic are all nice and clean. Now the wheels look to have DECADES of use and abuse. They are filthy. The rest of the car reflects the same level of use/abuse.

Apparently both eBay and PayPal are just fine with the kind of fraud this scumbag is engaged in. As long as you list the deposit as being non-refundable you can say and do whatever you want. Keep that in mind whenever you get ready to click on that link to submit a deposit. Caveat emptor!
 
Another reason to stick with Craigslist, although obviously Scorpions are not very common.
 
As you guys know, my car came with a bad engine. In that it allowed me to build an engine to the spec I wanted, it was a positive scenario. That said, it was definitely not the most cost-effective way of doing things. I could have bought the best Scorpion in the world for what I've already spent on refurbishment and I haven't even gotten to paint or interior yet. I guess that means I can't sell it until Scorpions are worth two or three times what they are now. :D
 
Does the Scorpion have the same underpinnings as the X1/9? I don't know anything about them - besides I like the styling similarities to the X.

I wouldn't mind one either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top