Classic Car Weekly

[TonyLanciaBeta (Tony Harrison)]

There is a very good  artical on the Beta in this weeks Classic Car Weekley Dec 16th 2009

with a photo of John Bowers loverly Coupe on the front page
the article covers two pages, and written by Russ Smith who is very pro Beta

[rossocorsa]

maybe I'm too pedantic but since when was the Beta coupé a 'sports car'?

[MattNoVAT]

During the Beta era if you compared it to all the other cars that were available at that time I guess it was far more sportier than most.

Plus Coupé vehicles always seem to get classed as sports cars anyway because they are more biased towards the two front occupants and the rear seats are there mostly for aesthetic reasons.

[rossocorsa]

well I never thought of it as a sports car when it was current

[TreviDash]

'sporting car' sounds a bit girly FIAT though, doesn't it   

[rossocorsa]

actually when they were current I was skint and drove a Fulvia coupé. I thought that Betas were for rich philistines with more money than sense or taste..........now I'm skint and own a Beta and can't afford a Fulvia!! poetic justice I should have been kinder in those days. Seriously though I have come to appreciate the finer points of the Beta in my old age and I'm no longer sure I could tolerate being squashed into a Fulvia

which reminds me that once I remember three full sized adults actually sitting in the back of the first coupé I had how about that Fulvia coupé a 5 seater!! ...

[rossocorsa]

'sporting car' sounds a bit girly FIAT though, doesn't it   

GT or grand tourer would have been nearer that mark ...until BMC stuck it on the flanks of an Austin 1300 and Ford on the Cortina

[Pete]

Bravo Russ Smith. A well written piece that extols the virtues of the Beta Coupe and puts the media hype into context.