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5 Things You Definitely Didn’t Know About the Lancia Stratos
December 6, 2016
- The Lancia Stratos looks long, however it is an illusion. It actually has a surprisingly short wheelbase (less than 2.2m) allowing it to turn easily and quickly; which allowed a huge advantage over other rally cars in its group.The Lancia came in two versions, either 12 valve version giving off 275hp or the 24 valve version accelerating to 320hp. It was designed specifically for rallying and had nearly a decade of dominance.The Lancia Stratos won the 1981 rally, nearly 10 years after it was first designed.
- There is currently an on-going legal battle for arguably the largest private collection of Lancia Stratos’. Ernst Hraberk let his son, Christian borrow a set of four Lancia’s a few years ago, however they have still not be returned.
- Micharl Stoschek and his son, Maximillan, commissioned the new one of a kind 2010 Stratos. Developed by Pininfarina and based on the original 70’s Stratos. For the chassis and mechanical elements (including the 4.3L V8 engine) the Ferrari F430 Scuderia was used as a donar car.
- A car from the movies! The Strato Zero appeared in the 1988 film ‘Moonwalker’. Michael Jackson appeared to transform into the stunning car during a get-away scene.
- It definitely wasn’t easy sailing for the Lancia Stratos. Enzo Ferrari had Fiat delay supplying the engines until the very last minute, so all the car had to be assembled at the same time. This was because Enzo didn’t wanted the Stratos to race against the Ferrari Dino.
About The Author
Jon Le Roux is co-founder and company director of The Car Loan Warehouse. Being a mad engineering and motorsport enthusiast, I spend more hours than is healthy, watching, reading or talking about cars, boats, motorbikes…..basically anything with an engine. 
