2018 Geneva Motor Show: Lancia Stratos tribute makes production

A MODERN-DAY tribute to the Lancia Stratos will make its debut at next month’s Geneva motor show, packing a 400kW-plus punch from its mid-mounted engine.

The first deliveries are due in April, with Manifattura Automobili Torino, an Italian coachbuilder headed by the former head of special projects at Pininfarina, Paolo Garella, licensed to build 25 units. The fancy of a German billionaire has taken a long time to arrive; the car was first revealed in concept form in 2010.

A press release from the car’s developer, New Stratos, announcing the special build run said the car would be customised as either a “GT racer, a Safari version, but also a competent supercar for the daily use”.

At its heart is believed to be a 410kW/519Nm-plus Ferrari-sourced engine. Which one, though, is the question: a 4.2-litre V8 was built into the heart of the 2010 concept car, but the Ferrari-fettled twin-turbo V6 that’s currently under the bonnet of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is more in keeping with the Dino-sourced powerplant that helped the Lancia-badged Stratos HF dominate the 1970s-era World Rally Championship stage.

The original Lancia Stratos, designed specifically for success on the rally circuit, used a compact steel monocoque body with a tubular subframe, and was clad in a fibreglass body. Its unofficial 2018 reboot will feature a “full carbon-fibre body, state-of-the-art finishing, and all the technical solutions that contributed to the success of the first New Stratos: excellent handling capabilities, lightweight design, superior balance and precision driving”.

The concept car was loosely based on a Ferrari chassis, although the production form could yet switch to an adaption of the composite tub developed for the Alfa Romeo 4C.

“The striking design of the New Stratos follows the lines of its world-famous predecessor offering a new exciting interpretation of the most famous and successful rally car of the past,” New Stratos said in a statement.

“Its lightweight design, the engine that can deliver over 550HP (410kW) and the specially tuned suspensions and the ideal balance deliver an experience that no other supercar can assure on tight and twisty roads,” it said.

“The classic and simple car interior is a perfect example of efficient and bespoke design. It maintains the characteristics of the original car, like the integrated support for the helmets in the doors and enhances the souls and the mission of the car: making it ready to be a new, winning rally car.”

The 88th Geneva International Motor Show starts on March 6. Visit wheelsmag.com.au for all the latest new car news and reveals as they happen.