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…. but it was staged!!

What would a realistic time for a Stratos really be?

Have your say ……

Top Gear Power Lap Times – what should a Stratos really do?

As you can see from this video, it’s not just The Stig who can break a Stratos

THE STIG IS NOT ALONE!!!

Recently he entered the Costa Brava Rally and won decisively.

Based around the Spanish town of Lloret de Mar, Walter competed in the FIA European Rally Championship for Historical Cars together with co-driver Peter Göbel.

The two-times World Rally Champion drove a 1981 Porsche 911 RSR under difficult weather and track conditions, and in so doing Röhrl clearly demonstrated his unique driving skills as a four-times Monte Carlo winner.

The race also featured ex-Renault works driver Jean Ragnotti in an Alpine A110, together with several other competitors driving Porsche 911s plus three Group 4 Lancia Stratos.

Röhrl and Göbel in their Porsche 911 RSR dominated the race, bringing home an historical victory for Wolfgang Reile’s Classic Power Team in the very special style of the truly outstanding driver who also won the European Rally Championship in 1974.

Also competing in the event was Sandro Munari, driving a Group 4 Lancia Stratos, one of 3 entered into the event, but Munari in the Stratos was unable to match the pace of Rohrl in the Porsche.

Here are some images of Munari in the Lancia.

The Lancia Stratos Replica put through it’s paces by The Stig on the Top Gear programme on November 29th 2009.

Here is the same car competing in the Stratos UK Motorsport Weekend at Abingdon in June 2009.

New Stratos Concept Car

At the 2005 Geneva Auto Salon, Automotive Designer and Stratos Enthusiast, Christian Hrabalek, unveiled his new Stratos concept car, the Fenomenon Stratos.

The Fenomenon Stratos is a modern interpretation of the 1970 mid-engined Lancia supercar and multiple World Championship winner, the Lancia Stratos.

This new Stratos features carbonfibre and aluminium composite chassis unit, clothed in carbonfibre body panels, which are dramatic, but recognisably
Stratos.

The Fenomenon Stratos is not just about retro design – it is a supercar for the developng world, engineered for on-road and dirt/rally stage use. The design is about tackling a real-world issue facing a real-world brand, and working that brand’s assets to maximum effect.

The project was born out of discussions about the Lancia brand, and how to rejeuvenate it by using a high-point from the past, and it quickly found a number of enthusiastic investors.

Small scale production is envisaged for 2006/2007, and the car will be powered by a 425PS V8, situated mid-engined with rear drive.

Fenomenon Stratos in detail

The Stratos show car is engineered not only for use in the western world, but also in developing countries. Modern media and communications enable a huge percentage of the global population to be aware of supercars, but many enthusiasts – and potential buyers- live in countries whose road networks do not support modern ultra-high performance cars with their low ground clearance and limited suspension travel.

The Fenomenon Stratos, however, is at home not only on rough tarmac surfaces, but dirt roads too – just like the Lancia original. But, instead of being engineered for World Rally Championship compliance, a hugely expensive undertaking, the Fenomenon Stratos has been conceived as an on-road, off-road supercar for the developing world.

It’s unmistakably a Stratos, but this is not a copy, a retro-impression, or a pastiche. Park it next to the original, and it makes the Lancia look dated. Though it share the 1970 car’s startling proportions, it has a drama all its own.

The most un-missable difference is the split windscreen – a feature not seen since the 1940s. The bisected windscreen is more than a decorative flourish – the central pillar provides the hinge mounting for the doors which swing outwards, taking the windscreen with them.

Like the Lancia original, the Fenomenon Stratos is mid-engined, and makes a major impact with its unusual proportions – a direct result of its short wheelbase, broad track, and low height.

It is an exceptionally compact car, in contrast to most modern supercars, and promises outstanding manoeuverability and handling.

The Fenomenon Stratos has been conceived with a number of design features aimed specifically at enabling it to cope with the potentially challenging road conditions of developing countries. These include:-

	An exceptionally robust chassis unit constructed from a composite employing a mix of carbonfibre and aluminium, clothed in body panels madefrom carbonfibre.
	Good ground clearance – essential for badly maintained roads, but also required for negotiating speed bumps commonly found in western markets.
	Long suspension travel – again essential for safely negotiating pot-holed and rutted surfaces.
	Dust-proofing of the cockpit and engine air-intake systems.

	Engine – V8, mounted longitudinally
	power – 425PS (419bhp) at 8500rpm
	Torque – 373Nm (275lb ft) at 4750rpm
	Transmission – 6speed sequential, with liited slip differential

	Carbonfibre and aluminium composite chassis
	Unstressed carbonfibre exterior body panels
	Running Gear/Suspension
	Suspension, front – double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
	Suspension, front – double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar, electronic traction control
	Brakes – ventilated disc all-round, ABS anti-locking, electronic brakeforce distribution, emergencey brake assist
	Steering – rack and pinion, hydraulic power assistance

	Length 3932mm
	Width 1941mm
	Height 1251mm
	Wheelbase 2275mm
	Weight 1000kg

Dimensions and Weight

Body

In contrast to the Ferrari V6 which powered the original Lancia Stratos, the Fenomenon Stratos will be powered by a compact longitudinally-mounted V8 and sequential 6-speed gearbox.

The coil-sprung suspension is double wishbone at all four corners.

Fenomenon Stratos Specification

Powertrain

Lancia Stratos - Robin Hood Historic Stages Rally - Photo by ColG

Bjorn Waldergaard, former works Lancia driver, was invited by Steve Perez to compete in the Robin Hood Historic Rally in Steve’s Lancia Stratos Rally Car.

Here is some in-car video of Bjorn Waldergaard driving the Lancia Stratos.

Since purchasing his Lancia Stratos Rally Car a few years ago, Steve Perez has become the modern day equivalent of the Chequered Flag Stratos Rally Team of the 1970s.

Steve has campaigned his Stratos Rally Car in the British Historic Rally Championship, and competes each year in the Roger Albert Clark Rally held in the UK each year.

Like his predecessors, The Chequered Flag Stratos Rally Team, his efforts backed by his Vodka Kick drinks company have had there ups and downs, but Steve has delighted thousands of UK Stratos Fans by bringing out his Stratos on numerous UK rallies.

He even arranged for Rally Legend, and former Lancia Stratos Works Driver, Bjorn Waldergaard, to drive the car on the Robin Hood Historic Rally.

Here are some images of his car on the 2008 Roger Albert Clark Rally.

Steve just finished the 2009 Roger Albert Clark Rally, and then immediately flew out to compete in the East African Safari Rally.

By finishing the 2009 event in his Stratos, this was the first time that Steve manage to get the Stratos to the end of the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

It is already reported that he will return to the event with his Stratos in 2010, and the car is planned to be completely rebuilt for that event.

You can view more pictures of Steve’s Lancia Stratos in the Stratos Picture Gallery or in this forum thread about the Stratos 2008 RAC Rally Pictures

The sound of the Lancia Stratos is very unique, and enthusiasts worldwide will enjoy watching this Stratos video.

Lancia Stratos – History

The original inspiration for the Lancia Stratos was the 1970 Turin Show Car, produced by coachbuilders Bertone for Lancia

The futuristic, and radical, styling was the result of extensive wind tunnel testing to achieve the minimum possible coefficient of wind resistance, and produced a vehicle which looked more like something from a Sci-Fi movie than a realistic supercar. In fact, the name Stratos is reputed to be given because one of the designers thought the car looked like something which had come from the Stratosphere!!

As shown in the drawing below, the driver was positioned towards the front of the car in a reclining position, similar to a Formula One driving position. Access to the car was by a door which also contained the front windscreen. This lifted at the front of the car, and pivoted the roofline. The driver and passenger had to step down into the car through this aperture. To assist access, the steering wheel retracted when the door was opened. Once seated, the driver pulls the steering wheel towards himself, and a hydraulic system automatically closes the door/windscreen.

The 1.6litre Lancia engine was placed in a mid-mounted position just ahead of transaxle, with just enough space between driver and engine for the radiator, air intakes, and a spare wheel.

The show car was a monocoque and tubular concept, built from a combination of sheet metal for the centre section, and reinforced fibreglass for the doors, front and rear hatches, and body skin. The engine and rear suspension were mounted in a steel substructure.

The very low wind coefficient was achieved by a very smooth exterior, with a sharp leading edge-type nose housing retractable headlights.

The Team Manager for Lancia at the time was Cesare Fiorio. His team of Lancia Fulvias had been used with great success in international rallying since 1966, but they were coming under increasing pressure from other manufacturers, such as Porsche and
Alpine-Renault.

The sight of the Stratos prototype captured Fiorio’s imagination. He visualised the prototype being developed into a new competition car for Lancia – the Stratos. It is unlikely he could possibly have realised how dramatic an impact his dream would have on the sport.

Until then, rallying had been dominated by sports cars, but production sports cars which had first and foremost been developed for sale to the public. No-one had ever considered producing a car with the sole aim of using it in competition.

Rallying rules decreed that a minimum of 500 cars must be produced to allow a car to be homologated and used in international rallies (although during the Stratos development period this was reduced from 500 to 400). The F.I.A., the governing body of the sport, felt that this number was so high that it would discourage any manufacturer from producing a car just for competition purposes.

The Stratos became the first “homolgation special”. A concept that would eventually lead to the ill-fated Group B rally cars of the 80s, which would become outlawed in the sport as too fast and too dangerous.

With his visualisation of a mid-engined sports car, and a blank sheet of paper, no constraints about having to sell the car to the public, Fiorio could re-design the prototype’s concept into a pure competition car.

Clearly, it needed a powerful engine.

Lancia were currently using the 1.6litre V4 engine, and Abarth had produced a 2litre version. BUT, Lancia were owned by Fiat, who just happened to have a sizeable financial stake in Ferrari. AND, the man chosen to head up Lancia as a new division of Fiat was Pierre Ugo Gobatto, WHO had just previously been Fiat’s representative in the Ferrari management, and knew that the Ferrari Dino 246 was about to be phased out, which might mean there would be a load of Ferrari engines lying around!!!

If the Dino had not been planned to be phased out, Enzo Ferrari might have considered the Stratos a direct threat to the Ferrari Dino 246, and  the Stratos might have been still-born, or possibly endowed with a lower power unit, and never have become the rallying legend of the 70s.

Gianpaolo Dallara, the famous ex-technical director of Lamborghini, who had created the Miura and Espada models, and Marcello Gandini, Bertone’s chief stylist, worked with Fiorio to mould the original prototype into a viable competition car. The first prototype was readied to appear at Turin in November 1971, but it was still incomplete, and it would be well into 1972 before road testing would commence.

By the Turin Show of 1972, the revised Stratos, shown below, was fitted with a Ferrari V6 2.4Litre 12valve engine, and five speed gearbox.

During the next year, the specification was further refined.

Throughout this period, the car was entered into rallies which had a class for prototypes, and this provided even more feedback to help develop the final specification.

In the autumn of 1972, Sandro Munari and Mario Mannucci started the Tour De Corse in the second Stratos ever built. The car retired with rear suspension failure, and the same problem was to occur again on the Costa Del Sol rally only a month later.

In April 1973, Sandro Munari won the Firestone Rally in Spain to give the car its first success. Just one month later, partnered with Jean-Claude Andruet, Munari took the Stratos to an excellent second place on the Targa-Florio, and in September 1973, the car won another event. This time it was the Tour de France, and again it was Sandro Munari who piloted the Stratos to an excellent victory.

Proper production had commenced during 1973, moved into full swing by mid-1974. The bodyshells were produced at Bertone’s Grugliasco plant in the suburbs of Turin, and final assembly at the nearby Lancia plant.

There have been many discussions over the years as to exactly how many cars were actually completed. Many experts claim between 450 and 490 cars were actually produced, with 492 being a number which is often quoted, but Bertone themselves claim that 502 cars actually made it through production.

At the beginning of development, the Group 4 rules for rallying had required production of 500 units for homolgation. However, by the time the Stratos was finally homologated on October 1st, 1974, the rules had been changed to reduce the homologation requirement to 400.

The final production version, shown below, had changed in certain areas. Note the horizontal slots on the bonnet compared to the previous vertical slots.

(Photo courtesy of Neill Bruce – Photo © Neill Bruce)

During 1974, the victories for the Stratos were coming thick and fast. Prior to homologation, the Stratos had won the Tour of Sicily and Targa
Florio, running in the prototype class, and within days of achieving homologation, Sandro Munari had given the car victory on the San Remo. This was followed by victories on Giro d’Italia, Rideau Lakes, and the Tour de Corse, and a third place on the British RAC Rally.

This was sufficient to give Lancia the 1974 World Championship. A feat which was to be repeated in both 1975 and 1976.

In January 1975, Sandro Munari scored the first of three successive victories in the Monte Carlo Rally. During the year, Bjorn Waldergaard took wins in the Swedish and San Remo rallies, and, on the Safari, Munari took second place with Waldergaard in third.

Again, the Stratos was unable to win on the British RAC Rally. However, driven by Bjorn Waldergaard, it left a lasting impression on British rally fans during this event. After a good start, the car had broken a driveshaft, and the mechanics had removed the rear bodywork of the car to assist access while making the repairs. Waldergaard then continued in the event, and set fastest time on 40 out of the 72 stages, but was excluded at the end of the event for running on the public road with no rear lights, rear indicators and number plate!!!!

1976 was the most successful year for the Stratos. It won Lancia the World Championship for the third successive season, and, in doing so, took first and second places in the Monte Carlo rally, a remarkable first, second, third, and fourth in Portugal, first in Sicily, first in the Giro d’Italia, first in Corsica, and fourth in Britain.

Not only were the Lancia works cars winning, but the car had reached the hands of private teams. One of the most sucessful of these private teams was Chardonnet of France. Their star driver was Bernard Darniche, who would continue winning with the car long after the factory works team had ceased rallying the Stratos. In fact, Darniche should be considered the most successful Stratos driver of all time, with 33 victories to his name, compared to 13 for works driver Sandro Munari.

In Britain, a car was campaigned by Graham Warner’s Chequered Flag team, and driven by drivers such as Per-Inge Walfridsson, Billy Coleman, Cahal Curley, Tony Pond, and Andy Dawson. Sadly the team were to suffer many misfortunes, including a fire which completely gutted the car during the Welsh Rally, although the car did win the Mintex Dales International Rally at the hands of Andy Dawson.

In 1977, the Lancia factory competitions team was merged with the Fiat team, and the Fiat Group’s marketing requirements saw effort being put into the Fiat 131 rather than the Stratos, and, by 1978, the 131 was being used almost exclusively, even though the Stratos still managed to win no fewer than 13 major events that year.

By 1979, it was only the private teams who were continuing to rally the Stratos, and Bernard Darniche managed to win the Monte Carlo for the Chardonnet team. This gave the Stratos its fourth successive victory on the Monte Carlo. The only works involvement came when Marku Alen persuaded the factory team to allow him to use a Stratos on the British RAC each year for the next three years. Sadly, although Alen pushed the car to its limits on these events, he was unable to give the car the RAC victory which eluded it throughout its competition career.

In 1981, Lancia unveiled the Lancia Rally 037, its new Group B rally supercar, and the Stratos was consigned to the history books, even though private teams continued to notch up victories in various European Championship events until its homologation expired at the end of 1982.

Although the production life of the Stratos was very short, its impact on the sport of rallying was immense. It was the first purpose-built rally car, and arguably the most beautiful, and led to the development of the immensely powerful Group B rally cars, the still-born Group S cars, and now the current set of WRC ( World Rally Championship) cars.

In the words of Cesare Fiorio, whose dream became reality, “With the Stratos, we had made a tremendous car, frightening other manufacturers, so that some dropped out.”

Lancia Stratos – Rally Supercar