EVO drives the new Lancia Stratos
Pininfarina Lancia Stratos – Click above for high-res image gallery
It's a shame the Pininfarina Stratos probably won't see widespread production. The car is hewn straight from the naughtiest of our automotive dreams, and with some of its aluminum bones borrowed from the Ferrari 430 Scuderia it promises to be as fun to fling as anything with four wheels. The crew at EVO was lucky enough to weasel their way behind the wheel of the lovely one-off, becoming the first journalists to do so in the process. That sound? It's the noise our boundless jealousy makes when agitated.
EVO was able to take the car out for a couple of hot laps around Circuit Paul Ricard, and the verdict is that, as you might expect, the car is plenty nimble and just as quick. There is some indication that the vehicle's short wheelbase would likely make for some hair-raising antics at higher speeds, though. EVO even goes so far as to say that the vehicle has a completely different personality compared to its Prancing Horse donor. Even better, there may be a very small production run in the vehicle's future.
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New Lancia Stratos supercar review
Rating: 
John Barker is the first journalist in the world to drive the Ferrari 430 Scuderia-based New Stratos
November 2010
What is it?
A privately funded, highly professional remake of the legendary Lancia Stratos HF. It’s based on the chassis and running gear of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, has a carbonfibre body and has been designed and engineered by none other than Pininfarina. It’s an exquisite thing, perfectly rendered and although up-scaled, evokes the best in the original. The men whose dream it was are Michael Stoschek, chairman of Brose, the automotive components group, and his son, Michael, though Stratos fanatic Chris Hrabalek lent considerable encouragement.
Technical highlights?
The aluminium chassis of the 430 Scuderia is shortened by 200mm and joined to a steel, FIA spec roll cage, and a body and interior of carbonfibre is mounted to it. The new Stratos is 330mm shorter than the Scuderia and has a dry weight of 1247kg, which helps give it an even better power to weight ratio than the Scud because its 4.3-litre V8 produces 532bhp (540ps) here. All the Ferrari technical refinements remain: the five-stage Manettino, anti-lock ceramic brakes, stability control and F1 paddle-shift.
What’s it like to drive?
Luca di Montezemolo seemed to like it; the Ferrari boss sampled it at Fiorano and uttered ‘bellisima’ when he climbed out. We got a handful of laps around Circuit Paul Ricard and it feels very much in the spirit of the original. It’s wide but short in the wheelbase which, combined with modest weight, makes it very agile. It’s surprisingly supple, too. It feels like it would take some bottle to drive flat-out at big speeds, or quickly in the wet, but that’s always been a part of the challenge of the Stratos and the systems are there for those who don’t feel that confident.
How does it compare?
To a 430 Scuderia? Quite different. In fact, only the paddle-shift, the blare of the V8 and some of the switchgear suggests the donor car. To the original Stratos? Design-wise it’s a fabulous re-creation of the original; slightly bigger in all dimensions with modern aero thinking incorporated, but the spirit of the Stratos HF is here in spades.
Anything else I need to know?
A limited run of this hugely desirable car is looking very likely, at a price still to be decided. Start saving now…
A privately funded, highly professional remake of the legendary Lancia Stratos HF. It’s based on the chassis and running gear of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, has a carbonfibre body and has been designed and engineered by none other than Pininfarina. It’s an exquisite thing, perfectly rendered and although up-scaled, evokes the best in the original. The men whose dream it was are Michael Stoschek, chairman of Brose, the automotive components group, and his son, Michael, though Stratos fanatic Chris Hrabalek lent considerable encouragement.
Technical highlights?
The aluminium chassis of the 430 Scuderia is shortened by 200mm and joined to a steel, FIA spec roll cage, and a body and interior of carbonfibre is mounted to it. The new Stratos is 330mm shorter than the Scuderia and has a dry weight of 1247kg, which helps give it an even better power to weight ratio than the Scud because its 4.3-litre V8 produces 532bhp (540ps) here. All the Ferrari technical refinements remain: the five-stage Manettino, anti-lock ceramic brakes, stability control and F1 paddle-shift.
What’s it like to drive?
Luca di Montezemolo seemed to like it; the Ferrari boss sampled it at Fiorano and uttered ‘bellisima’ when he climbed out. We got a handful of laps around Circuit Paul Ricard and it feels very much in the spirit of the original. It’s wide but short in the wheelbase which, combined with modest weight, makes it very agile. It’s surprisingly supple, too. It feels like it would take some bottle to drive flat-out at big speeds, or quickly in the wet, but that’s always been a part of the challenge of the Stratos and the systems are there for those who don’t feel that confident.
How does it compare?
To a 430 Scuderia? Quite different. In fact, only the paddle-shift, the blare of the V8 and some of the switchgear suggests the donor car. To the original Stratos? Design-wise it’s a fabulous re-creation of the original; slightly bigger in all dimensions with modern aero thinking incorporated, but the spirit of the Stratos HF is here in spades.
Anything else I need to know?
A limited run of this hugely desirable car is looking very likely, at a price still to be decided. Start saving now…
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