The Lancia Stratos HF, known simply as Lancia Stratos was a successful rally car during the 1970s and early 1980s. The car ushered in a new era in the rally as it was the first car designed for this purpose. competition type.


Lancia Stratos rally.

The body was designed by Bertone and the technical layout was loosely based on a concept car called Stratos Zero, with a Lancia Fulvia V4 engine, which was presented at the 1970 Turin Automobile Exhibition. The body was wedge-shaped, and quite short and wide, which increased traction. In 1971 Lancia presented the Lancia Stratos HF prototype.

The prototype (1240 chassis) was painted in flourescent red with the crescent windshield in order to provide maximum front visibility and almost zero rear visibility (unnecessary in rally). In the early stages of development, the prototype was equipped with three different engines: the Lancia Fulvia engine, the Lancia Beta engine and the 2.4-liter, 190hp Ferrari Dino V6 rear engine.

Lancia carried out extensive tests with Stratos making it compete in several events, where Group 5 prototypes were allowed, during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. The production of 400 cars, necessary for approval in Group 4, was launched in 1973 and the car was approved for the 1974 World Rally Championship. The Ferrari Dino V6 engine was discontinued in 1974, but 500 engines were built, the last to be produced, for Lancia.

For the competition, the engine was tuned up to 280 hp, reaching 560 hp with the assembly of a turbocharger. The versions with turbocharged engines were only allowed in group 5 and at that time, these did not have the reliability that the aspirates had.

Lancia Stratos won the 1974, 1975 and 1976 world championships with driver Sandro Munari, and could have won more had it not been for the Fiat group's internal policy of privileging the Fiat 131 Abarth in the World Rally Championship. Stratos won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1979 with the private team Chardonnet. Without Fiat's support, and despite new regulations restricting engine power, the car remained a serious competitor and capable of winning factory vehicles when driven by an experienced driver. The end point of Lancia Stratos' international career took place only in 1981, at the Corsican Ralli, with a victory by Bernard Darniche.



When the Fiat group bet on the Fiat 131 Abarth for group 4, it also built two turbocharged cars for Group 5 with the Stratos body for the endurance championship. These Test cars lost with the Porsche 935 on closed circuits, but in hybrid races they were successful.

Although they were defeated at the Tour of France in Automobile, one of these cars won the Tour of Italy in Automobile. Unfortunately, one of the cars was destroyed at the Zeltweg circuit when it burned down due to overheating problems.

The last car won the Tour of Italy again in Automobile before being sent to Japan to compete on the Fuji circuit in silhouette, which never happened.

The car would then be sold to the Matsuda collection before being sold again to Stratos collector Christian Hrabalek, car designer and founder of Fenomenon Ltd. Hrabalek has the largest Lancia Stratos collection in the world with 11 original cars, including the red prototype 1971 flourescent, The car that won the 1977 Rally Safari as well as the 3-liter version that won the European Rally-Cross Championship driven by Franz Wurz, father of Alexander Wurz.