1970 Lancia Stratos Zero: Birth of a legend [Photos & Video]

The Lancia Stratos is a rally legend and one of the most iconic sports cars of all time with legions of fans. One of those fans, German businessman Michael Stoschek, even went as far as commissioning Pininfarina to build a one-off modern-day iteration of the Stratos based on the hardware of a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

But not many people know that the first spark that ignited this firestorm was a Bertone concept. Enter the 1970s Stratos Zero prototype. It all started when Bertone had the idea to mount the Fulvia's 1.6-liter V4 engine on a new base. This is how the Stratos Zero concept car was born, a 3.58 meter (141 inches) long and just 84 cm (33 inches) tall prototype envisioned by Marcello Gandini, the same man responsible for the designs of the Lamborghini Countach and Miura.

The Fulvia's 115 hp (86 kW) V4 was centrally-mounted in a lowered position and the suspension and steering elements had to be radically redesigned due to the concept's revolutionary line.

Featuring a myriad of geometrical shapes and razor-sharp edges, the Stratos Zero also boasted a number of unconventional solutions, such as the double side windows, unique front and rear lights and access to the cabin by opening the front end of the vehicle. Basically, the driver could "walk up to the driving seat".

Steel was used as the prime material for the chassis and some body parts, combined with lightweight fiberglass panels. A small box behind the powertrain acted as a boot, while bins in the interior served as storage for helmets. It's as if someone already knew that the Stratos name would become a rally legend…

The Zero was first unveiled at the 1970 Turin Motor Show and almost instantly became a design milestone. Today it is one of Bertone's most admired projects.

By Csaba Daradics

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Fresh Videos of New Lancia Stratos Shot During Final Testing

The developers of the New Stratos have released some new video footage of their Ferrari F430 Scuderia-based supercar. The first clip shows WTTC and former Formula-1-Pilot Tiago Monteiro fine-tuning the chassis of the New Stratos at Balooco test track, Italy, while the second video is from the final wind tunnel test that took place on September 13th at Pininfarina's plant in Turin.

We're still waiting for the full technical specs and performance numbers but for now, head over the jump to watch the two aforementioned videos plus one more with the owner of the one-off supercar, Michael Stoschek, tackling the Arosa hillclimb in his classic Lancia Stratos Group 4.

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First Video of New Lancia Stratos Supercar in Action

We've been keeping an eye out for video footage of the one-off New Stratos supercar being developed by Pininfarina ever since the news broke out about the build. And today we found the first film showing the car in the flesh doing some rounds on the track. The man you see talking about the reborn Stratos in the video clip is none other than Michael Stoschek, the German automotive parts supply magnate behind the project.

Our knowledge of the German language is pretty much limited to certain key phrases such as "Bier, bitte mehr bier" and "Du siehst hübsch aus", so if any of you could translate, we'd appreciate it.

The New Stratos has been in development since late 2008. It's based on a shortened Ferrari 430 Scuderia chassis and, as you can see in the video below, power comes from a Ferrari V8 engine.