Looking for an Original Stratos

[billmendenhall]

I am looking for an original Stratos, preferably located in the US. Does anyone have any leads?

Thanks

Bill Mendenhalll

[x19er]

This is the only one I know of for sale right now in the USA:

http://www.allferrariparts.com/cars/mccstrblu.html

It is not a street car - pretty pricey too.

You will probably have better luck importing one from Europe. Sometimes they show up in Hemmings. Good luck!

John

[tryphon]

Anyone notice how the prices on original Stratos have risen almost 20% over the past year?

[guy mayers]

That's supply being outstripped by demand! The higher prices go the better! It will mean more cars being viable restoration projects and that can only create more demand for parts not yet back in production - something we may be able to help with!
Guy

[billmendenhall]

From what I gather, it does not seem as if there are very many Statroses here in the US. I would consider importing an original if it was in good to excellent condition. Does anyone have any leads on any that fit that criteria? Also, does anyone have any experience with importing one and dealing with the DOT and EPA issues?

Many thanks and have a happy new year.

Bill Mendenhall
Eagle River, Alaska

[tryphon]

I did it the other way around, imported one from the US.
Prices over there were more interesting at the time and the plunge of the greenback did its magic.

You have to be very careful when buying an original. Most of those up for sale are real dogs, eaten by rust and badly maintained. I know someone who recently purchased one in western Europe and was only able to drive it for less than 100 miles before the engine blew-up and required the price of the car to rebuild.
It's only been the last 5 years or so that Stratos prices really took off and most cars were neglected up to then.

If I was you I would buy one from a serious collector but even in this case you have to be careful (an ex-Rowan Atkinson Stratos was recently sold with very low mileage. The car was in 6/10 condition but went for the price of a mint car...). Personal inspection and advise from knowledgeable people are a must. Also buy Curami's book if you haven't done so already to check chassis numbers and scocca numbers.

Note that one in the market for an original Stratos quickly finds out that most of the cars advertised for sale are "apparently" Group4 cars... You get the impression that Lancia only made Group4 cars... This is because many owners have upgraded their cars to "Group4" spec and are requesting wild amounts fo money to part with them (upwards of 200k USD). Be extremely careful in these circomstances. I know "Group4" cars that were made up using bin parts and have nothing in common with factory racers.
There's one, for instance, currently avertised as an ex-Alitalia car which has been up for sale for over a year. I know its history and believe me you wouldn't want that car for that price.

As a price guide I would say a good clean Stradale goes for around 100K euros nowadays. At the other end an original works Group4 (2 valve) goes for 250-300K euros. 4 valves start at 350K euros and are extremely difficult to find if gettable at all.

The best solution would be to look in Japan and Europe for one as, to the best of my knowledge, there are less than 10 cars in the US.

You can try:
www.antea.com in Japan but be careful as they often advertise cars they don't have and which are located in Europe.
Other sources:
http://www.mroks.com/
http://www.ferraribuy.com/ under the "specials" section
Alternatively try: http://www.carclassic.com/
and http://www.oldtimergarage.com/ to who you can request they find one for you as you can do with many classic car dealers elsewhere.

Last bit of advice: When you find a car you seem to like contact knowledeable people (I can provide some contacts if you need me to) and ask for their advise based on chassis number.

[mogul_x]

Originally posted by billmendenhall
I would consider importing an original if it was in good to excellent condition... does anyone have any experience with importing one and dealing with the DOT and EPA issues?

Bill,

I've never imported a complete car, but I did do some research on the subject recently. With the Stratos, you should have no trouble with DOT regulations. Since the car is more than 25 years old, it is exempt from all DOT and NHTSA guidelines. It can be imported with no problems or modifications required.

As for EPA regulations - you should also be OK, but just to play it safe, you might want to have all the fluids drained from the car before you import it. Gas, oil, hydraulic fluid, and antifreeze are all considered hazardous materials, and could potentially be a problem if they're still in the car when it goes through customs.

You'll probably want to look into it yourself. Try looking at:

http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/

I've found them to be generally helpful.

Good luck in your efforts!

[Andrew Way]

A friend of mine went to Detroit to work for a while and imported his ZX7RR with his crate of household goods. He was told to junk the air filter! Killer UK bugs!!!

[SUSIT]

If you are not afraid of the price try here.
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/cars/details.asp?id=8465&cat=0


Regards

Stephen Struthers

[Zarathustra]

Hunting for a US Stratos:
1. The dollar is down so it might be prudent to look in the US. Remember shipping and import tax.
2. Join the American Lancia Club. They have a roster of who owns what. (My car is not for sale.)
3. Motorcar Gallery in Florida sold two last year that they got from Switzerland. They know where they went.
4. As has been noted above, if the car is 25 years or older it is DOT exempt. However, the EPA requirements depend on the state and county you are registering the car in. (eg. My county here in Oregon has no emission requirements, but Portland does.)
5. In my observations over ten years, I've probably noticed over two dozen cars in the states.

Happy hunting!