wheelbase and widetrack– the Stratos is fully
19in shorterthan a Dino,with a wheelbasethat
is 6in less, but it’s aboutthe samewidth.
In the nameof periodcorrectness,the
featuredcar is fittedwithits original14in
Campagnolomagnesiumwheelson 205/70
VR14MichelinXWXtyres.Its currentowner
generallyrunsit on modernCompomotive
alloyswithYokohamarubber, a combination
that makesit moreuser-friendlyon the road.
Eventhe Stradalefeaturesfullyadjustable
suspensionand, at modestspeeds,it will turn on
a sixpencewithno fuss,and no inertia.With
greatvisibilitythroughthe wraparoundwind-
screen,it is supremelyeasyto placethrough
corners,and the lightsteeringvery sooninspires
the sort of confidencethat makesyou feel as if
you coulddo absolutelyanythingwith it.
Whichis deceptive,of course,because– with
morethan60%of the weightrestingoverthe
rearwheels–inextremisit will switchfrom
understeerto oversteerin the blinkof an eye.
Peter Newton sat alongside To m Pryceaheadof the F1 star’s one-offoutingon the 1975To ur
of Epynt.‘TheStratosis not an easy car to drive
nearits limitson loosesurfaces,’he wrotein
Autosportmagazine,‘andanyonewhohas
watched[Björn]Waldegårdgrapplingwithhis
Alitaliacar throughstages,handstwirling
mightilyat the wheel,will knowthat.’
It may haveneededthe talentof a Waldegård
or aMunarito fully unlockits potential,but once
Lanciahad giventhe Stratosthe reliabilityto
matchits obviousspeed,it had a world-beater
on its hands.A versatileone, too – Munariand
Jean-ClaudeAndruetdroveone to secondplace
on the 1973Ta rga Florio,beforethe former
linkedup withMarioMannuccito win that
year’s To ur de France.
It claimedthreeWorld RallyChampionships- in 1974,’75 and ’76 – beforea certaindegree
of in-housepoliticsmeantthat parentcompany
Fiatswitchedits attentionfromLancia’s
purpose-builtrallycar to its own131 Abarth.
The Stratoskept winningin the handsof priva-
teers,though.BernardDarnicheclaimedthe
December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 107‘ONCETHE STRATOS
WASMADERELIABLE,
LANCIAHAD AWORLD-
BEATER ON ITS HANDS’
“It startedlife as a Stradale,” says Perezof
his Stratos (below), “but I boughtit about
12 years ago in Group4 spec.Withthe
shortwheelbase,it’s a difficultcar to drive.
It’s very nervous, and alwayswantsto bite
you – especiallyover bumps.It’s much
happieron tarmac.I’ve got a quattro,too,
and that’s even harderbecauseeverything’s
happeningso muchfaster.The Stratos at
leastchangesdirectionwell – if a stageis
tightand twisty,we’ll be okay.
“We’ve had all sortsof engineand
gearbox problems– it can selecttwo gears
at onceand get jammed– and it’s getting
harderto find partsfor it. Mostthingshave
to be manufactured.
“It’s such an iconiccar, though,and
nothingsoundsquitelike it. Whenwe turn
up in a servicearea,the attentionwe get is
such that you’d thinkSébastienLoebhad
just arrived. Gettingit to the finishof any
rally is an achievement,but it’s greatto line
up at the startof a stageand be the lone
Stratos among20 Escorts!”THE RALLYDRIVER
Steve Perez
Clockwise,frommain:
fabulouslycompactwedge
shape– notethecorrect
14inCampagnolowheels
withMichelinXWXtyres.
Below,l-r:Gandinistyled
thecarwhileatBertone;
minimalistinterior