IAA 2011: New Stratos Makes its Motorshow Debut in Frankfurt

While the Fiat Group has more or less cut ("neutered" would probably be a more appropriate word…) Lancia from its past, a dedicated fan of the Italian brand with a lot of money to spend, decided to resurrect one the most famous sports cars of all time.

We are talking of course about German businessman Michael Stoschek and his one-off New Stratos that made its first public appearance at a major automotive event in Frankfurt.

The Stratos was designed and engineered by Pininfarina. The Italian design house based the sports car on the chassis of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, albeit with a shortened wheelbase, while power comes from a 4.3-liter V8 engine sourced from the same model that delivers 540-horses and over 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of peak torque.

Even though Stoschek had pondered building a limited production run of the New Stratos since he owns the copyright to the design and build, Ferrari blocked his efforts stating that it "does not consent to construction of the planned limited run by either Pininfarina or any other Ferrari-dependent suppliers.”

 

PHOTO GALLERY

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Beauty and a Beast: New Lancia Stratos runs 0-62 in 3.3 seconds

n a perfect world, the fastest cars would be the best looking ones. And to some extent, that’s often the case. But not always. For instance the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous automotive creations ever devised, but by most accounts, its performance fails to live up to its styling. Conversely, cars like the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 GT2 RS are some of the most devastatingly fast vehicles ever to grace tarmac, but not everyone’s enamored of their sheetmetal.

The New Stratos is here to suggest that you may be able to have your cake and eat it to, as full technical specifications and performance stats have been released on the one-off retro creation. The aluminum chassis from the Ferrari 430 Scuderia is a good starting point, giving the New Stratos a compact, lightweight frame, a 44/56 front/rear weight distribution ratio and a 4.3-liter V8 tuned from the 508 horsepower delivered in the Scud to 540 in the nuovo Lancia.

That’s enough to rocket the coachbuilt custom from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.3 seconds, past 200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.7 and on to a top speed of 170 mph. (That last figure may not be the most impressive, but the original Stratos was never geared for top-speed runs, but for rapid acceleration and nimble handling, and its successor appears to have followed the same route.)

Not ready to cry “uncle” just yet? The full specifications – from gearbox to dimensions – can be found after the jump, so click on to feast your eyes.

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