Today is all about playing Devil’s Advocate for the sake of friends. A married couple I met in Arizona, Paul and Riley, have a unique toy in a garage: a Lancia Scorpion (the US market name for the Lancia Montecarlo). It’s pretty much like the car in the lead photo, down to the color, and outside of one time I saw the car puke fuel out of the top of the carburetor, I’ve never seen it move without human assistance, but it appears that parts are starting to be ordered…provided that they learn enough Italian to make that process happen, anyways.

The Scorpion is a neat little thing in it’s own right, but Paul and Riley aren’t general enthusiasts. They’ve been on a Lemons rally. They once owned a Volvo limo. Desert racing and general hoonery are right up their alley. And apparently the Lancia has been earmarked for greatness…but what, exactly, that will entail is still up for debate. My vote is for twin-charging a Lampredi 2.0L four and seeing what the little blue Micro Machine will do, but you are a crafty bunch, BangShifters, and I suspect that you have better ideas. Keep in mind, the Scorpion is a tiny car. This thing makes a Fiero look downright spacious, so the rear-mounted engine bay won’t accept an LS4 without a full tube chassis and seriously widened fenders to match. Anybody got any suggestions for an ambitious, if not Mission:Impossible level build?