Who's Stratos is this?

[David Driver]

Hi,

I'm new here and have been seriously considering the purchase of a Stratos that's available here in the US and have found this site to be a tremendous resource.

Kudo's to the webmaster. And to all of you who have donated your time, pictures and knowledge to this very informative site!

I am a member of AlfaBB also, which is an Alfa Romeo website very similar to Stratossupersite. In otherwords, "the biggest, best and most popular".

Someone posted these pictures on the AlfaBB site, and it's generated a significant number of "oohh" 's and "aaahhhh" 's on that site. I posted a few pics of Strati that I've collected over the past few months and posted them there. The green/white Alitalia being my favorite.

But I'm curious... Does anyone here know who's car this is? Or any interesting history that I mght be able to share with the AlfaBB folks? The pictures were taken in Spain.

Cheers from across the pond!

David.

[Treffynnon]

I am a member of AlfaBB also, which is an Alfa Romeo website very similar to Stratossupersite. In otherwords, "the biggest, best and most popular".

I disagree that its the best and as for the biggest I am afraid I also must disagree because http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/ has more members and posts than AlfaBB. AlfaBB is too big with discussions hidden in obscure corners of the board.

[rutthenut]

Wonder if this is the Stratos that was featured in a Spanish magazine article last year?

Info was reproduced in a Strat Club newsletter, but I don't recall any details right now.
Someone might look that up for you, if you are lucky,


Also, the SEAT parked next to it looks similar to the one at the Boucles de Francorchamps event we did last year - they drove up from Spain for the rally and enjoyed themselves as much as the rest of us.

J.R.

[mudhut]

Only just deciperable on the rear view of the Stratos but I reckon this fits the description of Spanish plates for both cars. See Wikipedia entry here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_car_number_plates)

[chris.richard]

Anorak point to mudhut! :p :D

[David Driver]

Treffynnon:

Thank you for the link. :) And I sincerely apologize, :rolleyes: as I did not intend to insult or imply any inadequacy, or in any other way disparage any “other” organization located anywhere on this ever-getting-smaller sphere. But rather, I was hoping to confer a complement to Stratossupersite.com and its’ membership. And I hope you will be gracious enough over-look the unintended slight to some other organization and accept the intended complement to this site and to you too, as one of its valued members. :D

Rutthenut:

Thank you. You’ve given me someplace to look. :) Hopefully someone else can help fill-in the blanks. Everyone I talk to here (and especially on AlfaBB) LOVES the Stratos, and they are eager to see one up close. So I’m hopeful that I can eventually do that for them. Once again, this site is a tremendous resource. And it’s people like YOU, that make it happen! :D

Mudhut:

Yeah… :rolleyes: They person who took the pictures and posted them on AlfaBB apologized for the poor quality, stating that he used his cell phone to take the irresolute pictures. On top of that, :p I had to reduce them further to get stratossupersite.com to accept them. So the plates are definitely very hard to read. My best guess from the original post is: “0048 CXW” or “0048 CKW” or “0048 CKH”, or some other variation of those letters.

Better yet, ;) here are the pictures:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=21992

Chris.Richard:

Send me to the dictionary will ya… :p Ha!

Anorak, a term of abuse:

“Trainspotting verb [UK]: the activity of recording with pen and paper, the serial numbers from the side of railway locomotives.

Trainspotting was a common childhood pursuit of British children in the post-war period, it comes under that category of hobbies that involve collecting. It is possible to buy books listing the serial numbers of all the railway rolling stock in the country and then check off each one as it is seen. Adults who practice this activity are naturally seen as dull, and immature, because the majority of people find other pursuits more attractive once they have passed the legal age for sex and alcohol."

But isn’t this the type of person I’m looking for? Ha!

Oops.. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Sorry Mudhut. Say, are those knickers, or are they just an old pair of pants?

PS: BTW CR - Nice avatar! That’s not a religious figure, is it? :p

[strat6v]

just saying he's not worthy, in a waynes world stylee! :D :D

[David Driver]

Strat6v:

Yep. Here's the first definition I found...

In the UK this form of coat was worn by all children in the 1970s, but worn now only by socially disfunctional adults who still wear the trousers they wore to school (despite the fact they never covered their ankles even back when they were 14 years old).

[strat6v]

As far as the Stratos goes, we are all closet anoraks. OOOH, seem to have kinda outed myself now, anyone else stepping forward? :D No, it doesn't mean i'm a puff!

[David Driver]

I'll puff :cool:_~~~ t'that!

:p

[chris.richard]

PS: BTW CR - Nice avatar! That’s not a religious figure, is it? :p

It's a cartoon of me that a friend drew for a party invitation

[rutthenut]

Following picture taken from Spanish magazine sourced by Nico

[rutthenut]

And another picture of the article about the Rallye Costa Brava.

I take it this is the same vehicle?

J.R.

[rutthenut]

Front cover of the magazine

J.R.

[rutthenut]

Owner of the Stratos is/was Xavier Pina.

[rutthenut]

Publicity posters for this event featured a Stratos too.

[rutthenut]

The car was featured in particular detail in this magazine.

[rutthenut]

Interior and exterior pics from motor magazine

[rutthenut]

Final shot taken from the Spanish magazine featuring this car.

[chris.richard]

You've been doing your homework!

[mudhut]

... and I give up the anorak point. There's a far more deserving case...

[David Driver]

Wah! Hoo!!! (I'll take the point with that coo)

Thank you SO much.

You're a champ!

[rutthenut]

Those pictures were all from the club newsletter that I edited some time ago.
Nico provided the magazines, from which the piccies were scanned.
But I didn't reproduce the text of the articles at all...

Just happened to have the image files on this machine still, and edited some copies down to 500px width to reproduce in the forum.

Cheers all,
J.R.

PS - When I was at the Stoneleigh Historic Show a week or two ago, I did manage to point out someone who was wearing a GM Dealer Sport 'rally jacket' (or anorak) of a design that I used to own many years ago! Me, Anorak? Well, maybe.
Or it could just be that my memory hasn't completely failed me just yet ;)

[rutthenut]

Mind you, I was wrong about the SEAT - presumably another popular historic (well, I thought it looked good in Belgium).

Pictures from http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/gfx/report2005/051030bouclesfranco/index_3.htm
zoomed http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/gfx/report2005/051030bouclesfranco/pages/GX6J6524.htm

And our cars on the next page
http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/gfx/report2005/051030bouclesfranco/index_4.htm
(just needed an excuse to remind myself - and others - of that great fun event)

:)