1979 Lancia Stratos Gr. 4

If you love the world of motorsport and classic car collecting, the guys at luxury, German car specialists, Schaltkulisse, have got just the thing for you with this wonderful, retro-tastic 1979 Lancia Stratos Gr. 4. With an exterior Concessionari Lancia Livery, this is definitely one eye-catching machine that will be the crowning glory in any racer car collector’s line up of vehicles. It is preserved in its original condition and it has been maintained by marque specialists and is subject to extensive historical research.

The Lancia Stratos is generally considered one of the most iconic rally cars of all time. The design of the Stratos originated from a one-off concept car that was presented by Carrozzeria Bertone at the Turin Motorshow in 1970. The “Stratos Zero” concept car was not designed to be a rally winner, but the widespread acclaim of the design-led Lancia’s Director of Public Relations Sandro Floria and his son, Cesare, who was Lancia’s rally team director, to propose using the name and design to revitalize Lancia’s brand with a new model that would be integrated into their relaunched motorsport division.

This spectacular steed from Schaltkulisse has an impressive history that merely serves to add to its appeal still further. In 1979, Franco Cunico became one of the rising stars of the Italian rally world with his fearless performance behind the wheel.  Driving in the Trofeo A112 Abarth, he swept all before him to win 7 rallies of the 11 entered that year, not to mention 32 stage victories so he was definitely one of the most celebrated drivers of the era.

After Cunico´s 1980 season, the now-registered car found its way into the hands of a privateer by the name of Piero Irneri for the 1981 season. He again competed in the Italian national championship but was unable to emulate the successes of the previous two years and failed to finish any of the five rallies entered.

Since 2015, and after various owners, the car has been expertly maintained and has been kept in as original a condition as possible, with no expense spared, by Tom Fischer – Classic & Race Car Service and Udo Sparwald. Now back in its correct Rally Lana 1980 livery the car has been used and shown at the Edelweiβ Berpreis Rossfeld in 2016, at the 2018 Stratos Meeting in Bolzano, and again in 2019 in Sanremo, and then finally at Bernina Grand Turismo in 2022. One for the rally aficionado for sure.

Leo Davie