Lancia Stratos Zero

Vehicle Overview

The Lancia Stratos Zero was exhibited in Bertone‘s museum for many years. In 2011 it was sold during an auction in Italy for €761,600.  It has been displayed in the exhibit “Sculpture in Motion: Masterpieces of Italian Design” at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It was at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta at the “Dream Cars” exhibit in 2014, on loan from the XJ Wang Collection of New York City. The car’s body is wedge-shaped and finished in distinctive orange. It is unusually short in length (3.58 m (141 in)) and height (84 cm (33 in)), and it shares little with the production version. The Lancia Stratos Zero appeared in Michael Jackson’s 1988 film Moonwalker. It was the prototype for the upcoming rally and road Stratos.

In terms of car design, the most original idea to come out of 1970 was a futuristic prototype by the name of Lancia Stratos Zero, fruit of Bertone inspiration. It all started with the idea of mounting the engine block from a Lancia Fulvia 1.6 HF on a new base. The engine was centrally-mounted in a lowered position, and the suspensions and steering elements were designed according to a revolutionary line, breaking out of any known set moulds. The result is a flowing shape which tapers in sharply at both ends, 358 cm long and just 84 cm high. The presence of the four wheels is the only conceptual link to the contemporary idea of an automobile. The marked shaping of the wings, which accentuate the wedge-shape of the body, and the triangular motif of the roof, and air vents, all serve to underline its stylistic divide from the classic elements of car design. The technical features employed are astounding: the double side windows, the front and rear lights, and the access to the car with the entire front of the vehicle opening up to let the driver literally walk up to the driving seat. The “Stratoline” as Nuccio Bertone had initially christened it, goes beyond an exercise in design, to represent a global reworking of the actual concept of what makes a car. From the Zero prototype, Bertone gave birth to the Lancia Stratos production model.

Photo courtesy of Petersen Museum.