#Stratos HF

[diabolus1exmachina]

Alfa Romeo Carabo 

The Carabo project was a collaborative effort between the Italian manufacturer and the Bertone styling house: a partnership which had previously borne fruits that included the 2000 Sportiva and BAT concept cars of the mid-1950s. The basis of the Carabo was a chassis numbered 75033.109 which was, more specifically, that of a 33 Stradale road car. Despite sharing mechanicals with the Tipo 33 race car and since being recognised as one of the most beautiful cars in history, Alfa had trouble finding owners for the Stradale due to its steep asking price of around $17,000. As a result, five of the Stradale chassis were passed to Italian carrozzerie: two to Pininfarina (used for the 33.2 and Cuneo concepts), one to Italdesign (which became the Iguana concept), and two to Bertone – the other being used as a basis for the 1976 Navajo concept.

The H-shaped tubular chassis supported an all-aluminium 1995cc engine which was designed by Carlo Chiti and, incidentally, was the first Alfa Romeo V8. The fuel-injected, longitudinally mounted motor used chain-driven camshafts and red-lined at 10,000rpm, despite being detuned to 230bhp from the Tipo race car’s 250-270bhp. This granted the Carabo a top speed of 160mph and the ability to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.5 seconds, with the power being sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed, syncromeshed, transaxle gearbox designed by Valerio Colotti.

Because of its underpinnings, designer Marcelo Gandini had the opportunity to create a car that would revolutionise the automotive industry for many years afterwards. The engine being mounted amidships allowed for a pointed front end, while the ground-hugging poise inherited from the Tipo race car meant the car was under a metre tall at its highest point. Combined with the squared-off rear end, these characteristics inspired countless wedge-shaped designs of the 70s and 80s, and also gave the car its name and colour: Carabo is derived from ‘Carabidae’, a family of ground-beetles with a distinctive green and gold colour.

The principle of the wedge-shaped profile was used to eliminate the high-speed aerodynamic lift troubles of the Lamborghini Miura, which Gandini had penned two years earlier. However, his innovative cerebration didn’t stop there: as well as having headlights hidden beneath active flaps, the Carabo was the first concept car with front-hinged wing doors, later used by Gandini when designing the Lamborghini Countach and since assuming the ‘Lamborghini doors’ meme. As well as inspiring the revolutionary raging bull, the Carabo clearly also lent styling cues to the Lancia Stratos Zero concept car, which in turn inspired the iconic Stratos HF. Unsurprisingly, the Carabo remained a one-off, but its revolutionary styling dramatically steered the automotive design industry onto a radically different path – one which produced some of the landmark cars of the 20th Century. Even those who can’t look favourably on its apparent aversion to curved surfaces should take a second to appreciate its legacy; after all, would an Aventador have quite the same drama without its ‘Carabo doors’?

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, 1976, by Bertone. A the London Concours this week, the road-going version of Lancia's Ferrari-engined rally car. Whenever I see one of these cars in the flesh I'm always impressed by how compact they are

[brun00u11]

[coolthingsguyslike]

[masoncarr2244]

1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale

[rallytimeofficial]

Ammirazione per le Lancia Stratos HF dei fratelli Avandero al Rallylegend

🔴 🔴 Ammirazione per le Lancia Stratos HF dei fratelli Avandero al Rallylegend

La 21 edizione del Rallylegend ha visto tra i tanti protagonisti presenti due equipaggi della Squadra Corse Città di Pisa uno composto da Stefano Avandero e Giuseppe Tricoli  a cui era stato assegnato il numero LS38 e l’altro composto da Filippo Avandero e Massimo Salvucci entrambi su due favolose Lancia Stratos Hf  dal passato sportivo prestigioso. Infatti quella condotta da Stefano…

[chloelikesthesims]

Lancia Stratos HF Zero by Bertone

[frenchcurious]

Lancia Stratos HF 1975. - source Moto Vitelloni - Wheels n' wings.

[formlab]

Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, 1975 

[sectoralchromatics]

Isabella Bignardi, 1981 Italian Ladies' Rally Champion, showing the spectators her pink Lancia Stratos HF at the start of 1981 Rally delle Valli Piacentine.

[vintageclassiccars]

1977 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Lancia Rally Stradale, 1982; Stratos Group 4, 1973; Delta HF integrale, 1993. Lancia competed in the WRC in the 70s, 80s and early 90s with a succession of models. The Stratos was originally designed by Bertone, the Rally was based on the Montecarlo that was a Pininfarina design and the design for the Delta was originally by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign. The Delta was one of the most successful rally cars of all time, winning the World Rally Championship for manufacturers 6 times between 1987 and 1992. Despite not competing in the WRC since 1992, Lancia still holds more Manufacturers' Championships than any other brand.

[retromania4ever]

Lancia Stratos HF 🇮🇹

[les-belles-mecaniques]

Lancia Stratos HF Stradale – 1974

[masoncarr2244]

1975 Lancia Stratos HF Group 4