Lancia Stratos
(1971 - 1976)
Brand:
Country:
Italy
Lancia Stratos: All 7 models
Car articles about Lancia Stratos by year
The Lancia Stratos is perhaps the most famous rally car of all and certainly one of the few cars that were created precisely for this purpose. No wonder, then, that the well-known rally documentary filmmaker Helmut Deimel also fulfilled his wish to own one of the almost 500 vehicles. This report tells how Deimel came across the Lancia Stratos and shows the Group 4 car in all its facets, supplemented by many archive photos from the time.
When Bertone presented the Stratos dream car at the 1970 Turin Motor Show, the journalists didn't know whether to remain serious or laugh. "It's an impossible thing", they said when they saw the coupé with the centrally mounted Lancia Fulvio engine, "it will probably never drive". Admittedly, it never made it onto the road in its original form. But the basis for a real car had been laid. It was given its name by an employee who asked Bertone whether the car had come down from the stratosphere. The Lancia Stratos became one of the most successful rally cars in history and was also successful on race tracks. However, the Stratos rarely remained on the road.
The Lancia Stratos are rare and special in terms of their shape and design. Built with the aim of winning rallies, even the road-going version conveys much of what Sandro Munari or Bernard Darniche experienced in their rally cars. Nevertheless, the Stradale version of the Stratos is not an uncouth racehorse to be feared. No, it is actually surprisingly well-mannered. This driving report tells the story of the Lancia Stratos and provides driving impressions in words and pictures.
Lancia and rally - two terms that are inextricably linked. And one of the most beautiful love stories in automotive history. The Lancia Fulvia HF, Lancia Stratos, Lancia 037 and Lancia Delta Integrale models have written rally history. Lancia has won more World Rally Championship titles than any other brand.
Actually, the Lancia Stratos HF Turbo was not originally planned at all. The Lancia Stratos HF was built exclusively for rallying. When the Fiat Group then decided to use the Fiat 131 in rallying instead of the Lancia Stratos HF, Lancia got creative and ventured into Group 5 circuit racing on asphalt. With turbochargers, they hoped to achieve additional victories away from the gravel tracks. Our racing car article sheds light on the history of the turbocharged version of the Lancia Stratos HF and shows the car in absolutely rare pictures that you won't find anywhere else, neither in books nor on the internet.
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