Author: John Mayhead
Photography: Lancia Motor Club
The production Lancia Stratos HF (‘High Fidelity’) Stradale was not quite as bold as the Lancia Stratos 0 concept unveiled at the 1970 Turin Auto Show, but when production began in July 1972, it still seemed like something from the far future compared with other cars on the road.
The Stratos HF is one of the most instantly recognisable classics of the 1970s, bringing together three extraordinary elements in a way that really hasn’t been bettered, before or since. For a body, Lancia developed the wedge shape of the Stratos 0 concept, created by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, itself a development of his 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo and 1969 Autobianchi A112 Runabout designs.
Second, at the heart of the Stratos sits the wonderful 2.4-litre Ferrari Dino overhead cam V6 that delivered 190 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque in the road-going version, and up to 320 hp in the Rally version. Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transaxle.
The final piece of the jigsaw was the body and drivetrain, developed as a rally car so that the 500 Stradale (street) versions would pass Group 4 homologation requirements. A stamped-steel cockpit and spaceframe were clad in fiberglass front and rear, braking was provided by discs all round, and suspension through double wishbones and coil springs, the rear being Chapman struts. The weight – or lack of it – was extraordinary: 980kg for the Stradale version and just 879kg for the Rally. In the end, just 492 were completed, the FIA accepting that there were enough parts and body tubs completed to create that number. The car dominated rallying, winning three consecutive WRC championships from 1974 to 1976 and with successful privateer still racing the car into the early 1980s.
Today, the Stratos HF still punches above its weight. Of the 3000 cars Hagerty tracks with its Collectability Algorithm, it sits in the 99th percentile overall. In fact, it’s in the top 20 of the most collectable cars despite having the smallest engine capacity of any model in the top 100. Demographically, it’s an older-owner car, with 68 percent of owners born before 1965. Values rose significantly between 2010 and 2015, Hagerty’s ‘Excellent’ price up from £316,000 to £505,000 in that time, but almost flat since then, with a current price of £507,000.
Data:
- Hagerty value range: £353,000 – £564,0000
- Collectability Algorithm percentile: 99.02
- Engine: 2418cc V6
- Power: 190bhp (two FIA Gp 5 Turbo evolution cars up to 560bhp)
- Number made: 492
- Percentage of owners born before 1965: 68
We’d love to know what collectable classic you would like us to do a deep data dive on next. Leave us your suggestions at hdc@hagerty.co.uk