Small surprise?

You might not know Sandro Munari. But do you remember the Lancia Stratos? You will.
Take a good look at the picture above. Most probably that is the angle you might see the new Stratos from. This shape originally penned by Marcello Gandini at Bertone haunted the car-designers ever since. The story of the New Stratos gets interesting where Jason Castriota, (at the time at Pininfarina, then Bertone) started to play with the lines of the legend until the result was taken to production. The rest, as they say, is history.
The team behind the New Stratos road car is reportedly planning a new racing version, which has been previewed by Amalgam at 1/8th scale.

Just don't run for your wallets yet. The GT2 version - if produced - will be in a limited number of course. Whereas the non-racing version is concerned, well it is a one-off. Yet.
The wedge-shaped rally legend's visual successor is based on the F430 Scuderia, looks hot and runs good. Actually better than most Ferraris. 3,3 secs from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph). A 44/56 front/rear weight distribution ratio and a 4.3-liter V8 tuned from the 508 horsepower delivered in the Scud to 540 makes this rocket the Stratos of the modern era. And you don't have to know Sandro Munari to understand what this means.

Press Release

Dimensions
Length 4181 mm
Width 1971 mm
Height 1240 mm
Front track 1668 mm
Rear track 1701 mm
Wheelbase 2400 mm
Front overhang 968 mm
Rear overhang 813 mm

Weights
Dry Weight 1247 kg
Weight distribution 44% front, 56% rear

Chassis
Aluminium profile Scuderia chassis, 20 cm shortened
Welded roll cage FIA FE45 steel, 40 x 2.5 mm

Body
Full carbon fiber body and interior Visible carbon (Re Fraschini)
Aerodynamics
Cw (at 140km/h) 0.357
A 2.07
Cw x A 0.738

Engine
Cylinders 8
Engine capacity 4308 cm³
Engine control unit Bosch, update
Exhaust High-performance system with free-flow manifold and sports catalytic converter (Capristo)
Maximum power 375.4 Kw (540hp) at 8200 rpm
Torque > 500 Nm at 3750 rpm
Power-to-weight ratio 2.3kg/hp

Gearbox
6 speed sequential gearbox with mechanical variable differential (Drexler) Fast gear changes at less than 60 milliseconds
Gear Ratio 4.3 / 5.0

Suspension
Electronic suspension system CDC® (ZF Sachs)
Spring front Eibach, 120 N/mm
Spring rear Eibach, 180 N/mm
Dampers Hydraulic aluminium twintube shocks with electronic-controlled proportioning valves
Front/Rear axle Hub SKF with central fixing

Wheels & Tyres
Center-lock rims size front 9J x 19'' EH2 (Fondmetal)
Center-lock rims size rear 11J x 19'' EH2 (Fondmetal)
Offset front rim ET 38
Offset rear rim ET 5
Tyres front 265 / 30 19'' (Dunlop Sport Maxx)
Tyres rear 315 / 30 19'' (Dunlop Sport Maxx)

Brakes
Carbon disk front 398 mm x 36 mm (Brembo)
Carbon disk rear 350 mm x 34 mm (Brembo)
Brake caliper front 6 pot
Brake caliper rear 4 pot
Pads XAS 4499 (Brembo)
Brake lines Steel flex lines

Accessories
Head lights Bi-Xenon (Hella)
Rear lights LED-Ferrari 599
Front wiper system 1 blade
Exterior mirrors Electric switch and side indicator
Window regulator Lightweight regulator with anti-trap technology (Brose)
Windshield and side windows 3.76 mm and 4 mm thin window glass

Safety
6-Point Harnesses, 3" Width (Willans)
Steering system
Electro-hydraulic power steering pump
New carbon steering wheel with multicoloured LEDs

Fuel System
2 outboard aluminium fuel tanks, capacity 90 litres

Electrics
84 Ah Lithium Ion Battery in carbon housing, weight 4.2 kg
Electronics modifications
Engine control unit
Window regulator (anti-trap)
Electronic suspension system CDC® (ZF Sachs)
Door locks and bonnets

The Performance

The New Stratos, like the racing version of its predecessor, has been extensively geared – down to every last detail – towards lightweight design and performance. Not surprisingly, the specification sheet was therefore extremely ambitious in this regard as well.

The low vehicle weight, the excellent balance and the precision chassis components made possible by the rigid body, were intended not only to provide an exhilarating driving experience, but to provide measurable results in the form of objective data.

As work on the New Stratos continued virtually without pause up until the presentation in Le Castellet, and weather conditions offered no opportunity for performance test runs, these will have be carried out at the next available opportunity.

We expect a power-to-weight ratio below 2.3 kg/hp with an acceleration time from 0-100 km/h of 3.3 seconds and from 0-200 km/h of 9.7 seconds. We expect top marks for braking performance and a benchmark position in the 18- and 36-meter slalom and similar handling tests.

After introducing the new rear axle ratio (crown wheel and pinion 9/45), the top speed will be reduced to 274 km/h, in order to achieve even better acceleration values.