With the passing of the mid-engined Scorpion from American shores, Lancia needed a new choice in the States. Economics would dictate that it should be Beta-based. Averaging 60,000 cars a year in the mid-'70s may have been Lancia's best sales volume ever, but they were still run by Fiat, who sold 15 times that number in an average year. An all-new machine wouldn't be financially possible.

Enter the Zagato--or, as it was known overseas, the Beta Spyder. Lancia opted for a structural targa bar and a two-fold roof with a targa panel over the driver and passenger, and a fold-down cloth roof to cover the rear passengers. It could be an open, closed or half-and-half machine, depending on the weather, one’s company and the driver's desires.

Based heavily on the Beta coupe, the Zagato was front-wheel-drive, with all-independent suspension, twin-cam two-liter verve, and all of the brio that you've come to expect from an Italian marque. Plus, the four-seat interior remained.

The inline four-cylinder engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission and the unit produces around 90 horsepower. Along with the aforementioned removable targa top, the Lancia has air conditioning, AM/FM radio, power steering and power brakes. Only 9,390 of this model are reported to be built for worldwide consumption from 1979 to the models run-out in 1982.