LISTEN TO THIS! Lancia Stratos content

Ever see a YouTube vid that looked way cool, but some idiot mucked it up with some lame techno crap soundtrack? After I was inspired (yet again) by TopGear's test of Lancia's Stratos, I found this. Listen!

Once it gets spun up, it reminds me of a road-racing bike. And I mean that in a very positive way. Too cool.

More awesome sounds from a related video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=u5HXSPW97uk&feature=related

One of my all time favorite cars evar!! Look at the car at the 1:30 mark. I swear that thing has rear steering. What a driver.

Since stratos are beyond my budget, I want an aw11 mr2 and put on big mudflaps.

Mmmmm... Lancia Stratos... [drools]

Mmmmm, Ferrari V6 goodness.....

Onewas for sale at last year's Vintage Festival at Lime Rock. I walked around the back of a transporter, and there in gleming yelloe was one of THE cars I've lusted after. Oh, double-take. And it's small!! Way smaller than I thought. Got pictures of it here someplace in the digital realm. Yes, it sounds great...AND it had license plates...

That was the car that made me love Italian Sportscars.

reminds me of the top gear episode. the grassroots stratos

I remember that car as one of my earlier memories of kewl cars. I had a matchbox car but I couldn't make it sound the same.

Off subject a little but, do a search for "v6 miata" on youtube and tell me it that engine doesn't make proper Itilian v6 noises with the throttle bodies and his custom header.

Clip in the OP was purely pornographic. What a car!!!

Too bad the kit car was so awful. That segment bummed me out a bit when I first saw it. Oh well, it still looks fantastic. One of the best-looking kits out there, IMHO.

interesting facts on the Stratos.

It started as a concept car from bertone with a single lift up canopy intead of regular doors (would have been hell in a rollover)

The Windshield mold is taken from a perfect cylinder cut at an angle.

The suspension on the stratos was a arms in the front and struts in the back. Combined with it's short short wheelbase made snap oversteer almost inevitable.

In reply to gamby:

I think that a person were to build that in the 300 hours mentioned, and then figured on the next 300 hours of time spent tuning it, it could probably be an excellent thing when it's done. Brake work would be the first place I'd go, obviously, since it seemed to have a number of issues in that department. Copy as much as possible from the 2nd gen MR2 perhaps?

I think the kit would be what you make of it, definately not perfect out of the box, but I doubt kit cars ever are. I'd take one.

pres589 wrote: In reply to gamby: I think that a person were to build that in the 300 hours mentioned, and then figured on the next 300 hours of time spent tuning it, it could probably be an excellent thing when it's done. Brake work would be the first place I'd go, obviously, since it seemed to have a number of issues in that department. Copy as much as possible from the 2nd gen MR2 perhaps?

I imagine some thought out spring rates would have fix a lot of the squirreliness under breaking. But again it's a VERY short wheelbase so the car is inherently unstable AKA perfect.

God, I love the Stratos.

The TG results were disappointing indeed. However, Lancia managed to make it work back in the day, so it stands to reason that an intelligent approach to the suspension would mitigate the instability. I'd love to be able to try out the front-stiff no-swaybar approach that Steve Hoelscher (sp?) has shared with us over in the MR2 community. Another look at the geometry would be in order as well.

That is my number one Lotto winning car. Oh baby.

I LOVE the Stratos. Oooooo. Love love love. Someday, I'll build a Hawk. I wonder how it would work with an NSX engine?

The Lancia message boards lit UP when that Top Gear segment aired. Definitely some hurt feelings. But it didn't quench my lust fires.

I've only ever seen one in the real, live flesh...and it was awesome beyond all description! Much smaller than you would imagine, and of course it sounded like an Italian! I'd have a kit in a heartbeat, one of my all time favorites!

eBay has a fully built, ready-to-install Stratos V-6 engine straight from Italy for only $48,500....beautiful piece of machinery. BTW, the one I saw at Lime Rock was a road-goig version. Not a race car. More rare!

hope that engine comes with a transmission... as the engine was transverse with a chaindrive from then end of the engine to the trans. Same with the Dino 206/246

(Best Amy Poehler voice) Really? I mean Really? Can you be an enthusiast and not like these cars? Really? Especially in the Alitalia livery? Come on, Really?

Just watched the Stig lap. If even he has difficulty with it what does it mean for mere mortals?

vwcorvette wrote: (Best Amy Poehler voice) Really? I mean Really? Can you be an enthusiast and not like these cars? Really? Especially in the Alitalia livery? Come on, Really?

Now THAT is funny.