Whether you remember it or not, back in the 70s, the Lancia Stratos was a destructive force in the world rallying scene. A couple of years ago, Lancia decided that it’s time for a tribute vehicle, and here we are today. With MAT (Manifattura Automobili Torino) behind it and a design by Pininfarina, the car is actually based on the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. The chassis is shortened, and the 4.3l V8 bumped up to 540hp, connected through a 6-speed gated manual gearbox. This is the old but new car that will win many racers’ hearts.
There are only 25 New Stratos planned, and the first one is already looking for a new home.
MAT, the company that builds the new car, asks you to provide a donor F430 (Ferrari Scuderia) and pay over $560,000 more for the conversion. The Italian company even promised to add a high-riding Safari version and a GT track-focused variant to the lineup.
What troubles many Lancia lovers is that Lancia is not on board. The modern reinterpretation built by Manifattura Automobili Torino is a slightly updated version of the 2010 New Stratos concept founded by Michael Stoschek. This could have definitely made Lancia great again as the New Stratos prototype is one of the best-looking retro-modern-cars of the decade.
So what’s new is that the power is up. Like a lot. The New Stratos is set to deliver 550bhp. What’s not so new but is awesome is that they decided to keep the iconic giant door bins for holding crash helmets. Also, the original F430 was never available as a manual, but oddly enough, in a world with declining numbers of manual gears, the New Stratos makes an exception. This new car is truly built for pure driving enjoyment.