’76 Lancia Stratos HF Strada
[Not a valid template]This, in case you were wondering, is also one of the five vying for the top spot. In terms of looks, it’s difficult – nay impossible, as I quickly found out from crankandpiston.com photographer Hari – to find a ‘bad side’ of this 1976 Stratos HF Strada, despite it being far from the most elegant ever devised by the motoring world. But then of course, that wasn’t the point. Originally unveiled as the Stratos Zero concept in 1970, the 192hp Ferrari V6-powered brute was Lancia‘s highly successful follow-up to the Fulvia in Group B rallying, adding three titles on the bounce from 1974 to 1976 principally because of its lightweight chassis, ventilated disc brakes, and a surprisingly resilient five-speed manual gearbox. On the road, each of the homologated 492 examples were less adept (rumours abound that a drive to work could easily end in the clutch exploding), but few people cared. To many, myself included, the Lancia Stratos defined a generation.
Then Michael Stoschek went and made a new one. Go figure…
