[nthfinity]

Following Dani, im posting my favorite classic rally monster

The Lancia Stratos wasn't only the most successful rally car ever, but IMO, it is one of the 3 most stunning cars of the 1950's-1970's in terms of looks, and performance.

I have compiled as complete a history as I have found, filling in blanks from one location into another, and I think I have placed it in a good working order. I hope I have made this as clear and consise to understand for such an amazing car. This is the first time I'm aware of any site compiling this information into one place. Please feel free to make corrections, and add to this

the above photo are UK based replicas; stunning as they are, they are all RHD; were no Lancia Stratos was built with RHD. They were Amalgam of Hawk Replicas and Alora replicas. The photo was shot in Sept 2001 at Abington in the UK at the UK Stratos and Replica annual gathering.
Stunning Showpiece:

Lancia was winning major rallies (pre-WRC) with the pretty little Fulvia coupe, Bertone took this car & basically turned it round with the engine behind the driver for his concept. He then employed racing designer Gian Paulo Dallara to pen a mid engine two seat car. They stunned the world at the 1970 Turin Motorshow with their Stratos design. Nuccio Bertone initially wanted to call the ultra-compact wedge-shape design Stratoline because of its space-ship-like appearance. Not much on the Stratos concept was conventional, except for the fact that the wheels were round. The 1.6litre Fulvia engine was placed in a mid-mounted position just ahead of transaxle, with just enough space between driver and engine for the radiator, air intakes, and a spare wheel. The show car was a monocoque and tubular concept, built from a combination of sheet metal for the center section, and reinforced fiberglass for the doors, front and rear hatches, and body skin. The engine and rear suspension were mounted in a steel substructure. The very low wind coefficient was achieved by a very smooth exterior, with a sharp leading edge-type nose housing retractable headlights. The futuristic, and radical, styling was the result of extensive wind tunnel testing to achieve the minimum possible coefficient of wind resistance, and produced a vehicle which looked more like something from a Sci-Fi movie than a realistic supercar. In fact, the name Stratos is reputed to be given because one of the designers thought the car looked like something which had come from the Stratosphere!! As shown in the drawing below, the driver was positioned towards the front of the car in a reclining position, similar to a Formula One driving position. Access to the car was by a door which also contained the front windscreen. This lifted at the front of the car, and pivoted the roofline. The driver and passenger had to step down into the car through this aperture. To assist access, the steering wheel retracted when the door was opened. Once seated, the driver pulls the steering wheel towards himself, and a hydraulic system automatically closes the door/windscreen.

Concept to Prototype:

The Team Manager for Lancia at the time was Cesare Fiorio. His team of Lancia Fulvias had been used with great success in international rallying since 1966, but they were coming under increasing pressure from other manufacturers, such as Porsche and Alpine-Renault. The sight of the Stratos prototype captured Fiorio's imagination. He visualized the prototype being developed into a new competition car for Lancia - the Stratos. It is unlikely he could possibly have realized how dramatic an impact his dream would have on the sport. In the next few months the concept appeared in magazines all over the world and Lancia talked with Bertone to construct a purpose built rally based on the Stratos design. It was penned by Gianpaolo Dallara, the famous ex-technical director of Lamborghini, who had created the Miura and Espada models, and Marcello Gandini, Bertone's chief stylist, worked with Fiorio to mould the original prototype into a viable competition car. The first prototype was readied to appear. This car debuted at the 1971 Turin Motorshow and resembled the previous Stratos in name only. The car was fit with the 1.6 litre V4 engine, and Abarth had produced a 2 litre version. With his visualisation of a mid-engined sports car, and a blank sheet of paper, no constraints about having to sell the car to the public, Fiorio could re-design the prototype's concept into a pure competition car. Clearly, it needed a powerful engine. Even though Lancia was working on a new competition engine, Lancia team boss Cesare Fiorio saw the car and started to think how a similar layout could be a major force in rallying. Thankfully Pierre Ugo Gobatto, who had just previously been Fiat's representative in the Ferrari management, knew that the Ferrari Dino 246 was about to be phased out, which might mean there would be a load of Ferrari engines lying around!!! So, he “borrowed” two Ferrari 246 Dino’s from Ferrari and took them to the Col de Turini where his drivers set some competitive times, using FIAT group influence Cesare obtained a supply of the Ferrari V6 engines from the Dino for his new car. The extremely compact design looked like the winning recipe for the twisty roads used in rallies. Nothing much happened in 1972 as Lancia was still waiting for their new competition engine. Late that year Bertone suggested that Lancia should stick with the Ferrari engine and start production of the Stratos. His suggestion received mixed reactions but works racing manager Cesare Fiorio was on his side. By the Turin Show of 1972, the revised Stratos, was mated with a Ferrari V6 2.4Litre 12valve engine, and five speed gearbox. During the next year, the specification was further refined. Throughout this period, the car was entered into rallies which had a class for prototypes, and this provided even more feedback to help develop the final specification. In the autumn of 1972, Sandro Munari and Mario Mannucci started the Tour De Corse in the second Stratos ever built. The car retired with rear suspension failure, and the same problem was to occur again on the Costa Del Sol rally only a month later. In April 1973, Sandro Munari won the Firestone Rally in Spain to give the car its first success. Just one month later, partnered with Jean-Claude Andruet, Munari took the Stratos to an excellent second place on the Targa-Florio, and in September 1973, the car won another event. This time it was the Tour de France, and again it was Sandro Munari who piloted the Stratos to an excellent victory. Proper production had commenced during 1973, moved into full swing by mid-1974. The bodyshells were produced at Bertone's Grugliasco plant in the suburbs of Turin, and final assembly at the nearby Lancia plant. Finally production of the 400 cars needed for homologation started. By October 1974 the Stratos was homologated for Group 4 rallying. If the Dino had not been planned to be phased out, Enzo Ferrari might have considered The Stratos a direct threat to the Ferrari Dino 246, and the Stratos might have been still-born, or possibly endowed with a lower power unit, and never have become the rallying legend of the 70s. Until then, rallying had been dominated by sports cars, but production sports cars which had first and foremost been developed for sale to the public. No-one had ever considered producing a car with the sole aim of using it in competition. Rallying rules decreed that a minimum of 500 cars must be produced to allow a car to be homologated and used in international rallies (although during the Stratos development period this was reduced from 500 to 400). The F.I.A., the governing body of the sport, felt that this number was so high that it would discourage any manufacturer from producing a car just for competition purposes. The Stratos became the first "homolgation special". A concept that would eventually lead to the ill-fated Group B rally cars of the 80s, which would become outlawed in the sport as too fast and too dangerous.

Designed to Win, Still Unchallenged:

Over the next couple of years the Stratos' dominance was total. It scored 17 world championship victories and over 50 european championship victories. Victory in the legendary rally Monte Carlo rally was taken four out five times between 1975 and 1979. Two were converted to Group 5 road racing specifications with a turbocharged engine. These silhouette-racers didn't fare nearly as well as their Group 4 counterparts. At the end of the decade it was replaced by the Fiat 131 Mirafiori. Few racing cars in history combined form and function as well as the Stratos did. Prior to homologation, the Stratos had won the Tour of Sicily and Targa Florio, running in the prototype class, and within days of achieving homologation, Sandro Munari had given the car victory on the San Remo. This was followed by victories on Giro d'Italia, Rideau Lakes, and the Tour de Corse, and a third place on the British RAC Rally. Once homologation was official, these three wins secured its first World title for makes with three wins, and then dominated rallying by scooping the title again in 1975 and 1976… AMAZING! In January 1975, Sandro Munari scored the first of three successive victories in the Monte Carlo Rally. During the year, Bjorn Waldergaard took wins in the Swedish and San Remo rallies, and, on the Safari, Munari took second place with Waldergaard in third. 1976 was the most successful year for the Stratos. It won Lancia the World Championship for the third successive season, and, in doing so, took first and second places in the Monte Carlo rally, a remarkable first, second, third, and fourth in Portugal, first in Sicily, first in the Giro d'Italia, first in Corsica, and an unfortunate fourth in Britain. At the 1976 the British RAC Rally, the Stratos was unable to win on a technicality. However, driven by Bjorn Waldergaard, it left a lasting impression on British rally fans during this event. After a good start, the car had broken a driveshaft, and the mechanics had removed the rear bodywork of the car to assist access while making the repairs. Waldergaard then continued in the event, and set fastest time on 40 out of the 72 stages, but was excluded at the end of the event for running on the public road with no rear lights, rear indicators and number plate!!!! During this time the management team of Mike Parkes and Dani Audetto developed the cars with 4 valve cylinder heads to pump out a massive 330 b.h.p. and using this version the brilliant but temperamental Italian driver Sandro Munari became the first winner of the FIA drivers cup (The pre-runner of the World drivers championship) in 1977, and won his third successive Monte Carlo rally with the Stratos into the bargain. Lancia have not won a world championship rally for over a decade, and yet they are the most successful make in the sports history with 74 wins over Fords current tally of 46, and Peugeots 45. They have an amazing 10 manufacturers titles from the series inception in 1974. In 1977, the Lancia factory competitions team was merged with the Fiat team, and the Fiat Group's marketing requirements saw effort being put into the Fiat 131 rather than the Stratos, and, by 1978, the 131 was being used almost exclusively, even though the Stratos still managed to win no fewer than 13 major events that year. The car was dropped by FIAT group in favour of its more “sellable” Miafiori 131 model.

Private Teams:

Even falling under Fiat Group’s eye, the Stratos soldiered on in private hands with Bernard Darniche it’s most successful exponent winning the 1979 Monte Carlo, and scoring the last win at top level in the 1981 Tour de Corse, some 10 years after the Stratos was first introduced. Other drivers to score wins with the car include Anduret, Waldegard, and Marku Alen, who used the car for a one off drive (and won!) on his way to the 1978 driver cup. (He used the Fiat 131 for the rest of 1978). Legendary driver, Walter Rohl also drove the Lancia Stratos with the German championship in 1978 Not only were the Lancia works cars winning, but the car had reached the hands of private teams. One of the most sucessful of these private teams was Chardonnet of France. Their star driver was Bernard Darniche, who would continue winning with the car long after the factory works team had ceased rallying the Stratos. In fact, Darniche should be considered the most successful Stratos driver of all time, with 33 victories to his name, compared to 13 for works driver Sandro Munari. In Britain, a car was campaigned by Graham Warner's Chequered Flag team, and driven by drivers such as Per-Inge Walfridsson, Billy Coleman, Cahal Curley, Tony Pond, and Andy Dawson. Sadly the teams were to suffer many misfortunes, including a fire which completely gutted the car during the Welsh Rally, although the car did win the Mintex Dales International Rally at the hands of Andy Dawson. By 1979, it was only the private teams who were continuing to rally the Stratos, and Bernard Darniche managed to win the Monte Carlo for the Chardonnet team. This gave the Stratos its fourth successive victory on the Monte Carlo. The only works involvement came when Marku Alen persuaded the factory team to allow him to use a Stratos on the British RAC each year for the next three years. Sadly, although Alen pushed the car to its limits on these events, he was unable to give the car the RAC victory which eluded it throughout its competition career.

A future never chased:

At the height of it's success in the middle of the decade, Lancia put forward plans to build a racing version of the car for the 1976 season, convinced it would be able to win in the newly created Group 5 Silhouette formula. Development took place under the guidance of Stratos chief engineer Mike Parkes. A turbocharged version of the V6 engine had already been tried in the rally car and this was adopted for the racer. The engine was further developed in collaboration with Carlo Facetti's tuning outfit. The maximum power output was raised to 560 bhp. More astonishing was the chassis and new aerodynamic bodywork created by Bertone. The wheelbase was lenghthed by some 150mm from the road car and it featured a dramatically extended rear tail section. Every piece of the car was unique and it carried the fuel tanks in the door sills! Although two of the Marlboro-liveried Silhouette cars were produced, only one example was entered for the first two races of the World Championship in 1976. At Mugello in March the Facetti/Brambilla car (no. 21) failed to start the race after catching fire in practice. With it's small dimensions and tight-fitting bodywork, overheating had been a familiar problem with the Stratos rally car and it was no suprise the turbocharged Stratos Gr 5 racer would suffer similar problems. In April, the same car ran again in the 6 hours race at Vallelunga but retired after gearbox problems.

Conclusions:

At the beginning of development, the Group 4 rules for rallying had required production of 500 units for homolgation. However, by the time the Stratos was finally homologated on October 1st, 1974, the rules had been changed to reduce the homologation requirement to 400. There have been many discussions over the years as to exactly how many cars were actually completed. Many experts claim between 450 and 490 cars were actually produced, with 492 being a number which is often quoted, but Bertone themselves claim that 502 cars actually made it through production. Although the production life of the Stratos was very short, its impact on the sport of rallying was immense. It was the first purpose-built rally car, and arguably the most beautiful, and led to the development of the immensely powerful Group B rally cars, the still-born Group S cars, and now the current set of WRC ( World Rally Championship) cars. In the words of Cesare Fiorio, whose dream became reality, "With the Stratos, we had made a tremendous car, frightening other manufacturers, so that some dropped out." In 1981, Lancia unveiled the Lancia Rally 037, its new Group B rally supercar, and the Stratos was consigned to the history books, even though private teams continued to notch up victories in various European Championship events until its homologation expired at the end of 1982. Futuristic looking the car still looks great today, and would sell like hot cakes if Lancia re-introduced it. At the Geneva Auto Show of 2005, a British design firm known as Fenomenon debuted a retromodern concept version of the Stratos. No production plans have been announced.

Technical Brief: [Racing Car]

Years of production 1974 - 1978 Numbers built 492-502 Body design Gandini / Bertone Weight 880 kilo / 1940.1 lbs Drivetrain Engine Ferrari 65º V6 Engine Location Mid , transversely mounted Displacement 2.418 liter / 147.6 cu in Valvetrain 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC Fuel feed 3 Weber 48 IDF Carburetors Aspiration Naturally Aspirated Gearbox ZF 5 speed Manual Drive Rear wheel drive Performance figures Power (2Valve 280 bhp / 209 KW @ 7800 rpm) (4 valve 330bhp) Torque 275 Nm / 203 ft lbs @ 6000 rpm BHP/Liter 116 bhp / liter Power to weight ratio 0.32 bhp / kg

Engine:

Stratos Stradale chassis # 829 ARO 001939 Scocca 1240*131 Engine Ferrari tipo 236 E. Cast iron block, aluminum head construction. Centrally and transversally mounted. Bore: 93mm, Stroke: 60mm, 2444 cm3 , water cooled Ferrari Dino V6@65°. C.P.S. high compression, forged billet aluminium pistons, heat-treated steel crankshaft and forged billet titanium conrods. 2 Hastings piston rings. 4 modified (310° duration), high-lift (11mm) OHC, double timing-chain driven, modified chain stretcher mechanism and solid tappets. 2 valves per cylinder (V layout@46°) with dual valve springs. Nimonic exhaust valves. Compression ratio 11.4:1. Ported and gas-flowed head. 3 twin-throat 48 IDF Weber down-draft carburetors. Upgraded Setrab water to oil heat exchanger. Bosch Super 4 ignition and uprated coil. Modified distributor using a 3 lobe cam. NGK BP8 EVX spark plugs. Relocated Group 4 alternator driven by inlet camshaft-mounted pulley. Group 4 oil catch tank. Super baffled Group 4 engine oil sump. Group 4 flywheel. The engine head has been converted to use big valves (45 mm inlet, 39 mm exhaust), bronze-beryllium valve seats and guides, 3 angle valve seats. Group4 air filter and 80mm trumpets. Group 4 exhaust manifolds. Free-flow Group 4 exhaust. Upgraded engine mounts.

Transmission:

Transmission Rear wheel drive layout. ZF Limited slip differential. Lancia Group 4 five speed, fully synchronized using uprated Goetze steel synchromeshes, dog-leg 1st gearbox. Group 4 clutch shaft and cascade gear set, Group 4 cascade gear cover, interchangable ratios. Gear ratios - speed at 8000 RPM (depending on cascade gear set): 1:3.143 - 56.3 or 70.38 or 82.62 Km/h 2:2.24 - 78.99 or 98.74 or 115.92 Km/h 3:1.762 - 100.43 or 125.73 or 147.37 Km/h 4:1.417 - 124.88 or 156.1 or 183.25 Km/h 5:1.154 - 153.34 or 191.67 or 225.02 Km/h R:1.733 Final drive ratio: 3.824:1 Choice of alternative idler gear set ratios: A: 0.937:1, B: 1.1:1, C: 1.375:1 Plate-based ZF limited slip differential set at 40% Group 4 sintered-metallic dual-plate hydraulically operated clutch. Modified Ferrari 308 Group 4 high ratio rack and pinion steering, 2.5 turns lock to lock. Adjustable steering ratio.

Suspension:

Front: Fully rose-jointed layout. Independent super-imposed group 4 strengthened wishbones lower track control and reaction arm, Group 4 Bilstein telescopic dampers and height-adjustable Group 4 Eibach coilover springs. Group 4 adjustable anti-roll bar Rear: Fully rose-jointed layout. Independent McPherson struts, Group 4 Bilstein telescopic dampers and height-adjustable Group 4 Eibach coilover springs, single lower inverted strengthened wishbone plus radius arm. Group 4 adjustable anti-roll bar

Brakes:

Front: Girling vented disks (271 mm), Group 4 ATE fixed 2 piston (piston Ø 48mm) monobloc aluminum calipers, Ferodo DS3000 pads Rear: Girling vented disks (271 mm), ATE fixed 2 piston (piston Ø 38mm) cast iron calipers, Ferodo DS3000 pads Dual circuit, no servo assistance, steel-braided teflon brake hoses.

Chassis:

Monocoque steel and space-frame construction with integral roll-cage. Fiberglass body. Sand blasted and corrosion protected underbody. 4 Point quick-release harness, early style Group 4 lightweight rear body section.

Wheels/Tires:

7.5"x14" Campagnolo cast magnesium wheels, Michelin 205/70ZR14 XWX Alternative mounts: 8"x15" Campagnolo, 205/50ZR15 front, 225/50ZR15 rear Pirelli P Zero C tires 8"x15" Campagnolo front, 12"x15" Campagnolo rear wheels, 18/60VR15 front, 26/61VR15 rear Michelin TB15 tires 8"x15" 3 part Speedline front, 12"x15" 3 part Speedline rear wheels, 205/50ZR15 front, 285/40ZR15 rear Pirelli P7 tires

Dimensions:

Length: 3710mm Width: 1750mm-1810mm depending on the rear cover used Height: 1114mm Wheelbase: 2180mm Front track: 1433-1490mm depending on wheels used Rear track: 1457-1590mm depending on wheels used Laden weight: 950Kg Fuel capacity: 2 tanks totalling 80lt

Performance:*****assuming 280 BHP SAE??

0-100Km/h acceleration: 5.4 - 5.8S depending on idle gear set 0-400m acceleration: 12.6S 0-1000m acceleration: 26S Max speed: 153 to 225 Km/h depending on idle gear set

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Technical Brief: [Homologated Road Car]
Engine:

Ferrari tipo 236 E. Cast iron block, aluminum head construction. Centrally and transversally mounted. Bore: 92.5mm, Stroke: 60mm, 2418 cm3 , water cooled Ferrari Dino V6@65°. Mondial or Borgo cast aluminium pistons, heat-treated steel crankshaft and conrods. 3 piston rings. 4 OHC, double timing chain driven and solid tappets. 2 valves per cylinder (intake 42.5 mm, exhaust 36.8 mm, V layout@46°) with dual valve springs. Sodium-filled exhaust valves. Compression ratio 9:1. 3 twin-throat 40 IDF 28/29 Weber down-draft carburetors. Water to oil heat exchange. Marelli Electronic ignition. Champion N 60 Y spark plugs. 6 lobe cam distributor. Max power: approx. 190 Bhp @ 7000 rpm, 22.9 Kg/m @ 4000rpm http://rallycars.com/ftp/Sounds/Stratos1.mpg

Transmission:

Rear wheel drive layout. ZF Limited slip differential. Ferrari Dino five speed, fully synchronized dog-leg 1st gearbox. Gear ratios - speed at 8000 RPM: 1:3.554 - 64.83 Km/h 2:2.459 - 93.69 Km/h 3:1.781 - 129.36 Km/h 4:1.32 - 174.54 Km/h 5:0.986 - 233.67 Km/h R:3.3 Idler gear: 1.1:1 Final drive ratio: 3.824:1 Plate-based ZF limited slip differential set at 40% Single dry plate hydraulically operated clutch, Ø228.6mm. Rack and pinion steering, 3.32 turns lock to lock

Suspension:

Front: Partially rose-jointed layout. Independent super-imposed wishbones lower track control and raction arm, telescopic dampers and height-adjustable coilover springs. Adjustable anti-roll bar Rear: Partially rose-jointed layout. Independent McPherson struts, telescopic dampers and height-adjustable coilover springs, single lower inversed wishbone plus radius arm. Adjustable anti-roll bar

Brakes:

Front: Girling vented disks (271 mm), ATE fixed 2 piston (piston Ø 48mm) cast iron calipers Rear: Girling vented disks (271 mm), ATE fixed 2 piston (piston Ø 38mm) cast iron calipers Dual, circuit, no servo assistance

Chassis:

Monocoque steel and space-frame construction with integral roll-cage. Fiberglass body

Wheels/Tires:

7.5"x14" Campagnolo cast magnesium wheels, Michelin 205/70ZR14 XWX or Pirelli CN36

Dimensions:

Length: 3710mm Width: 1750mm Height: 1114mm Wheelbase: 2180mm Front track: 1433mm Rear track: 1457mm Laden weight: 980Kg Fuel capacity: 2 tanks totalling 80lt

Performance:

0-100Km/h acceleration: 6.8S 0-400m acceleration: 13.5S 0-1000m acceleration: 28S Max speed: 232 Km/h

Thanks to:
http://rallycars.com
www.stratossupersite.com/
http://www.lancia-stratos.de/
www.ultimatecarpages.com
and many other privately run sites I used to gather information and photos
Enjoy