“Hold up, McTaggart. There’s no way you found a Lancia of any kind on Craigslist for five grand,” I can hear you say. And you are right to be skeptical, especially when said Lancia in question is an Rally 037. Even in primer red with aftermarket wheels and an overall rough shape, a Lancia Rally 037 is big bucks simply because of what it is: the last two-wheel-drive rally car that put everybody else on notice, the second of the three major rally vehicles that Lancia used to create headaches for every other manufacturer playing the game (between the Stratos and the completely mental Delta series) and the first of Lancia’s two Group B entries. It’s a sociopathic little monster that is more than a weapon…it’s a solid race car that was homologated for street use, and only a couple hundred of them were made for public consumption. That’s always an expensive option.
So how in the hell did I locate a Lancia that fits within the $5,000 Rough Start budget? Simple: I didn’t. What you are really looking at is a 1988 Toyota MR2 wearing a knockoff Italian suit. It’s a bit of a letdown knowing that you don’t really own a Lancia, but there are two things that might make it worth the cost. One is that you aren’t purchasing a Lancia. Think about it for a second: tempermental Italian, frightening electricals, and an engine that’s made of unobtanium, or Toyota reliability, the popular 4A-GE four-banger, and parts you can nab at your nearest parts store? As cool as it would be to own the real deal, you’d be a caretaker, not a car owner. At least with the fake 037, driving it could be a possibility.
So, what to do with a fake? Well, we’d try to talk them down from the five grand price tag because there is a windshield that needs to be replaced. Our next step would be to start saving up for a paint job…we’re thinking black body with the Martini livery. After that…well, consider this a long-term project, but the fun factor could be quite high.
Not the most convincing fake, but painting it Martini colors and taking it rally racing would still be pretty entertaining.
OK, sorry, I have to call bullshit on one of the most bullshit myths in the automotive world, i.e. Toyota = reliability. What a crock of stinky shit that is. Every Toyota I have ever had the misfortune to cross has been the most unreliable breakdown prone shitbox ever to exist. Hats off to Toyota to get people to believe this line… Case in point – the missus bought a 90’s Celica years ago – they have the same engine as the MR2 – in the time it actually ran on the road she went through 2 engines, 3 auto transmissions, endless half shafts, bearings, 2 computers – to cut a long story short, around 25 k worth of repairs and guess what – still doesnt run, still rotting away up the drive at her place. And it aint just one…her brother was in to TA22’s, the early Celicas, and he had a couple of them – none of which has ever run for more than a week or so without breaking something. Rant over…summary – Toyotas are unreliable crap.