1972 Lancia Stratos H.F.

It’s one of the most successful rally cars ever built, wicked and unforgiving to drive, a spaceship for the road

by Donald Osborne

Lancia was struggling when Sandro Fiorio, the company’s director of public relations, and his son Cesare, head of Lancia’s rally team, spied the Fulvia-based “Stratos” concept on the Bertone stand at the 1970 Turin Motor Show.

They immediately recognized its potential to revitalize Lancia’s competition reputation and generate some badly needed publicity. The pair convinced Lancia’s managing director, Ugo Gobbato, to commission Bertone to develop a series based on the concept.

Gobbato, recently transferred to Lancia after a stint as head of Ferrari, added the 65-degree, 2,419-cc V6 Dino engine and gearbox, already developed for transverse mid-engine placement. Bertone rushed a refined Stratos to the 1971 Turin Show.

More practical and functional than the canopy-topped, extreme-wedge Stratos concept of 1970, the new Stratos was one of the most futuristic automobiles ever proposed for production. Most rally cars looked like sedans. The Lancia...