New Lancia Stratos Might Be Coming

Imagine that you are walking past the Fiat Group’s Balocco test track in Italy and you suddenly see the silhouette of the legendary Lancia Stratos in the distance. As the car approaches a bit, you realize that it is actually a modern day reinterpretation of the performance and rally icon.

This is what two spy photographers (Ok, they were not just walking by the test track) experienced, with the result of their extra-special encounter being the adjacent image - this was originally posted on the italiaspeed website.

The new Lancia Stratos, which comes to us 40 years after we were seduced by the unveiling of the original car (Turin Motor Show, 1970), features a long list of visual goodies, such as the bold wheel arches, the special shape of the vehicle’s glass surfaces and the angry rear spoiler. The test vehicle also comes with ultra-modern features like LED technology for the front turn signals.

According to the aforementioned source, the New Stratos project is the play of an European industrialist. However, the vehicle could become an official Lancia car, with one of the proofs being the fact that it was being tested at Balocco.

But what made the original Stratos so special? Well, it was the first car ever to be specifically built as a World Rally Championship racer, which also had a road-going incarnation.

The vehicle, which used a design signed by Bertone, quickly started registering success after success in its motorsport activity, with its road version become a highly collectible machine.