Lancia Beta Coupés won’t linger for much longer

Now the cheapest option if you have a hankering for a Seventies Italian coupé is the Lancia Beta, though it doesn’t deserve to be. It has a proper turn of speed, especially in two-litre form, sure-footed handling, and provides that essential raspy twin-cam soundtrack. You can still pick up nice ones for £5k or even less, but you have to know where to look. In their tight-knit community, the best cars often change hands via word of mouth, but it’s also worth signing up to the lanciabeta.co.uk forum. Don’t leave it too long, though – our continental cousins have already spotted the discrepancy between these and the Alfa and Fiat options. Five-figure asking prices are starting to appear.