Lancia Stratos

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Fancy a night at the side of a road

Deep black night: the cold and biting air doesn't discourage a hundred people gathered lengthwise the tortuous course of the race. Wrapped up in their windcheaters, heads covered with funny woollen caps, they while away the time chatting in groups: they are coming from the most different places, they often don't speak even the same language, but they have in common same tiredness in their eyes, the desire to live this top event and a great passion. They trample on the snow covering the ground, which is creaking like a fragrant icing under the weight of their heavy shoes; they are moving from a high ground to another on the roadsides, looking for the ideal position that sometimes is a mere utopia, but above all they prick up their ears to farther off, from where dreams and emotions will magically appear. Suddenly a far-off roar indicates the beginning of the feast: an engine was roaring in the distance, driven by the skill of a heavy foot and the quick reflexes of a little man stuck to his small pilot's seat. Suddenly people fall silent and listen to the music coming closer and closer, waiting for the beast coming out from the curve. Powerful high beams break darkness making hysterical and psychedelic trajectories, until a Stratos with Alitalia colours appears from shadows with a controlled countersteering and starts off at full speed on the short straight up to the subsequent curve, when it will be the turn of the pilot to give the finishing touches with masterstrokes. The six-cylinder Dino is screaming in all its power, its wide tyres claw the ground lifting splashes of glory on the car outlines. All around there is a turmoil of shouts and flashes: everyone is trying to stop time without limits, even through an illusory photographic plate. But the queen has already gone: two red lights like an inflamed sunset are moving away on the horizon till to vanish. The engine roar still remains for a few minutes, tasted as the last sip of a good wine, we are conscious that afterwards the glass will be left empty. That's what I imaged when I decided that I had to write something on Stratos: the charming icon of an extraordinary vintage car and of a time that many regret. As a matter of fact it is only the most dazzling image in a complicated plot, full of unexpected turns of events and contradictions, in which the main leaders of Italian motor racing of the time are moving round. First of all I need to describe the unrepeatable experiment of human chemistry, where different personalities have been seen, with special aims and interests to be pursued, to meet to give birth to such a creature. Once rebuilt the hard labour of the car, we have to reckon with its metallic soul, all genius and disorderliness, that between vices and virtues it shows a resolute character and not in the least inclined to compromise. If only we realize that first of all the Stratos has been a racing car, purposely studied for the exhausting rallies of the time, there we can find the key to understand a disastrous commercial career in opposition to a sporting one rich of great successful events that, according to many people, could have been even greater if the programme had not prematurely lost its strength. True or untrue, what Stratos gave is more than enough to place it on the mythological Olympus of the modern motor racing, not only from the point of view of sport but also aesthetically speaking.

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From Zero to Stratos

It was the year 1970 and at San Paolo road in Turin, the historical head office of the Lancia company , they were hardly struggling to get over a difficult crisis which had been lasting for several years. During the previous year the company had passed from the Pesenti family's hands to Fiat, putting an end to a historical rivalry of quite Turinese peculiarity between the two brands. Every share was paid one Lira, a symbolic amount which reflected the disastrous debt conditions of Lancia: at the time they say about 130 billiards, swallowed up by wrong projects and investments. Having to re-launch the brand, the strategy was obliged to pass through the renewal of the gamma, but it could make use of an important promotional lever: in fact, the odyssey lived by Lancia in those years had not undermined the "Squadra Corse", a real jewel of the company not only from a technical and organizing point of view , but also for its availability of human resources. The Activity of the "Squadra" was mainly concentrated on rallies with the great star that has been the Fulvia HF 1600 and a series of young and promising pilots, including a certain Sandro Munari on the threshold of his competitive maturity. Nevertheless Squadra Corse was either faced by a fundamental problem: the Fulvia, even if with handling and powerful qualities, started feeling the weight of years, standing up with more increasing difficulties to the younger Alpine Renault cars with rear-wheel drive and a six-cylinder V engine, mounted behind the rear wheels. The French did everything with complete dedication and if with the Fulvia it was possible to prevent the damage temporarily, solutions were needed for the future. From another side of Turin there was, on the contrary, who did not suffer from crisis and was looking around, ready to seize any opportunity to remain on the top of situation: at that time Nuccio Bertone fell in love with mid-engine, after the lucky event of the Lamborghini Miura, started as an experiment and turned into a landmark in the great tourism sector, both as for mechanics and style were concerned. Bertone wished to go on and to enlarge as well the theme of mid-engine cars, and at the same time he was looking for a bridge to contact Lancia just when the company restart was expected. It was he himself who made a decisive first step for the Strato's history taking its course. Facing the difficulties in acting officially through the company, Bertone purchased a second hand Fulvia HF, preparing himself to exploit its mechanical parts for a new and sensational prototype to be shown at the 1970 Turin motor show. The project was given to Marcello Gandini, who had already shown all his talent with Miura. The target was not only to build a show car, but an automobile with high dynamic qualities so as to envisage the problems of the mid-engine to be used on road race. On a box-type steel and lightened frame they mounted a classic V-4 engine (at narrow angle between main bearings) (115 hp 6000 r.p.m.) and a 5 speed gears of the Fulvia HF 1600, mid and longitudinal positioned, for privileging a low barycentre. Always trying to obtain a far reactive car, its wheelbase was purposely short, 2200 mm only, while the wider rear track in respect of the front one (1458 mm against 1345 mm) had to favour the wheel drive and roadability . Then the solution of a rear engine allowed a shorter nose and a more forward cockpit decidedly affecting aerodynamic and the weight distribution, which was, on this case, concentred on the rear axle to make the car more dynamic. This unit frame-engine has been dressed by a sensational bodywork with quite original solutions and in some case taken to extremes. Up till now, thirty years later, reality has not been succeeding in getting similar shapes and concepts, and the prototype, then known as Zero, keeps all its fresh innovation. The reduced height of the car (840 mm only) that was obtained by placing the pilot literally in the lying position on the driver's seat, underlines the different width of both tracks. The side, which was characterized by a limited side window, it starts from a simple and light wedge shaped line of the front up to get strength and body towards the rear, stout one thanks to the works of sculptured sheet plate. Rear wheelhouses, instead of helping the tyres by an arch, they cut them flying straightly on towards the tapered tail. Rear view is dominated by the big perforated grille to scavenge the engine room, framed by a continuous and bright band replacing the ordinary optical units. The absence of bumpers allows to see the both generous exhaust pipes, the longitudinal gear and part of suspension system. The engine bonnet is made of a set of overlapped triangles of decreasing size and it is laterally hinged. The front part is a simple and plane surface, which starts from the headlights like a thin and bright continuous band, and gently ends on the beginning of the roof. Such a surface is interrupted by an overturned trapezium of black rubber, which holds the characteristic Lancia's round badge in the middle, and by another bigger trapezium that is made up by the windscreen and the entrance door of the cockpit. To enter the driver's seat it is necessary to activate the big Lancia logo, which hides the lock, and to lift the door hinged on the top. Like a scene of a puppet-theatre the cockpit makes its appearance, at first a bit worrying for its reduced dimensions. Besides, an almost lying down position imposed by the seats to the pilot and passenger, we are faced by a considerable steering column: only taking it down we are allowed to put ourselves into the driver's seat, but that's only one of many secrets. For example, we are instinctively looking for the instrument panel in front of the pilot, where it is positioned in most cars all over the world, but the only things easily to be found are three pedals. To think "Damn, not even a speedometer!" and to justify the designer's oversight with a "On the other hand it's only a prototype, we are expecting too much!" it is a matter of an instant. Then, after turning our head absently and there it is, built-in in a small space on the wheelhouse, by the pilot's side, not exactly in a comfortable position. Standard analogue instruments are manufactured under a sophisticated design for futurology, such as to make us think of the instrument panel of an aircraft or a nuclear submarine. The meaning of some indicators is obscure and inscrutable one. The boot is another source of problems: it's no use looking for it in traditional places, because for its access we need to recline the seats back. It is not very spacious and inside there is also room for the spare tyre. Even if of scenic effect and characterized by original solutions, the car exhibited in the Turin motor show of 1970, did not arouse great interest. However, thanks to a clever strategy of communication, the Bertone company granted the prototype for a set of tests and photo reportages, so that the main newspapers of the sector ended by talking about and give space to it. At this point fish bit it: Lancia's managers found the Stratos to be of interest, as a starting point to be inspired for a project of a car to be exclusively used for motor races. The Spring subsequent to the exhibition, eng. Piero Gobbato, the general manager of Lancia's with a background at Ferrari's, in a private call to Nuccio Bertone asked him to see the car. Doctor Beppe Panico, manager of the Bertone company, remembers that together with Nuccio Bertone himself at the wheel of the prototype, reached the entrance of the Lancia company at S. Paolo str. In Turin. The barrier beside the watchman's lodge was one meter high approx., while the Zero car was 84 cm high: by the time making this observation the car had already entered secretly the works, drawing the Lancia's managers secretly attention with its roar. Piero Gobbato reported the result of the meeting as follows: "Nuccio Bertone had come to Lancia's in that car, he himself at the wheel of it; we had difficulty in pulling him out, I made an effort to enter. I became enthusiastic and I said to myself: this gentleman who after all builds bodies and wants also to try with an unsuitable engine, has given us an idea." Obviously the Lancia's managers asked him to make the idea of more practical value. As a matter of fact the real problem was not that one in the design of the Stratos racing car, but the real lottery concerning the kind of engine to be employed, as by that time the 1600 cc of Fulvia was at the end. To achieve their objectives Squadra Corse and Carrozzeria Bertone were in need of a much more powerful propellant. Two fronts were therefore involved: those who thought it necessary, for image needs, to choose an engine inside the Fiat gamma (i.e. to revive a V6 engine used in the past on the Flaminia and Aurelia cars, too old, or to adopt the 4cylinder engine of the 130 sedan, too heavy) and those who were in favour of using the 6 cylinder Ferrari Dino. Among other things, Bertone already had this unit, because they mounted it on the Coupé Dino that was building at Grugliasco manufacturing facilities. Therefore it was only necessary to ask for its utilization for the Stratos as well. Gobbato himself was entrusted with that task and Enzo Ferrari rudely granted the use of his engine in exchange for a substantial sum of money. Meanwhile, the static prototype of the Stratos final car had been exhibited at the 1971 Turin motor show, where the adventure had begun. Marcello Gandini, person in charge of the project development, had saved the basic concepts expressed in the Zero car: short wheelbase (2180 mm), wider rear track (1460 mm instead of 1430 mm), weights distribution with 63.1% concentrated on the rear, forward cockpit, wedge-shaped line with a considerable streamlined and reduced frontal side, possibility of mounting different sized tyres without changing the wheelhouses. As for the frame they chose a "monocoque" made in steel, closed by a reinforcing arc acting as a roll-bar, while on the rear there was a spare loop frame which housed the engine, combining lightness and torsional stress rigidity. The cyclist gear unit was made by a mixed system: suspensions, parallelogram shaped on the front and McPherson type on the rear wheel, imposed by the use of the cross engine that didn't allow a similar scheme to the forecarriage. The whole was assisted by helical springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bars on both axles. Under a base of so extreme characteristics, Gandini draw a body that joined an easy access to mechanical parts, that was necessary for a racing car, with a prototype line which makes a strong impression even today, in spite of the thirty years elapsed from its creation. The line of its body side panels shows a kind of arch starting from the slender frontal part and continuing straight up to its top, just before the engine housing, and then goes gently down to the direction of the tail. We are stricken by the sudden reduced changes (885 mm on the front and 645 mm on the rear part) and by the convexity of metal sheet parts that vanish to the bottom of the floor panel, interrupted only by the central beading. As already on the Zero Car to the light and streamlined front part is opposed a stout and brawny rear one, while the metal sheet prevails over the minimized surfaces of the windows. On the contrary, the wide wheelhouses are almost unrelated to and overlapping the line of the car. The front one even breaks the body line, leaving the stage to the generous tyres and rims with five spokes made in light alloy, to let us catch a glimpse of self-ventilated discs of the braking system. The quick-release connections and the outline of integral bonnets are once again confirming the racing nature of the Stratos car. On the front side the large cooling mouth of the radiators dominates, with two essential rectangular niches, placed side by side, for the side lights. The headlights are of the foldaway type so as not to spoil the streamline of the bonnet, on the surface of which there is the grid for the heat outlet from the rear housing, that besides the radiant packages it also holds the spare wheel. The windscreen is almost similar to the fighter's: arched and very protruding one, it sets its limit in converging and thin uprights. Its enveloping shape is purposely designed to give the utmost visibility to the pilot and let him have a correct perception of dimensions. The rear side doesn't offer much to aesthetics: two functional round optical units are standing out from the rest, with two rectangular lights for reverse, placed side by side. The lower part is fitted with a wide mouth to let the heat come out from the engine housing and has many exhaust terminals, all that marked by the utmost convenience. The rear window is sheltered by a Venetian blind made of black plastic, present on other GT cars designed by Bertone in that period. Studied in the wind tunnel, this line offered a low coefficient of penetration, allowing the Squadra Corse's technicians to gain a wide margin for arranging aerodynamic load as much as they liked. Thus two spoilers were added : a big one on the rear and another on the front side, plus a quarter vent on the roof, once again sacrificing the aesthetic balance of the line in need of achieving certain efficiency parameters. The cockpit appears very Spartan and essential one. For instance the rectangular instrument board that holds all main analogue indicators: here we have tachometer, speed indicator, oil-pressure gauge and oil-cooler thermometer, water thermometer, ammeter, besides the fuel level gauge. The steering wheel with four spokes has a rather minimized dimension and a simple and practical look, such as the short gear lever. On the door panel there are only the locking handle, the knob and the slide guide which permit the window to go quickly down. This light and extremely practical system does not permit the window to be completely distinguishable from the door, because turning on a pivot it is always partly in sight. As a whole the Stratos gives you the idea of a tiger with contracted muscles, ready to jump over an ideal prey with an angry spring: the track Like in the beliefs of the ancient civilizations, different animals could mate breeding very strange and mythological beasts. In that case the tiger was interbred with a rampant horse, making the Stratos sure of a legendary future. To tell the truth that operation was not so easy because of genetics problems: the 65 degree V-6 engine Dino represented the last generation of a noble family that was born in the 50's and was strongly wanted by Enzo Ferrari's son who, however, couldn't see its realization for his untimely death. Hence its name. The cylinder block made of cast iron and the head made of a light alloy, with 24119.2 cc offered 195 hp at 7600 r.p.m (basic model) and a max torque of 23 kg-m at 4300 r.p.m, but the car also brought to some defects: when taking a curve the float chamber was not sufficiently fed due to a centrifugation effect. At Lancia's they had to redesign the intake manifold, after rejecting the idea of the mechanical injection because of costs. But if up to now it was possible to do something, there was no solution for the other big problem: as designed to be transversally mounted, the five shift gear was combined as a whole with the engine. In addition to be a limit to the suspension type, the difficulties arising from the gear during the race it meant, almost always, to drop out of the race, since the rally regulations excluded the engines replacement. Notwithstanding these small problems, the Ferrarri-Lancia couple was an extraordinary basic work: with a weight/power ratio of 5.2 kg/hp and the dynamic qualities of the whole construction, the Stratos offered a capacity hardly ever seen in the rally world. But before diving into the amazing adventures on the ground and asphalt of half a world, we need to dwell on the sore point of this car: a real unlucky commercial career.

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On sale: two cars at the price of one

Cuddled by its pilots, worshipped by people that crowded around the racetracks at every racing event, the Stratos met its only detractors in the Lancia's dealers and in some clients too. Many factors caused the commercial failure of this car: first of all the Stratos was born like a real race car and at Lancia's, at the time of its conception, nobody was thinking of getting a version for the production model bound to the market. F.I.S.A - Italian Sport Automobile Association (now F.I.A.) upset all manager's plans in Turin stating that only GT 4 Group cars could take part in rally races, i.e. those cars produced at least in 500 units. The complete plan on the Stratos was nearly to be upset, also because it was no joke to put together an industrial and commercial program for such a car. First of all they need means and these could only come from FIAT, rather annoyed because 124 Sport Spiders started being defeated by the new weapon "Lancia": Gobbato remembers the pressure put on him to close down. He didn't loose heart and he moved in to attack to obtain 500 engines from Enzo Ferrari, but this was by no means an easy matter to pass from the supply of a few engines for competitive use to such numbers. In addition to that, Ferrari should also have received some pressure on him from Turin and the result was an explicit refusal to increase the supply. Gobbato remembers he was obliged to go and see the lawyer Giovanni Agnelli to state the difficulties he met: " I said I couldn't understand why I was denied the possibility to employ the Ferrari engine, that since Sept. '69 had been belonging to FIAT, and I asked him to be allowed, in case of the confirmation of such refusal, to get by differently. There was a sort of wonder from Mr Agnelli who asked: "What does it means that you'll get by differently?" At that time Lancia was studying a two-litre car that, as per Fiat-Citroen agreement, should have utilized the known hydro-pneumatic system of the French company. In those years the Citroen company owned the Maserati, that was ready to launch the Merak on the market with a 8-cylinder engine of 3000 cc. Unexpectedly the "lawyer" gave his approval so that Gobbato tried that way. To tell the truth it was a malicious " go-ahead", because things between FIAT and Citroen were not working out well, and in fact the proposal for an agreement went miserably to rack and ruin. In spite of that, contacts between Maserati and Lancia went on and the French offer increased as in addition to the 3000 cc engine of the Merak, the Maserati company, the eng. Mailleret in person, was willing to supply the 4200 cc engine of the Quattroporte (four-door car). At that point Enzo Ferrari, always informed of the close competitor's moves, settled once and for all the matter. Gobbato recalls:he called me and said: "I give you the engines" I answered: "Sorry, but I'm proceeding differently". "No,of course not!, we were joking". A real odd way to joke. Once the long soap opera was over about the engine to be used, the industrialization plan could start up and in autumn of 1974, 502 Stratos models were lined up in the Bertone plant at Grugliasco to be supervised by Fia representatives guided by Paul Frere, well-known French journalist and pilot. The production lines were immediately dismantled and the cars sent to the Lancia's dealers, who were obliged to withdraw them. To sell 500 models of Stratos at the astronomical figure of 10.725.000 liras was a utopia, considering the puritanical climate of petrol crisis. Nevertheless there were appraisals who were seduced by the undoubted charm of car. Many of them gave in, to find out in the end how difficult it was to tame the toy. At Lancia's they had tried to mitigate the nature of the car so as to transform the Stratos into as powerful as comfortable GT car, but the achieved compromise was not satisfactory. For example the uniball joints of suspensions had been replaced by rubber silent blocks, more comfortable but less rigid ones, with the result to increase an unforeseeable behaviour of the car at high speed. The magazine "Ruoteclassiche", after testing the car in 1998, said "the driving is unforeseeable and it is difficult to make it a car to be treated with velvet gloves and to be driven carefully and at a reasonable speed. It is lacking in direction , it's very sensitive to the roadbed and abruptly reacts to the engine speed changes. During acceleration and release it changes the position of the driving wheels and much experience is to be required to the control because it is unforeseeable. - If it is not correctly driven the Stratos has a marked tendency to spin right round". Among other things, the magazine is also complaining a certain weakness of the brakes in respect of the power of the engines. To come to the point, a discouraging picture that has not certainly favoured the car sales. Even today there are those who remember dealers that were reduced to selling off two cars at the price of one just to get rid of the hated dud. If for the Stratos racing car the most frequent question is: "could the car have won more often whether its career had not been interrupted too early?", for the mass produced car may be put the same question: "Could they have sold a greater number whether the car had been made better? Many have sensed that behind the shortcomings of the car there was a want of confidence in the operation from the Fiat and Lancia's managers, who were obliged to produce the car in accordance with the F.I.S.A regulations. If only it were true, that would be a good sign for an affirmative answer to question. However it is necessary to stress the contribution of the Stratos and its wins for the revival of the Lancia make from the disfavour.

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At the beginning it was smoking, then it flew away

At the time of the Stratots's first performance, the world of rally races lives a period of a deep changeover: first of all the long marathons, which have characterized the special stage of the time, are progressively giving up their place to shorter special stages , spaced by long transfers. Secondly we have to consider the big amount of money that starts falling on the equips in the form of sponsorship contracts . The same commitments of the companies have remarkably increased, more and more marginalizing small equips, while the professional spur is putting an end to the gentleman driver's poetic image to make room for full time pilots, taken on with increasingly high fees. In this picture of transformation, the Stratos appearance is itself a factor of changing in the direction of a further radicalization: the Stratos is not a series car, modified and worked out for the purpose of racing, but it is a real weapon designed so as to "break the bank" at the races and soon bound to become a touchstone for competition. And to think that at its first world rally, the beginning was not at all encouraging: at the awful "Tour de Corse", under the official sponsor's colours, the Stratos drops out of the race on account of suspension troubles. Mysterious problems of the set up also influence the second performance, at the "Costa del Sol Rally". Munari relates to us the weaning time of the wild beast as follows: "at the first developing stages it was as if the car was half cut by a zip: the front half did one thing and the rear half did another thing. When we started the car was settled, geometries were statically correct, but as soon as on motion the car did as it liked". As a matter of fact the car flies on dirt roads, while it drives you mad on asphalt paved roads. To get through the problem we need a lot of patience, but at the end we envisage the cause in the steering knuckles of the suspensions which, according to the regulations, are strictly produced in series, i.e. made of inexpensive stamped plate. Munari goes on explaining: "With narrow tyres on the dirt road the traction is obviously less, therefore the effort made by the suspension was less, then the geometries were those set up when the car was still. While on the asphalt paved road the adhesion to the ground was increasing with wide tyres, the hub holder was bent causing a torsion on the rear suspensions and the whole position was altered." After a winter spent to come out from that situation, the Stratos newly joined the fight in 1973. Munari in pair with Mannucci gains the first victory of the car at the Rally Firestone. Afterwards it takes part in Targa Florio, where the competitors are the Ferraris 312PB with Merzario-Vaccarella and Ickx-Redman, the Alfas "33" with De Adamich-Stommelen and Ragazzoni-Facetti, the Porches Carreras with Kinnunen-Haldi and Muller-Van Lennep. It seems like the challenge between David and Goliath, but the Stratos behaves quite well,driven as usual by Sandro Munari and by the French crack racing-driver Jean Claude Andruet, taken away from the Alpine Renault. Suspensions cause no more worries, but in return the seat comes off, making it necessary to fix it to such an extent that it was tolerable to the lanky Munari, but not for the French team mate: the "Drago" thus covers nine laps out of eleven (the circuit of the Madonie is about 72 km long), crossing the finishing line at the second place, six minutes from the Carreras of Muller-Van Lennep, after that Ferrari and Alfa Romeo have given in for various reasons. In Turin they are smiling. After the Tour de l'Aisne, won by Andruet together with his pretty navigator "Biche" (young doe in French), the Stratos was put on one side and Lancia pilots went back to get by with the old Fulvia. The Stratos reappears for the Tour de France only, the awful transalpine marathon: 5688 km in all, out of which 1047 in speed, 145 uphill and the remaining on the road. The last part it isn't a trial, but a real heavy blow for the drivers, who are obliged to start at 5 a.m. from Biarritz, make for Barcellona, go back to France, climbing once more over the Pyrénées, and finally run towards the triumphal arrival in Nice, scheduled at 22.00 hrs of the next day. The Lancia company lines up two Stratos, one for Munari-Mannucci and the other for Andruet-"Biche". The French team gives up on account of engine trouble, while the Italians are gritting their teeth, notwithstanding they have not made a preliminary survey in view of the meeting place. The route is all to be discovered, full of dangers, while tiredness is increasing day by day. At last the finishing line of Nice smiles at Munari and Mannucci, and the small bubbles of Champagne, which sizzle on their palate, are like a strike of life for the winners. Taking part in the "Giro d'Italia" of that year is decidedly less exciting: in the absence of Munari and Mannucci, both crews Merzario-Sodano and Andruet-Biche accumulate a series of retreats for engine troubles. Anyhow the victories of Costa Brava, Firestone, San Martino di Castrozza and Tour de France won to Munari and Mannucci the 1973 European title. The 1974 season begins in a state of complete chaos: due to petroleum crisis many races are cancelled, among them the rally of Montecarlo, even if not yet valid for the World Championship. In return Andruet-Biche win "le Ronde de la Giraglia", while Munari and Andruet are placed second on the ice of the 24 hours of Chamonix, taking a thrashing from the Fulvia at the wheel of Ballestrieri-Lampinen (but as they were thrashings among members of the same families they were less painful). As a matter of fact the Stratos could have won without the condensate trouble caused to the electric system. The French pilot in pair with the usual navigator "Biche" imposes himself again at the Neige et Glace, to begin with a series of victories for the Stratos: Ballestrieri-Maiga win the Rally of Sicily, while at the " 4 Regioni" a double victory was gained by Munari-Mannucci, on the upper step of podium, followed by Ballestrieri-Maiga. The Lancia company takes part at Targa Florio with two racing cars, both with 24-valve engine, for Munari-Andruet and Larrousse-Ballestrieri. Munari takes the lead of the race without any difficulty, but very soon he is obliged to drop out of the race for feed troubles. Larrousse-Ballestrieri inherit the lead of the race and, in spite of a beginning of fire, they succeed in holding the position up to the finishing line. The 1974 Tour de France, on the contrary, represents a pause: the Lancia Company lines up two cars again, the brand-new Turbo at the wheel of Munari-Mannucci and the 24-valve engine car at the wheel of Andruet-Biche. During the transport from Turin to France, the car transporter loses the Turbo car that crashes to the ground and falls to thousand pieces. That is not a good start, but the motor mechanics led by Mike Parkers, an engineer as well as a Ferrari's former pilot lent by the Lancia company, patch up the car with new suspensions and an engine hurriedly carried from the company. The repairing work is absolutely mad and at the end the results are not so successful. Munari must ask for always arriving at the following assistance, where motor mechanics set again to work feverishly, but by overstepping the limit of the Belgium border a drop of the oil pressure obliges the "Drago" to say goodbye to the team work. Andruet remains with a car short of preparation, because most of the effort has been concentrated on putting the Turbo back on its feet: he ends up by placing third, while the race is won by the Ligier-Maserati that gets the only important result of its career. With regard to Turbo, it is necessary to stress that it is the first supercharged turbine Italian car. Gianni Tonti, an engineer of the Squadra Corse remembers that this primitive system had neither wastegate nor heat exchanger and the pressure was controlled by a simple valve "pop-off" at the intake. Big problems were then given by carburettors: usually they were vacuum operating, but by the inlet of compressed-air into the air intake ducts it was necessary to assure the sealing in order to avoid the petrol should squirt out from all the connections. Notwithstanding the difficulties, one bar and a half of the obtainable pressure already assured a very good pressure stage. In October 1974 the Stratos obtains the homologation from F.I.S.A (Italian Automobile Sport Association) and in the "Mondiale Rally" the competition becomes inflamed: till then the 124 Fiat cars have easily controlled the situation, but with the invasion of the Lancia drivers it changed the tune. After a few days from the visit to Turin of the F.I.S.A delegates, Munari breaks the bank of Sanremo. Ballestrieri is less lucky, he will be soon offside because of an accident. After a week it is time for the Giro d'Italia. Munari is absent because he gets ready to make his next entrance into the World Champion and the show is all of Andruet-Biche at the wheel of the Turbo car and Merzario-Lurani with the two-valve engine car. Ready, steady, go! The race can be already said finished., with the French crew that dominates far and wide without a shadow of a doubt. Meantime, Munari and Mannucci have another big success in the World Championship, this time at Rideau Lakes in Canada, and they are on the point of doing the same at the Press on Regardless in Michigan, but the away race in America turns out less easy than expected because of the local cops. They enforce the absolute observance of speed limit to transfers and when "Drago", late for a calliper replacement, rushes before them at the speed that a racing car can afford, they immediately dash off in pursuit of him by their big car in the direction of the beginning of the timed course. They just arrive when Munari is pushing the accelerator so as to start the special stage, but the sheriffs of Michigan, not very familiar with motor races, misunderstand the act as an escape from them. It takes a lot of patience to get things straight, but in the meantime Munari has lost time and when he joins again the fight it's too late to be placed more than fourth. Now it's time for the so fearful Rac, with its dirt and muddy roads and the run made secret according to the regulations: Fiorio & C are hopeful because at the Rideau Lakes, with same characteristics, things ended really well. During the contest Ballestrieri and Lampinen are obliged to drop out of the race, but Munari on such occasion with Sodano in place of the injured Maiga, has a couple of minutes' lead over the others. It's possible to win, but Fiorio is against doing rash acts, now the main event is the World Championship. May the sport director's will be done! and the "Drago" is satisfied with the third place. The Last act of the World Championship is played in Corsica, on 1320 km, out of which 370 of special stage. The lines up are massive and the Fiat company takes part with three "124", while Lancia places Andruet and Ballestrieri at the wheel of the two-valve car and Munari at the wheel of the 24 valve. Then there is a large group of Alpine cars that have still their say in the matter. The race is a slaughter, a real selection, and only 12 starting drivers out of 100 will see the finishing line. Andruet wins, while the Fiat cars are dropping out of the race as well as Ballestrieri and Munari do. In the championship the Lancia is classed first with 94 scores, against 69 of Fiat. Turin is divided into two: at San. Paolo road they are cheering up, at Mirafiori they are seething. At the beginning of the season 1975, the official Stratos take part wearing a new livery: they give up smoking Malboro and take flight with Alitalia. In Montecarlo, before the world lap, Munari is soon first, in spite of a lousy weather. On such occasion Pirelli has taken six types of tyres, allowing the "Drago" to get off with any conditions. Less lucky, and perhaps also less skilful, the teams Andruet-"Biche" and Pinto- Bernacchini, both skidded on a big slab of ice. The 124 Fiat cars are newly in desperate pursuit, with Mikkola, Alen and Bacchelli. In Sweden, the Stratos repeats itself, but this time at the wheel of the car there are neither dragons nor French acrobats assisted by does, but a northern hard man: Bjorn Waldegaard. The Pirelli tyres have newly been decisive for the victory as well as they will be but for the defeat, in the next race. From ices of Sweden we pass to Savana of Africa for a pleasant Safari: for fear of this contest Lancia prepared itself paying great attention, first of all increasing the full bump position of suspensions from 10 to 18 cm and mounting a special filter with fan to avoid that the dust lifted by the driving wheels could damage the engine. Notwithstanding the hard work the forecasts are not favourable to the Stratos because, it is said, that is a too extreme and sophisticated car, not suitable for those deserted lands, where a cautious driving behaviour in the race and a stout car count more than speed, Lancia, ready to take up the challenge, has three cars for Munari-Drews (local navigator), Waldegaard-Thorszelius and for the all African team of Preston- Ulyate. Unfortunately Pirelli tyres are not fitted for the conditions of the ground and temperatures, Munari only collects eleven punctures, while Waldegaard has also a three hours' delay because the gear jammed. The winner is Ove Andersson in that transatlantic 504 Peugeot , while Munari finishes second and Waldegaard is placed third. All in all at Lancia's they are smiling because they did not win but they were one step from that damned top of the podium, and it is already a good result. Italian newspapers trumpet in very large letters: "Munari has lost Safari with Lancia" and even today the "Drago" has it in for that story. In proportion with the events, on the occasion of the rally of the Acropoli, newspapers should have written this headline: "great intergalactic disaster for the Lancia car in Greece". Waldegaard finds himself without points when is placed second, while the gear leaves both Lele Pinto and Lampinen in the lurch. We console ourselves with Darniche-Mahé, winning at the Tour de France, who had left Alpine to run with the Stratos of the Chardonnet company (the Lancia's French importer),that was set up at Biella by Claudio Maglioli. In Liguria , at Sanremo, the Lancia team had better not to go to the Casino, because with the rotten luck they had at that time they would have bet their paints on it. Munari and Mannucci found themselves offside as they are not allowed to change a punctured tyre (the Stratos can load one only spare tyre), while Pinto is left on foot for a broken valve. From this chaos Waldegaard stands out and wins the race saving the Lancia's face and the top position in the list. At Tour de Corse it is mandatory to win and it happened, even if all merits are to be attributed to the blue Stratos of the Chardonnet company, and to the good home-work done by Darniche-Mahé. Then the Rac again, the last race of the season: 2 Stratos come into action for Munari and Valdegaard, plus one Beta for Lampinen, but during the race things go bad. Waldegaard seems not to be easily caught up till his gear breaks up. Mechanics are performing miracles and repair it, but he arrives five minute's late to the timetable and his hopes are hanging by the weak thread of a claim. He joins again the fight with a furious flight but, before the majesty of regulations, his showing off is only a display of virtuosity being an end to itself. The "Drago" swerves off the road and Lampinen finished tenth; it doesn't really matter because the World Championship in any case belongs to the Lancia, with 99 scores against 60 of the Renault and 59 of the Fiat. The year 1976 promises great innovations, not so much for the Stratos, apart from some modifications made in the front spoiler and wings, that it's the same as ever, but in the management of the sporting activities inside the Fiat Group and in the organization chart of the Lancia equip. On the first front the Group says to put a stop to fruitless rivalry in favour of a policy of market customization. Where the Lancia will be, the Fiat will not be there and vice versa. From the organizational point of view Daniele Audetto resigns to join Ferrari, and his place is taken by the good Mannucci who forsakes his driver's seat beside "Drago". It's the end of a happy and lucky union. They called Maiga to read the notes to Munari and the new couple of partners shows his harmony being successful at Montecarlo, first race meeting of the season. To tell the truth the whole Lancia team is in favourable conditions and Stratos cars are spreading by occupying first three steps of podium: Waldegard-Thorszelius and Darniche-Mahé are placed after the Italians. The team inebriated with domination is soon stopped on the Swedish snows, where the Saabs "96" of Eklund and Blomqvist are unreachable. Among the Lancia drivers, Lampinen holds out only: feeling not so much at his ease with the Stratos, he leaves the track spoiling a suspension, but he recovers and he succeeds in catching the fourth place that rewards his efforts. In Portugal, Munari wins in spite of the quirks of the gear, then the Safari. Craving to do things properly the Stratos is deeply modified by covering the cockpit with antifire material, so as to protect the crew from African heat, while the survival cell is reinforced with a cage of additional tubes to protect from the collisions with animals. These interventions will have influence on the weight with plus 100 kg, but on paper it should not be a great handicap. In all there are three Stratos lined up for Munari, Waldegaard and Preston the specialist, but this trident will manage to do little in a mission where the worst is still to come. First of all it is raining in torrents and therefore mud creeping everywhere covers the mechanical parts and the brakes up to the final collapse. Waldegaard finds himself with the free-wheel that is broken, Munari breaks an endless series of shock absorbers till the engine ends its suffering. Preston is the only one who sees the finishing line, even if he is placed twelve, after swearing at the stem of the bent accelerator. Mitsubishi wins with the Colt. At the Acropoli rally everything is going well till the tenth special stage, then the usual disasters start following one another: Waldegaard, who is frantically spreading out, is faced by an oil gallery broken, while Pinto's car has an axle shaft breaking. Pregliasco holds out, in the rain, until the clutch starts driving him mad up to forbid the use of the gear. The Nissan cars win and "the Japanese cars" really begin getting on one's wick…….As a matter of fact they are not a real danger, but the Opel car, which is not standing out above all the others, is regularly scraping points together till to come up to the Lancia by only eight lengths. A gleam of hope can be seen at the Rally of Morocco, where Munari-Maiga will go up the podium, even if on the lowest step, but to start smiling again we have to wait for the San Remo rally with Waldegaard-Thorszelius, Munari-Maiga and Pinto-Bernacchini to monopolize the first three places. Munari-Maiga win in Corsica, followed by Darniche-Mahé. The Italian crew is scraping last ten points at Rac and finaly the 1976 World Championship can be said finished with a clear leadership of the Lancia car (112 score) compared with Opel (57). In 1976 the Lancia also tries a digression in the world car makes with a turbo Stratos, advanced with respect to the first version: the engine is equipped with a KKK turbine with wastegate and intercooler, the chassis is lengthened from 1218 to 1245 mm and a new body is produced in fibreglass. The preparation of the car is given to Facetti's care not to burden the race dept. of the company. The Turbo makes its first performance at Mugello with Facetti himself and Vittorio Brambilla at the wheel of the car : it doesn't finish, but at Le Mans a complete team of women pilots, consisting of Lella Lombardi and the French driver Dacremont will be palced twentieth at an average of 151 km/h. Success will arrives only at Giro d'Italia with Facetti-Sodano. In 1977 the new Fiat weapon for rally is ready: the 131 Abarth, derived from the well-known 130 sedan, is considered as the ideal racing car to compete with Ford, that enters the field with the Escort and also availing itself of the former Lancia's driver Bjorn Waldegaard. What they announced a year before, that is to say a division of the roles between Fiat and Lancia according to the market, is coming true and the Stratos taking part in the World Championship is limited to 5 rallies only. Munari has enough time to win his third "Monte" just before the "131" car driven by Allen, then a long stop is appearing till the Safari rally, where the Lancia, as usual, joins the fight with all its capacity: two Stratos with 24-valve engine for Munari and Lampinen plus one with two-valve car for Ulyate. From the awful African mud only Munari comes out, he is placed third in spite of brakes troubles, while both Lampinen and Ulyate are offside for the engine overheating. Waldegaard wins at the wheel of the Escort and for the Stratos they say once more: "It will be for next time", but are they really sure that there will be a next time?. Again months of oblivion, then San Remo: the Lancia company lines up 4 Stratos for Munari, Pinto, Pregliasco and Carello, but the "131" cars win with Andruet, Verini and "Tony". Munari was left on foot for the gear troubles when he was in the lead at the second lap; same problems for Pinto, while Carello simply went off the road. Pregliasco only holds out and gets the hard-earned victory with a fourth place, after struggling as a mad to keep the Escort of Waldegaard behind him. The Tour de Corse was won by the newly European champion Darniche, not at the wheel of the blue Stratos in which he competed all over the season, but at the wheel of a white official "131" Abarth The Stratos was placed second with Pinto-Bernacchini, while Carello-Pressinot are placed fourth. The World Champioship turns to the Fiat car's advantage with 154 score, against 142 of the Ford. The year 1978 starts with a further step forward in the management of sport activities inside the Fiat group, that are centralized in an organization run by Cesare Fiorio. Daniele Audetto is appointed the sporting manager of the new equip; he has just ended his experience at the Ferrari company. It's obvious that an overlapping between the Stratos and the "131" Abarth cannot be any longer existing.: the former will be used in the contest to win the European title, while the latter will be only utilised for the World Championship. The new team may count on some of the best crews into circulation: Alen-Kivimaki, Munari-Sodano, Verini-Scabini, Bacchelli-Bernacchini, Carello-Perissinot. Rohrl-Geistdorfer. The Budget at their disposal is amounting to four thousand millions, while the Alitalia sponsor will be dressing both cars, even if the Stratos is appearing in Pirelli's livery at some meetings. As for the plan of regulations, the end of the F.I.S.A. dispensation, that had allowed to mount 24-valve cylinder heads on motor cars homologated with two valves for cylinder, penalizes the Stratos cars for about 30 hp, cancelling their power advantage over the 131 Abarth. That does not prevent the Lancia to spread over the European championship, title finally awarded to Carello-Perissinot with the important contribution of Darniche-Mahé and Rohrl-Geistdorfer. Furter satisfactions are given from the victories at the rallies of San Remo and Giro d'Italia, gained thanks to the incomparable class of Markku Alen. In 1979 Fiat is now sated with its full control: in Turin they decide to close an epoch and get ready for the future through an ambitious programme with the aim to bring up a new generation of pilots. That means the complete abstention from great international contests in order to employ resources for a single car make championship open to 127 Sport, Ritmo, 131 Racing and Abarth, alongside the great training of A112 Trofeo. Many young people will pass through this experience, giving up money and spending nights to prepare the racing cars at home like a sacrifice to the Goddess of races, well conscious of the fact that only few of them will be able to stand out. Lancia was entrusted with the future racing car project. The car shall be ready within 1981, the year of the coming into force of new regulations. It would seems the right moment for the Stratos to make its exit, but by now it is like a madam who has no intention to forget her reckless youth: delivered to private racing teams it goes on running till 1982, giving great satisfactions again. The 80's is a historic year, when the Stratos Chardonnet with Darniche-Mahé is placed second at the rally of Montecarlo and hits the mark by winning the Tour de France, These successful events has caused some doubts about the hurried early retirement of the Stratos: this hypothesis is without any doubt well-founded, but it is necessary to acknowledge the Fiat's ability to come into play again, starting from a blank paper rather than to fully exploit the ruling weapons already at its disposal. Moreover, thanks to the resources set free from the expiry date for taking part in international races, they laid the foundations for a success going on the next ten years, a success that has still been smiling for a long time at the Lancia make, first with the "037" and then with the "S4" and at the end with the Delta car. That's an example of courage and dynamism that should be held in due consideration by the Turin Company just in a period of crisis like the present one.

Stefano Costantino

Special thanks to the "Centro di Documentazione del Museo dell'Automobile "Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffa" Torino, for the research and to the "Registro Storico Lancia" for the kind permission to take the photographs of the cars.

• CASUCCI Piero, "Lancia Stratos", (Series Profiles) Collana Profili "Quattroruote", Milano. ed. Domus
• GOBBATO Pierugo, "Lancia Stratos", lecture given by Pierugo GOBBARO, March 11,2000, Milano, Museum of Science and Technics
• GREGGIO Fabrizio "Oggetto viaggiante identificato" (identified travelling object), Milano, magazine "Ruoteclassiche" n. 166, October 2002
• PERINI Giancarlo "Stratostoria" (Stratos history), magazine "Ruoteclassiche "n. 114,Milano, February 1998
• PIAZZI Giuseppe "Da qui alla Stratosfera" (From here to the stratosphere), magazine "Ruoteclassiche" n.75 , Milano, July/August 1994

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