Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato Special – 1981

Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato Special, year 1981 (first registration February 28, 1981). Chassis number ZLA828RSA00203177, engine number 828*383123*.

Rare and beautiful American Spider Zagato Special, executed in black (Nero 1F), combined with a sporty black leather/vinyl interior. The Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato was a special for the U.S. market in honor of Carrozzeria Zagato’s 60th anniversary.

The model was presented in July 1979 and was based on the 3rd and 4th series Beta Spider. The Beta 2000 Spider Zagato Special presented is a 1981 model based on the 4th Beta Spider series and equipped with Bosch gasoline injection.

The Spider Zagato specials all have a black body with a double horizontal gold stripe over the car’s circumference. Other features include the reinforced American bumpers, alloy wheels, black leather/vinyl interior and sought-after American options such as air conditioning and electric windows as standard equipment.

This beautiful specimen was sold new in Columbus, Ohio, to Mr. Don Bowman. In 2023 the car was imported to the Netherlands. In December 2023, the car was given a large turn in which the distribution belt, tension roller, water pump and drive shaft rubbers were renewed.

The odometer is currently at 48,248 miles. This very special car is in excellent condition! The body and paintwork are beautiful, as are the exterior trim parts. The interior looks almost new, apart from a split seam in the backrest of the passenger seat and a small crack in the dashboard at the windshield.

This beauty drives and steers perfectly and the ‘targa’ open driving experience is great! Between July 1979 and 1982, less than a thousand series 3 (equipped with carburetor) and series 4 Beta Spider Zagato models were built, exact numbers are unknown. The last model with gasoline injection, as presented here, is the rarest version.

This is a unique opportunity to buy a Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato Special in super original and excellent condition! A beautiful gem for the lover and a dream for (Lancia) collectors!

The Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato, which was offered on the American market from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, was a striking open sports car that combined Italian style with technical sophistication. The Lancia Beta spider was designed by Pininfarina but the actual conversion and production was carried out by Carrozzeria Zagato.

The Beta Spider was equipped with a unique “targa” construction: a detachable roof section at the front and a folding part behind, which gave both the safety of a coupé and the almost complete freedom of a convertible.

The engine was Lancia’s 1,995 cc dual-cylinder in-line engine with dual camshaft, adapted to U.S. emissions standards and coupled with a manual five-speed gearbox. In American specification, gasoline injection replaced the European carburettor setup, which improved the driving characteristics, but lowered the peak power slightly relative to its European counterpart.

The front-wheel drive, at the time unusual in its class, combined with independent suspension and disc brakes on all four wheels, ensured light and agile handling, and excellent road holding.

The American model is characterized by larger bumpers, ‘sealed beam’ headlights and side marker lights to comply with federal regulations.

The interior is sporty and luxurious in a combination of leather and vinyl and equipped with in Europe also in Europe very desirable options such as air conditioning and electric windows. In total, just under 9,400 Lancia Beta Spiders were built between 1974 and 1984.

The numbers built for the US market have not been tracked. The Lancia Beta 2000 Spider Zagato for the American market is estimated to have been built by a few hundred and up to a thousand. A rare car!

Technical data* :

Four-cylinder engine (DOHC)
Displacement: 1995 cc.
Bosch L-Jetronic gasoline injection
Power: 110 hp. at 5500 rpm.
Torque: 158 Nm at 3500 rpm.
top speed: 180 km/h.
Gearbox: 5, manual gearbox
Drivetrain: front wheels
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 9.5 sec.
brakes: disc brakes all around
Weight (empty): 1235 kg.

Source: Editoriale Domus ‘All the Lancias 1906 – 2008’