Lancia Beta HPE - the Italian combi coupe (1977)

Sometimes it can be instructive to take a look at Saab's historical competitors. The Swedes had the Saab 99 CombiCoupe. Lancia also had one. But the Lancia Beta HPE could not be called that, the CombiCoupe lettering already had its place on the C-pillar of the Saab.

But Beta HPE (High Performance Estate) didn't sound bad either.

Perhaps. For the Anglo-Saxon area. But in Germany?

The Italians, who would work with Saab again and again, had some problems explaining the Beta HPE. Many years later, the Lancia would probably have stood out as the forefather of all lifestyle and sports suits, and Anglicisms would have been accepted and the order of the day. But in 1977 the market and the language culture were not quite that far.

While Saab had the catchy term CombiCoupe, Lancia had to use a lot of words to describe what the Beta HPE actually was. Before we get to that, take a look at the Saab 99 Show, which, like the Lancia advertisement, dates from October 1977. This is where the difference becomes apparent.

 

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