08-19-2010, 06:33 AM
The spy shots were real. An eccentric billionaire has recast the stunningly swoopy lines of the legendary Lancia Stratos into a new, wholly badass Stratos. Michael Stoschek leads the fifth-largest auto parts supplier in Germany. He’s always dreamed of owning a Stratos. So he built one. Or, more precisely, had one designed by Pininfarina and engineered by a team of automotive geniuses. The one-off car is built with Ferrari F430 bits and lots and lots of carbon fiber. The New Stratos, as Stoschek calls it, has perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a power-to-weight ratio of less than five pounds per horsepower. Given the stock F430?s 483 hp, that puts the New Stratos at about 2,300 pounds.
For now Stoschek just has one New Stratos, but he says he’ll build 25 more if there’s interest. Yes Mr. Stoschek, there is interest. Plenty of it.
The Lancia Stratos
The legendary Lancia Stratos HF was without a doubt the most spectacular and successful rallye car of the 70s. With its thrilling lines and uncompromising design for rallye use, the Stratos not only single-handedly rewrote the history of rallyeing, it won a permanent place in the hearts of its countless fans with its dramatic performance on the world’s asphalt and gravel tracks. The Stratos still draws the crowds whenever it competes at historic motor sport events, thanks to its reputation as the most fascinating rallye car in the world.
It all began in 1970, at the Turin exhibition stand of the automobile designer, Bertone. The extreme Stratos study on display there – a stylistic masterpiece by the designer Marcello Gandini – didn’t just excite visitors, but caught the attention of Cesare Fiorio, Lancia’s team manager at the time… and refused to let go.
The Websites a little funky but you can find more info and photos here.