What goes around, comes around 

It's always risky reinterpreting a classic design with a modern twist, let alone exhibiting the result alongside the very cars it owes its existence to. But when we visited the Geneva Motor Show in 2019, we were thrilled to report that the New Stratos from Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) more than held its own beside a beautiful black Lancia Stratos. We’d wondered whether the new car’s longer wheelbase – that of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, upon which the car is based – would stick out like a sore thumb, given the Lancia’s go-kart-like dimensions. But we needn’t have worried. There were so many cleverly reworked aesthetic dimensions that, if anything, only served to remind us of the timelessness of Gandini’s legendary design. 

Just 25 examples of the resurrected Stratos were planned, of which this ice-cool Alitalia-liveried example, complete with rally spotlights, is the very first. The carbon-fibre coupé will cross the block at Bonhams’ Rétromobile sale at the Grand Palais in Paris on 6 February, with an attached pre-sale estimate of 700,000–900,000 euros. We know there are many Stratos collectors out there for whom this car would make an excellent addition to the garage. 

Photos: Bonhams © 2020