Old Lancia Stratos Meets New in San Marino Rally [Video]

More than a dozen examples of the classic Lancia Stratos in both production and rally trims met up with the one-off New Stratos at the recent 2011 Rally Legend Event in San Marino.

The New Stratos was commissioned by wealthy German car enthusiast Michael Stoschek and built by Italian design house Pininfarina. It is based on a shortened platform of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and features a 4.3-liter V8 engine sourced from the same model with 540-horses and more than 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of peak torque.

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Lancia Stratos HFs in Action at the 2011 Rally Legend Event in San Marino

The original Lancia Stratos HF is, if not the, one of the most legendary rally cars of all time. Crafted in an era of notable achievements for the Italian automotive industry, the Stratos is a sad reminder of what Lancia once stood but not anymore.

Designed by the great Bertone, it was based on Ferrari mechanics using a modified version of the Dino's 2.4-liter V6. The Stratos was an extremely successful racing car winning three consecutive World Rally Championships in 1974, 1975, and 1976.

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Lancia Rolls Out New Thema at 68th Venice International Film Festival [Video + Photos]

The Fiat Group may have forced Lancia to give up on the art of…making cars, but the Italian company is trying to compensate by mastering the art of…promotion.

The Italian firm's new flagship model, the Chrysler 300-sourced Thema, is making a special appearance at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, of which Lancia is the main sponsor for the seventh year running.

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VIDEO: Michael Stoschek Takes his New Lancia Stratos out for Racing

Unlike many other exotic supercar owners, Michael Stroshek isn’t keen on letting his pride and joy pass its time as a fancy museum piece in a parking lot. The German owner of the much talked about one-off Lancia Stratos wants to enjoy his latest toy where it counts the most: on the race track.

In these latest videos, we see Stroshek taking the Pininfarina-built and Ferrari 430 Scuderia-based Stratos out for racing at the Circuit Spa Francorchamps in Belgium and at the Sachsen Rallyce 2011 in Germany. Hop the jump to see the 540-horsepower Stratos in action for yourself.

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Yugo…Grale Replicates Lancia’s Iconic Delta HF Integrale [with Video]

If you grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s and were an avid automotive enthusiast, chances are you fondly remember the great Delta HF Integrale, arguably the last super exciting (from a driver's perspective) Lancia model.

And while Lancia has turned a new page in its history, tending to the needs of customers enamored with fashion catwalks instead of rally courses, there are plenty of drivers out there who cherish the original spirit of the Italian brand. Some, however, have taken their love of Lancia to the extreme turning mundane Yugos, itself a by-product of the Fiat 127, into Integrale replicas.

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Lancia’s Glitzy Ypsilon Promotional Videos

Lancia has released new videos of its 2012 Ypsilon, the posh supermini that made its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this week alongside the subtly revised Delta and the Chrysler-sourced Thema sedan, Grand Voyager MPV, and Fulvia Saloon and Convertible (the last two shown as concepts).

The videos clearly link the new Ypsilon to fashion and luxury, essentially building on the image created by the supermini’s predecessors. Although the outgoing Ypsilon was perceived more of a lady’s car, the automaker wants to send the message that its successor targets both hairdressers male and female buyers.

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VIDEO: Eminem Meets Italian Opera at Lancia's Presentations of the 2012 Thema and Flavia Concepts

The 81st Geneva International Salon marked Lancia's biggest but also, most controversial motor show appearance in recent years. Biggest because Lancia rolled out a total of six new vehicles and concept models, most controversial because four of those cars including the Thema flagship, the Flavia sedan and convertible concepts, and the Grand Voyager MPV are nothing more than rebadged Chryslers.

Lancia and Chrysler CEO Oliver Francois presented the Chrysler 300-based Thema under the sounds of an odd music mix. "Introducing this car of two continents in Geneva became a very personal affair, therefore I personally worked out a little piece of music, a blend of two musical cultures, Eminem's typical Detroit beat with a touch of Italian opera," said Francois just before the 2012 Thema saloon entered the stage.

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Classic Flashback: The Ferrari-Powered 1986 Lancia Thema 8.32

All the talk about the Fiat Group's plans to re-badge the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300 (see our high-res gallery here) and re-brand it as the Lancia Thema in Europe, brought to mind the original Thema of the mid-1980s and -1990s, and especially, the Ferrari V8-powered 8.32 model.

Introduced at the 1984 Turin Motor Show, the Thema was Lancia's flagship sedan, sharing the "Type Four" platform with the Fiat Croma, Alfa Romeo 164 and the Saab 9000.

Shaped by the hands of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the boxy sedan model featured a 0.32 drag coefficient, which was an impressive figure at the time. Being a luxury model, it featured a comprehensive list of standard and optional features, including automatic air conditioning and heated seats wrapped in leather or Alcantara.

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New Lancia Stratos in Rally Car Guise and More. Could be Built in Limited Numbers if there's Interest [with Video]

The New Lancia Stratos has completed yet another step of its lengthy unveiling process. This time we have information about the official presentation, which took place on November 29-30, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Le Castellet, France. There, a select few had the opportunity to see the cabin for the first time, a racecar concept, while they were also informed that the New Stratos could be built in limited production run if there's substantial interest from potential buyers. Read more »

New Lancia Stratos: Full Tech Specs and Performance Figures Plus Presentation Video

The PR people behind the New Stratos project continue to slowly reveal additional information about Pininfarina's one-off supercar. This time they released the full tech specs and performance figures.

Based on Ferrari F430 Scuderia underpinnings, the retrotastic Stratos packs a considerable punch. It measures 4.1 meters in length and tips the scales at just 1.247 kg (2.749 pounds) with the weight distributed 44% in the front and 56% at the rear. Power-to-weight ratio is 2.3 kg/hp, thanks to the 4.3-liter V8 engine, which churns out 540 hp and over 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. That’s 30 ponies more than the Scuderia’s stock powerplant.

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VIDEO: Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo Drives the New Stratos

After Pininfarina presented the New Stratos to the car's owner Michael Stoschek, the Italian design house invited Ferrari head-honcho Luca di Montezemelo to take it for a spin around the Fiorano circuit in Maranello.

According to the project's official website, Mr. di Montezemolo was very impressed with the New Stratos, openly praising it with exclamations such as "bellissima" and "congratulazioni". And that's not all, as the Ferrari CEO called his technical director, Roberto Fedeli, and suggested he should also take a look at the car.

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1970 Lancia Stratos Zero: Birth of a legend [Photos & Video]

The Lancia Stratos is a rally legend and one of the most iconic sports cars of all time with legions of fans. One of those fans, German businessman Michael Stoschek, even went as far as commissioning Pininfarina to build a one-off modern-day iteration of the Stratos based on the hardware of a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

But not many people know that the first spark that ignited this firestorm was a Bertone concept. Enter the 1970s Stratos Zero prototype. It all started when Bertone had the idea to mount the Fulvia's 1.6-liter V4 engine on a new base. This is how the Stratos Zero concept car was born, a 3.58 meter (141 inches) long and just 84 cm (33 inches) tall prototype envisioned by Marcello Gandini, the same man responsible for the designs of the Lamborghini Countach and Miura.

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DIY Video: How to Scrap a Lancia Delta

Agreed; the previous -second- generation of the Lancia Delta wasn't anything special (not that we care about any first-gen Delta other than the Integrale models), but to destroy any car all in the name of a Youtube video, just doesn't seem right any way you hummer-sledge it. Watch the video after the break

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