15. Lancia Scorpion
Are you looking for a limited production Italian sports car from the ’70s with two seats and a mid-engine layout with only around $20,000 to spare? Although that sounds impossible, there is a solution in the Lancia Scorpion. In 1976, Lancia presented the Scorpion, a U.S.-spec version of the Beta Montecarlo model. Lancia couldn’t use the Montecarlo name for the American market because Chevrolet already had a car they called the Monte Carlo. So Lancia decided to go with the aggressive Scorpion nameplate. Despite the car’s modern looks and technical layout, the Lancia Scorpion had a sluggish four-cylinder engine that delivered only 81 HP in U.S. spec.
The Scorpion was available for two years, in 1976 and 1977, with Lancia selling approximately 1,800 of them in America. The car sold in such small numbers because it was underpowered, unreliable, and rust-prone. Unfortunately, there were problems with everything from the engine and differentials to electronics and body rust. The Lancia Scorpion looked cool, but it was just a poorly-built Italian coupe.