The Legendary Lancia Stratos
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- The #Lancia #Stratos is a #motorsport #legend, a coveted collectors' item, and a design icon that, five decades on, keeps inspiring many automobile designers. Not bad for a car that, in the period, Lancia didn't really want to make and that customers didn't want to buy.
Buckle up, as this is the story of the legendary Lancia Stratos...
Despite the lack of resources, Lancia's racing department managed to gain considerable success across Europe rallying the Fulvia Coupé, and since morale at Lancia was low and sales even lower, Gobbato saw Fiorio's activities as beneficial for Lancia's image and overall standing.
But the Fulvia's days as a rally winner were numbered against the ever more powerful and specialized cars fielded by the competition. Lancia needed something new, and that's what Gobbato and Fiorio saw in Bertone's Stratos, despite the fact it was rather useless as a rally car in its original form.
Although the Stratos we all know and love, developed between 1971 and '72 around the Ferrari 2.4 liters "Dino" V6, shares only the name with the show prototype that started it all, it certainly was no less revolutionary in both concept and execution.
The first car to have been developed from the ground up to win rallies, the Stratos had a very short wheelbase for maximum agility, a razor-sharp front end, and an extraordinarily curved windshield that wrapped around the tight passenger compartment, maximizing visibility even when driving sideways.
My automotive books:
Lancia Gamma Berlina & Coupé 1976 - 1984
www.amazon.com...
Six Appeal - The Story Of The Alfa 6
www.amazon.com...
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - The Story 1977 - 1985
ENGLISH: www.amazon.com...
ITALIAN: www.amazon.it/...
Alfa Romeo Arna - The Full Story 1980 - 1987 www.amazon.com...
Probably the most insane Lancia ever made but I simply love it😃
It is one of the rarest car of the world. We can find several Porsche 911 in a nice condition but a Lancia Stratos has sold in a very confidentiel numbers. It's a very nice, rare and precious car....Good presentation....
Wonderful! They still look glorious…….one of Bertone’s finest ever designs!
Totally agree with you.
Another example of the unique design of Italian autos. Thank you.
On my bedroom walls from about 17 to 20 years of age I had two posters from the Motor Show I attended - no pouting busty beauties for me on one wall was a picture of the FIAT works team 131 in action and on the other a Stratos on a rally stage too - my English mates were obsessed with MK and MK 2 Escort Rally Cars but for me the Italian stuff floated my boat - I was a member of the tifosi before I hd even heard the word !!
😂😂, great
What gorgeous cars Lancia made. My all time favourites apart from the Stratos will always be the Aurelia, the Flaminia and the absolutely wonderful Fulvia HF Fanalone….
One of my favourite cars! Stil popular in that time, stil personally, »Stratos« resembles me at 1988 when father present me a nice metal toy-kit of it.
If there is a special place in my heart for Alfa, there is an almost equal space for Lancia. The Stratos is an absolutely "gorgeous" vettura. When I went to Italy in '78 as a small boy to see family, Italy was in a very tough financial shape. So I do understand that 10 000 plus Lira was a lot of money. Excellent video!
Thank you! It's the same for me, by the way: I love Lancias as much as I love Alfas. Italy during the 70s experienced double-digit inflation, so prices changed a lot throughout the decade.
You know you're having a good week when you have videos from Matteo and Jethro Bronner! Thank you so much.
I’m a big fan of Jethro’s channel myself: love his attention to detail and the quality of his work.
@@Matteo_Licata Matteo, I see you in the comment section on Jethro's Channel often. I don't remember if I found your channel because of his or his channel because of you. But I appreciate both of you, and the information you provide!
A few years ago, I did the start clock on a stage in Yorkshire on the Roger Albert Clark Rally and standing next to the Stratos run by Steve Perez was an experience never to be forgotten. That Ferrari V6 can sure build up the revs, then the clutch is dropped and it's off the line like a robber's dog. Awesome noise.
Wow, that must have been awesome! Thank you for sharing this memory
Ive seen a couple of these.....They were kit cars of course,so I guess thats the finest compliment for any car.....One real one would be in my dream garage however!
Thanks for this great video Matteo! The Strato's is definitely one of my all-time favorites. You can''t confuse a Strato's with something else (a spaceship maybe?). There is just nothing similar to it, not even Gandini's other masterpieces.
Beautiful cars....just lovely Matteo ...probably the finest example of the "wedge" styling so popular at the time ...Marcello Gandini certainly nailed this one ...
Indeed, this must be Gandini’s finest hour.
Completely bonkers car. So Lancia. Luv it. 🥰
Soo unique, a Lancia designed by Ghandini , specificaly made for rally and with a Ferrari engine. I love this car and makes me sad, makes me think on one of the most innovatives car brands almost dead. I Hope one day recovers. Excelent work Matteo!!!!!
Grazie Matteo, love the car. A bit of my history with the Stratos. On one of my visits to Biella, I had the good fortune of speaking with one of the Maglioli brothers via phone. The Stratos, as I understand, was first built in their garage (which is now a watch shop) at the corner of the road to Oropa (famous for Pantani's famous victory), and just up from the Menebrea brewery. I saw a blue Stratos in a garage between Biella and Cossato perhaps 24 years ago, and then let's not forget the Stratos meeting 5 or 6 years ago in Biella !!!
Cool, thank you for sharing these memories!
So crazy, so damn effective!
A Bertone still at the Ariston; what a difference with the projects of the last productive years, where an idea was sought for an idea, when the coachbuilders no longer dictated ideas.
Every history is even better than last!! Braco Matteo
Thank you!!
Grazie Matteo! Una macchina da sogno come poche, ma reale e vincente. Ricordo le foto spia delle prime prove, foto in banco e nero dell'AutoSprint formato tabloid, nella nebbia del nord Italia... Da allora l'ho sempre sognata.
Mi spiace non aver potuto acquistare una di quelle svendute in saldo, e non per investimento ma per il piacere di averla. Troppo giovane e sopratutto, squattrinato 😜...
Finally a Lancia. I've always found Lancia more interesting and underrated than Alfa Romeo. I think their pre-Fiat models were masterpieces.
I love Lancia as much as I love Alfa, and I do agree with you that most Lancia models are very underrated. Pre-Fiat cars were in a class of their own: mechanical jewels beautifully put together, and are my favorites!
I'd like to do more Lancia videos, but most of the time Lancia videos tend to underperform, hurting the channel's growth. I hope this one will prove an exception though! :)
@@Matteo_Licata I've always felt that cars like the Fulvia, Aurelia, Flavia and Appia were superior qualitywise and mechanicallywise than Alfa Romeo cars of the same period. That's why I've always liked Lancia more than Alfa. They went bankrupt by spending too much money on production and quality control.
Absolutely. Alfas were great cars, but there nevertheless was a huge difference in fit and finish between Alfa and Lancia in the 60s. A friend of mine owns an Appia from 1957, and it truly is a jewel: everything on it feels precisely designed and exquisitely made.
What a great and iconic car. Thank you so much for another interesting video! Ciao 🙋♂️
As a car mad child my parents sometimes bought me Polistil 1:25 models. I still have 3 x Stratos and, coincidentally, a rally spec Fiat131. Years later (2001 perhaps) Classic and Sports Car magazine ran a cover and feature on these great cars. I kept that too !! Great video, thanks.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
An exceptional video. But then again I am a Stratos nutcase!
So many extra details here, especially personal names, that I didn’t know.
Regarding the homologation, I’ve read that whilst counting the 500 cars, the inspectors finished in one car park and were then taken to lunch. Meanwhile the cars were all moved to another location in preparation for the post lunch counting to continue for the required total to be reached. 😂
Is it true? Whatever, it’s a great story of an exceptional car.
That's actually the story on the homologation Lancia 037 from group B almost ten years later.
It’s a legend popularized by British journalists, but it has no basis in reality. FIA officials aren’t stupid, and Lancia’s competitors weren’t either. However, the actual number of Stratos eventually sold to the public is indeed disputed, and the requirement was lowered to 400 cars shortly after anyways
I always take the press with a pinch of salt. But without them there is less to read.
Back in the day, pre internet, it was so difficult to find out much about Lancias let alone the Stratos and then 037. I would buy car magazines for the smallest article as there was nothing else around. I’m still amazed that cars sat around for a few years unsold in dealers. Although back then my salary was okay, I doubt it was enough to buy one. A bit like buying a Spitfire at the end of WW2. These ideas are great with hindsight but almost impossible to act upon at the time.
Every writer is a human, with his/her own opinions and biases and, of course, honest mistakes also happen. When I write my videos, articles and books, I really strive for maximum accuracy… But it’s not always possible to be 100% accurate in Italian car history, as people and companies didn’t bother keeping records of all they did in period. Thankfully, the protagonists of the Stratos’s story left a lot of interviews and articles, so things can be pieced together!
Wonderful !
Tks Matteo 👍
The big brother of my Fiat x19. What a legend
That was a lovely tribute to a masterpiece of Italian automotive history. If only we had known back in the day...never mind. Another great video, thanks Matteo.
Thank you!!!
Oh man, I’m just TWO YEARS late for Stratos party.. 🔝🔝🇮🇹🇮🇹
First time I’ve seen the Stratos prototype illustration. The car looked big in photos/videos but smaller in the illustration. Another great video.
Thank you! I've had the pleasure of seeing the original prototype up close many times, the last one in 2019 when I took the pictures I've included in the video. And I confirm it's a very small car indeed :)
In the US back in the late 70's, they sold Lancia Stratos radio control toy cars. I was a kid, but I thought this car was much more interesting than a Ferrari. I was wondering when you were going to cover this car!
I try to use as much of my own footage as possible, so the unexpected presence of a Stratos in the National Motor Museum here in Turin finally gave me the chance to film one and make a video of it :)
Beautiful Car .
It sure is!
I'm an Alfa guy though and through, but the Stratos is my ultimate "supercar". In my 5 car dream garage, there would be two Lancias - the Stratos and the Delta Integrale.
I totally agree I love the Stratos an automotive masterpiece and I have driven an Intergrale which holds the road like no other and wonderful to drive
The most iconoc car ever produced imo, in terms of looks, rally pedigree and sound track. Still being recreated as "kit" cars by many small companies. Beautiful thank you. I understand the internal politics of such organisations and well done Lancia, for prevailing in the 1970s.
Great video as always. Loved that the Stratos had stickers for badges to save weight. Nowadays the replicas, especially the good ones, give a far better road experience than the originals
Thank you! How much do replicas cost, by the way?
@@Matteo_Licata I think a good kit such as a Lister Bell are around £30k and if you built yourself would prob be at least £40k with the extra components, rebuilt busso etc. Good used ones are anywhere from £50k to £100k depending on quaility, drivetrain etc. The busso seems to be the choice engine
Very informative video ,once again. Fiat Group obviously put a lot of faith in competing in rallying. You can tell with the length of development they put into their cars. The Stratos being specifically developed and produced for that sole purpose , then with the later Miriafori 131 Arbarth which was a far cry from the cooking production OHV versions available on the cars initial release. The Ford Escort was very dominant in UK rallying was almost lucky in being the right car for the job from 1st off , albeit with much modifications. I’ve read somewhere ( possibly on this channel) that Lancia originally considered the Maserati v6 from the Merak and Citroen SM , but then Enzo was persuaded so they could use the Dino unit instead. Keep them coming, Matteo
Yes, Pier Ugo Gobbato did approach Maserati for the C114 V6 as a last-ditch attempt to save the project. But Enzo Ferrari’s resistance to supply the Dino engine is believed to have resulted from Fiat’s higher-ups putting pressure on Maranello, rather than him being opposed on principle.
It is hard to convey just how strange the Stratos looked when new (or even after a number of years). In a rally paddock of Escorts, Fulvias and various Opel and Peugeot models, it was something from another planet.
Still a shocking car, visually.
I believe that's where the name came from. Someone saw it and said it looked like something from outer space. i.e The Stratosphere.
Mitica, mitica, mitica! 🏁
From a time when car concepts could still be STRATOSpherically bold. Like the Countach best served without additional fixed lights, spoilers and wheel arch extenders. The purer the better, although I like that tiny roof line flow aligning wing.
Automakers rarely build such stunners today, but I guess that's also because we've seen much in the last 50 years: it's near-impossible for anything on four wheels to truly surprise us today. Moreover, independent design studios no longer really exist, and automakers don't need to wow crowds the way Bertone or Pininfarina had to, as they don't need to attract design commissions :)
Brilliant , thank you
One of the all-time greats! For looks, style and performance! Thank you Matteo!
Glad you like it!
I've been waiting for this. Bravo.
Thank you!!!
This car can't be compared with the 2.7 RS because it was designed purely for racing so luggage space and other features were not important. The only reason it was on sale was for homologation purposes. Anyway, as for sale prices they are around $100.000 apart so well done for the Lancia to reach the half a million mark.
Indeed. The commercial side of the project was simply non-existent, given the FIA regs counted the cars built, not the cars actually sold. However, regular people going to a showroom to buy an expensive sportscar have different priorities than a racing team, and that's why the Stratos they made were difficult to shift.
Criminal that there wern't more of these on the road !
Well, in a roundabout way, there are more on the road now than ever: some companies in the UK have been building remarkably close replicas for years :)
Nice & fine Video...as always. Beside Alfa Romeo - this is my dreamcar.
Thank you!!
Because the handling of the road cars was questionable as you mentioned, a lot of owners converted them into so-called hybrids, that is they put components of the raiiy cars onto the road car chassis for better or better handling.
Yes indeed. I doubt there are any completely "stock" Stratos left today.
great video man
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Beautiful content. Can you give a perspective on the price? How much was an Alfetta berlina or Fiat 131 in the mid-late 70s?
Thank you! An Alfetta 1.8 retailed for 3.9 Million Lire in 1975. However, it must be noted that prices changed a lot between 1972 and 1980, as Italy experienced double-digit inflation during the 70s 😬
Heard a stubborn Enzo Ferrari only relented allowing use of the Dino V6 in the Stratos under the threat of Lancia instead using the Merak V6.
Pier Ugo Gobbato did approach Maserati indeed, when it seemed that obtaining the Dinos was impossible. But the resistance from Enzo Ferrari was, most likely, a consequence of pressure on him from Fiat's higher ups, who opposed the Stratos project but could not directly overrule Gobbato. Such political fiefdoms have always been part of Italian industry, and are often difficult to explain from the outside. By the way, Maserati was open to supply the Merak V6, in principle.
Unless consideration was given to temporarily reducing the 2.4-litre Dino V6 back to 2-litres for the Stratos (and Dino) before it was discontinued, the Maserati V6 does seem to possess more flexibility displacement wise from an Italian specification 2-litre up to 3-litres in the Merak (not to mention plans for the Quattroporte II to feature an uprated 3.2-litre V6).
Aside from tales of reliability issues based on the Maserati V6’s origins as a chopped Maserati V8, what other merits did it have over the Dino V6 that could have benefited the Stratos?
4:42
Thanks to this info i decided to investigate about the car that raced on 1972
So the first info Is that it was a prototype
It raced tour de corse and rally del sol on 1972
And the targa Florio in 1973
But it isnt the same that won the targa Florio 1974
I had the idea that they revised the car of 1973 to win on 1974
Yes, some rallies allowed for not-yet-homologated cars to race in the Group 5 prototype class, and that's what Lancia did, to gain valuable experience with the car in anger.
It must have looked ike a space ship back in 1970 !
K👍👍👍🇮🇹What ma great car
.. italian Masterpiece, the others do..🤫
Dear Matteo i am probably not looking right but i can’t seem to find the Aurelia story in three episodes anymore, could it be it is removed? I am also looking for the clip in which you explain car design with the circles (of wheels) and dimensions to create an elegant coachdesign, i think you did it in story about an Alfa.
Yes, I've removed a lot of 2019 videos because they no longer contributed to the channel's growth (hardly anyone watched them) and their overall video/audio quality was kind of embarrassing (I was a less skilled videomaker back then!).
But I'll definitely go back on those subjects in the future, doing them justice with much better videos :)
Pier Ugo Gobbato, the son of Ugo Gobatto, another great Alfa's CEO (after Giuseppe Luraghi)?
Yes 👍 Ugo Gobbato steered Alfa Romeo during very, very difficult times indeed.
The rally 124 you showed was hideous...
Racing cars aren’t meant to be pretty, just fast ;)
@@Matteo_Licata
True, although the Stratos is probably one of the most beautiful racing machines ever produced...