Celebrating the Art of Italian Coachbuilding
Celebrating the Art of Italian Coachbuilding
The Lancia Statos: Bertone’s masterpiece designed by Gandini.
The Lancia Stratos was produced from 1973 to 1975. It was designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone and equipped with a V6 Ferrari Dino engine and gearbox expressly to stand out in rallies. In 1971, Bertone unveiled the definitive version of the Stratos wich was due to be nabufactured in a small production run for rallying. Almost everythings was changed from the original 1970 prototype, starting with the engine for wich the joint Berone-Lancia development team preferred the V6 2.4 litre Dino Unit (2418cc, four overhead camshafts,1912 hp at 7000 rpm). Built on a wheelbase of 2160 mm, the Stratos was 3670 mm long, 1700 mm wide and 1080 mm high. The cockpit was a strict two-seater and was encircled by costant radiius wraparound windows of notable elegance. The Stratos had a beautiful body for a racing car and from 1973 scored an extraordinary series of victories in the World Rally Championship over six consecutive years. Bertone produced an estimated 495 bodies of that legendary rally car.
What do you do when you’ve got a brilliant V6 race engine, big dreams for Formula 2, and no way to build 500 road cars fast enough to satisfy the FIA? If you’re Enzo Ferrari, you knock on Fiat’s door, flash a charming smile, and ask for a favor that ends up creating one of the most unexpected—and glorious—partnerships in Italian automotive history.
Rally enthusiasts and automotive history buffs have a new must-visit destination as the prestigious Autoworld Museum in Brussels launches its latest exhibition, Rally Legends – From Dust to Glory. Running from February 28 to April 21, this thrilling showcase celebrates the legacy of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and prominently features two of Lancia’s most iconic rally cars: the Lancia Stratos Gr.4 Alitalia (1974) and the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Group A (1992).
Before the Lancia Stratos, if we exclude the “fuoriserie” of the past, Bertone had never officially collaborated with Lancia. To create this opportunity, Bertone, recovering the V4 from a demolished Lancia Fulvia Coupe, built a dreamcar capable of capturing the attention not only of the well-known Turin brand, but also of the public.
The beginning of Bertone Bertone was founded in November 1912, when Giovanni Bertone, then aged 28, opened a workshop specialising in the construction and…
