The Full Monte (Lancia Montecarlo)

The Lancia Montecarlo was a mid-engined, Italian sports car which was designed by Pininfarina and should have been marvellous! And it was, the baby-Ferrari looks and mid-engined layout gave the Lancia an appeal which is usually reserved for supercar exotica and the name alone would make me want one! Montecarlo. I can imagine blasting through the alps on the way down to the Casino with the targa roof down (on the spider) and enjoying every minute! Unfortunately a minute would be about all you’d get on challenging roads. The Montecarlo had dismal brakes, so bad in fact that production was halted for two years while Lancia tried to rectify the issue. The problem was that the front brakes were over boosted such that under moderate braking the front wheels would lock up and this would severely hinder the ability to go round a corner. When production resumed it seemed that the problem had not been fully solved, Lancia removed the brake servo which now meant the Montecarlo had no braking power at all!  You can forgive the Montecarlo these flaws though because whenever you get inside and (cautiously) go for a drive you’ll be instantly transported to the French Riviera and onto those winding alpine roads overlooking the Med!  The best is yet to come though, since it was only in production for a few years you rarely see them on the road which gives you great exclusivity, plus the design is yet to be fully appreciated in the classic world so you can get a decent example for around 6k!