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| 2010 Lancia Stratos Concept |
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| 2010 Lancia Stratos Concept |
Just one year later, the Lancia Stratos assumed its final form when the midmounted V4 engine from the Lancia Fulvia was replaced by the significantly more powerful Ferrari Dino V6 engine. The road version of this "flounder" was just 1.08 meters high, mounted on a short steel chassis, and its aerodynamically sophisticated body was molded from reinforced fiberglass. The Lancia Stratos' low weight, ideal weight distribution and excellent dynamics provided the optimum conditions for spectacular performance on the international rally tracks, which at the time were still dominated by Alpine and Porsche. However, the results were not so immediately gratifying.
It was only when Lancia works driver Sandro Munari and British Formula 1 driver Mike Parkes got behind the wheel of the ruthless driving machine that success finally materialized. And it did so at lightning speed: in 1973 Sandro Munari took home the first victory for the Lancia Stratos HF, and the victories just kept coming in throughout 1974. By the end of 1976, the Lancia Stratos had pulled off a hat trick, winning three World Cup titles in a row.
The Italian "flying wedge" also enjoyed success beyond its works deployment: top driver Bernard Darniche brought home an incredible 41 victories in his Lancia Stratos - the majority of them for the private team, Chardonnet of France.
The Fiat group's dramatic reduction of the Lancia racing budget in 1979, in favor of the Fiat 131 Abarth, was the death knell for the Stratos works team. From then on, only dedicated private teams took to the track competing against works cars - as in the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally.
Even today, there's hardly any other vehicle that excites audiences at worldwide motor sport events like the Lancia Stratos. Michael and Maximilian Stoschek have also shared in this enthusiasm for many years - not, however, as spectators, but as active motor sports enthusiasts - and they have made the creation of a modern interpretation of this legendary automobile their goal.
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| 2010 Lancia Stratos Concept |
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| 2010 Lancia Stratos Concept |
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| 2010 Lancia Stratos Concept |
