This is a 1:24th scale model of the Lancia Stratos Turbo, one of the most purposeful-looking Group 5 race cars of its time and a vehicle capable of over 560 bhp in race trim.
The Lancia Stratos HF was originally designed as a rally car, and it dominated the World Rally Championship, winning the title in 1974, 1975, and 1976. Its futuristic almost concept car-like styling was the work of Marcello Gandini, then working at Bertone.
There can be little argument that the Lancia Stratos Turbo was one of the most purposeful-looking race cars of its time.
A road-going homologation version of the car was produced, called the Lancia Stratos HF Stradale with “Stradale” meaning “Street” or “Road” in Italian. Approximately 500 of these vehicles would be produced, and the Stratos was then homologated in time for the 1974 season.
The Lancia Stratos Turbo was a version of the car developed for the Group 5 Silhouette formula in the mid-1970s. Turbocharged versions of the rally car had been tried previously, and the lessons learned would be applied to the new Group 5 Stratos Turbo with much success – resulting in a lightweight car with a prodigious power output.
The compact nature of the engine bay and the heat generated by the turbocharging system resulted in significant overheating problems, transmission failures due to high torque output also kneecapped the car’s competition career.
The non-turbocharged version of the Stratos, the HF, did prove successful in road-based competition, winning the Tour de France Automobile in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1980. It also won the Giro d’Italia Automobilistico in 1974, 1976, and 1978.
The model you see here is one of the newest offerings from Japanese scale model and remote controlled car manufacturer Tamiya. It’s a 1:24 scale version of the Lancia Stratos Turbo that measures in at 178mm long, 89mm wide, and 50mm high, or approximately 7 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and 2.0 inches high.
This 1:24 scale model from Tamiya does a great job of recreating the distinctive Stratos Turbo chin spoiler, wide fenders, roof spoiler, and rear wing.
The interior has realistic renderings of the bucket seats and dashboard, the front wheels are steerable, and it has the distinctive Stratos Turbo chin spoiler, wide fenders, roof spoiler, and rear wing. The kit retails for $37 USD and it’s now available to order directly from Tamiya.
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
