Quote Originally Posted by geezer101 View Post
It was actually a beautiful looking engine even though it was completely caked in crap (FYI I didn't grab it but if I had, that sucker was going into a Fiat X1/9 the minute I found one...)
It's basically the same Lampredi-designed twincam engine as used in the Fiat 124 and others, just leaned over by ~20° and turned sideways to drive the front wheels, with a few other minor alterations to account for that. The transaxle was designed by olde-skoole Lancia engineers specfically for the Beta and evolved to see continued use in later FWD Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo models. The Beta powertrain also went into the mid-engined Lancia Montecarlo, which otherwise used mostly X1/9 running gear but in a slightly larger body designed and built at Pininfarina.