Topless Italian Beauties

1967 Fiat Dino Spider 2000 and 1975 Lancia Beta Montecarlo

1:18 | $90ea (est)

The front-engine Fiat Dino Spider road car was born out of Ferrari’s racing program, but it should not be confused with Ferrari’s own midengine Dino 206 GT. Ferrari’s Dino V-6 engine had been a staple of the Formula 2 series throughout the 1960s, but for 1967 the FIAhad changed the rules to require that engines must be production-based with at least 500 built. Ferrari did not have the budget to do so on its own, so it partnered with Fiat to install the 2.0L V-6 into Fiat-built sports cars and coupes. Thus was born the beautiful Dino Spider 2000. Power for the V-6 was quoted at 160hp (20 less than in Ferrari’s Dino) but the engines were identical so the Fiat was underrated.Laudoracing’s ’67 Dino Spider captures the sensuous body design by Pininfarina—the same firm that penned the Ferrari Dino—as well as impressive interior detail. Pininfarina styling is on display with Lancia Montecarlo as well. The Montecarlo Type 137 (known in the USA as the Scorpion) was initially lanched in 1975 as part of the Beta family, as it shared that car’s frontwheel-drive engine and transaxle, but mounted it behind the driver driving the rear wheels. The blend of light weight, optimal balance, and spunky twin-caminline-4 engine gave the Montecarlo considerable sportscar appeal, particularly the open-air “Spider” model (technically a targa) with its folding roof panel. That’s the version Laudoracing-models is releasing, and the roof panel is removable so the car can be displayed in either configuration.