GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: New Stratos drips with want factor

Raise your hand and shout “Bellissimo!” if you think the Lancia Stratos HF is one of the prettiest cars ever made.

Not only was the Bertone-designed coupe drop-dead gorgeous, it also had impeccable competition pedigree, winning a hat-trick of World Rally Championships in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Sadly, Lancia built less than 500 units of the Stratos (492 to be exact) as it was conceived purely as a homologation special for rallying.

However, the spirit of the wedge-shaped Lancia lives on via the ‘New Stratos’, commissioned back in 2010 by Michael Stoschek (a keen rally driver and industrialist).

Vaunted styling house Pininfarina designed and built the prototype, using a Ferrari 430 Scuderia as a donor car.

Unfortunately, Ferrari put the kybosh on the project at the time, and even forbade its suppliers from supporting the project.

However, fast-forward eight years and Turin-based coachbuilding firm Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) announced it would build a limited run of 25 cars, of which the first two production units – one in classic Alitalia rally livery, and the other in a striking shade of blue – graced the company’s stand at this week’s Geneva motor show.

MAT sales manager Riccardo Garella confirmed to carsales.com.au at the show that both cars were pre-sold and customer-bound at the end of the Swiss expo.

Pricing for the MAT-built New Stratos starts at 650,000 euros ex-factory (just over a cool million in our currency), and that’s before shipping and taxes are factored into the equation.

Garella confirmed the Stratos could be configured as either left- or right-hand-drive, and he said it was road-registerable in all markets, given the fact that its basis is the Ferrari F430 or 430 Scuderia.

“Essentially we are modifying an existing chassis, and we have done our own simulations to prove the car’s legality to the various authorities,” he says.

Although significantly shorter than the Ferrari on which it’s based, the New Stratos is marginally bigger than the 1970s Lancia from which it takes its inspiration, measuring 4181mm long, 1971mm wide and 1240mm tall.

Faithful nods to the original include twin fuel tanks, adjustable suspension and a removable engine cover and bonnet to simplify maintenance.

The only aspect where it differs notably from the original is in the fact the newbie has a 4.3-litre V8, whereas the original had a 2.4-litre V6 – but at least both are Ferrari-built units, so there is still some authenticity there.

With the V8 tuned to crank out a tad over 400kW and 519Nm, its maker claims the New Stratos can bolt to 100km/h in 3.3sec and hit 320km/h flat out.

Garella says the car can be configured with a manual or sequential gearbox, depending on the customer’s preference.

Despite being equipped with an FIA-certified steel rollcage and air-con (something the original lacked), the New Stratos tips the scales at just under 1250kg, thanks to a lightweight carbon-fibre body.

Garella says torsional rigidity is up between 10 to 20 per cent over the Ferrari donor car, partly as a result of its rollcage.

Stylistically, the New Stratos remains true to the design language of the original, although its proportions and detailing are more contemporary and its dimensions notably larger.

In the words of Garella: “It’s faithful to the original, without trying to copy too much. It’s fantastic to drive on mountain roads. It’s the pure essence of driving.”

Garella says MAT has partners around the globe that can provide ongoing maintenance for the car, but direct support is provided in cases where necessary.

“Lamborghini used to fly technicians with the materials and the spares to customers and, if it’s necessary, we will do the same to stand behind our clients.”

The time taken to convert an F430 or 430 Scuderia into a Stratos is between two and three months, according to Garella, and the customer has the option of sourcing the donor car, in which they pay only the conversion cost of 550,000 euros ($A885,000).