Stratos
Luca di Montezemolo tries out the New Stratos
Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo managed to try out the New Stratos at Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit in Italy. Following the test drive, Montezemolo was quoted saying ‘congratulations’ and also suggested Roberto Fedeli, Ferrari’s technical director to take a look at the car.
The New Stratos is a one-off unit that was designed by Pinninfarina and has been already presented to its owner Michael Stoschek. The car which is based on the Ferrari F430′s running gear will be officially unveiled to the press at the Paul Ricard circuit in France next week.
The car was then driven by chief test driver Dario Benuzzi and he said that the only issue with the car was that its rear axle becomes a bit “agitated” at the high speed cornering. However the cure is pretty simple, which is by increasing the toe-in on the rear wheels. Continue reading to watch the video. Read the rest of this entry.
New videos of the Stratos released!
We have two more videos of the new Stratos to share with you. First up is the one that centers around a track test by WTCC racer and former Formula 1 driver Tiago Monteiro. The test was done at the Balooco test track in Italy.
The other video showcases the Stratos performing its wind tunnel test on September 13th at the Pininfarina’s factory in Turin. As mentioned previously, the new Stratos was commissioned by Michael Stoschek and is built by Pininfarina. It is underpinned by the platform of a Ferrari F430 and powered by the Prancing Horse’s 510hp 4.3 liter V8.
Production has not been officially announced but rumor has it that 25 units will make it through. Continue reading to enjoy the videos. Read the rest of this entry.
High-res images of the New Stratos released
The makers of the Pininfarina-built and Michael Stoschek-commissioned New Stratos have released high-res images of the one-off sports car. Details are still scarce at the moment but the new Lancia is based on the platform and drivetrain of the Ferrari F430. This means that it houses a 510hp 4.3 liter V8. As mentioned, the New Stratos which at the moment has no relations to Lancia is a one-off model but rumors are circulating that a 25-unit production is in the pipeline – and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens!
In 2005 a British firm called Fenomenon created a concept version of a more modern Stratos and revealed it at the British Motor Show. However the concept did not translate into a production Stratos. The original Stratos which made it’s name in rallying was powered by a Ferrari-sourced 2.5 liter Ferrari Dino V6. Several versions were made including a turbocharged version with 560hp. It is believed that only 492 units were produced during it’s lifetime. Pictured above is the New Stratos parked beside the original Lancia Stratos.
Continue reading to view the images in high-res glory. Read the rest of this entry.
New Stratos is real! Commissioned by Michael Stoschek
Recently a modern interpretation of the Lancia Stratos made headlines across the world following the release of a spy shot. Many thought Lancia is behind the project but that isn’t the case. The new Stratos is in fact real but it is commissioned by Michael Stoschek, owner and CEO of a German-based automotive supplier, Brose KG.
The new Stratos looks heavily inspired by Lancia’s original and it is built by Pininfarina. According to the vehicle’s dedicated website, the Stratos sits on a Ferrari F430 platform. The involvement with Ferrari doesn’t end there. The F430′s 510hp 4.3 liter V8 and other drivetrain components are featured in the Stratos as well.
At moment the Stratos is a one-off but rumor has it that it could go into a 25-unit limited production run. This first unit is probably for Stoschek to test the market and find out if there is demand: something tells me that there will be! We are also unsure if the Stratos will carry a Lancia badge, probably not. The new Stratos which had it’s development initiated in 2008 may hit the stands at next month’s Paris Motor Show. More images can be found after the jump.
Source. Read the rest of this entry.
