Stratos replica's
Discussion
They were designed with a short wheelbase to make them turn quickly on gravel, so it is supposed to be a bit lively; that's the point. If done properly it wouldn't be dangerous because nobody would have been able to drive it quickly on a rally stage if it randomly threw the driver into a ditch.
That said, any engine in there would want a fairly smooth power delivery. A peaky turbo engine would most likely be a bit scary.
That said, any engine in there would want a fairly smooth power delivery. A peaky turbo engine would most likely be a bit scary.
Er, very few people *could* drive it quickly without it throwing them into the hedge. Of those few people, even Waldergard admitted that the only guy they all thought could actually drive the thing properly was Sandro Munari.
So in short to drive it quickly at all you had to be very very good.
So in short to drive it quickly at all you had to be very very good.
Hawk must have sold all their replicas to useless farts who drive them like they're driving Miss Daisy then, as I have not heard of Hawk's being planted in hedges. You would imagine the type of person craving such a car would be performance orientated behind the wheel. Who'd a thunk otherwise 
Lady
Lady
I saw one these a couple of months back parked out a local pub, looked amazing. Would it matter how it performed? im pretty sure the owner of this one keeps it polished in the garage and just enjoys driving it around the country roads on a nice summers a day, you cant top 60mph on a country road, im sure any replica is going to perform pretty well at <60mph?
TheEnd said:
out of interest, and a little bit of devil's avocado, what makes a stratos rep ok, but an mr2/355 bad?
Finding a Stratos for sale is pretty difficult, when compared to the ease of which a 355 is attainable. The mr2/355 is just a body kit on top of a good car, but it's there for the wrong reasons - it's a posing car, a car to fool people into believing you own a Ferrari.The Stratos is a car that is available with a lovely V6 and is engineered from the ground up to be a Stratos replica. Thus, the proportions are pretty much spot on.
Hello.
The actual spelling is "Strato's", as in 'Belonging to Strato'. I don't usually type that when posting about these wonderful cars as the punctuation Nazis would probably just keel over and die.
To be honest, Strato's (!) replicas are perfectly able to stay on the road, even when a fule such as myself gets behind the wheel. When driven with 'spirit', my car handles beautifully. There's only one rule to remember.
Never, ever, ever even think of lifting off when powering around a bend at high speed. That's NEVER!
Unless you're Sandro Munari, the car will oversteer off of the road. Snap, lift off oversteer is no fun.
Saying that, I've never even got close to the limits of my car.
As for the MR2/Ferrari comparison. The MR2 kits are just rebodies. A new skin over a Toyota. Strato's (there I did it) replicas are built from the ground up with bespoke chassis etc. They are veritable works of art.
The guys who build these wonderful machines (I didn't build mine) are craftsmen. They are several steps above a bolt together Caterfield job.
The current favourite engine is the Alfa 3 litre 24v V6. They put out roughly the same bhp (235 in mine) as the original Dino engine.
There's a new company producing replicas, alongsdie Hawk. They are just about to supply their first kits.
Anything else you wish to know, just visit the Strato's (did it again!) Enthusiast's Club forum
http://www.stratossupersite.com/forum/index.php
They're a damn fine bunch. They even let me in!
But, don't mention Top Gear. It's still a very sore point amongst us owners.
Overall, whenever I get in my little Strat, I smile. Driving her is a completely immersing experience. I've not driven anything like one of these.
Ands I've driven a G-Whizz. So, I know what I'm talking about!
The actual spelling is "Strato's", as in 'Belonging to Strato'. I don't usually type that when posting about these wonderful cars as the punctuation Nazis would probably just keel over and die.
To be honest, Strato's (!) replicas are perfectly able to stay on the road, even when a fule such as myself gets behind the wheel. When driven with 'spirit', my car handles beautifully. There's only one rule to remember.
Never, ever, ever even think of lifting off when powering around a bend at high speed. That's NEVER!
Unless you're Sandro Munari, the car will oversteer off of the road. Snap, lift off oversteer is no fun.
Saying that, I've never even got close to the limits of my car.
As for the MR2/Ferrari comparison. The MR2 kits are just rebodies. A new skin over a Toyota. Strato's (there I did it) replicas are built from the ground up with bespoke chassis etc. They are veritable works of art.
The guys who build these wonderful machines (I didn't build mine) are craftsmen. They are several steps above a bolt together Caterfield job.
The current favourite engine is the Alfa 3 litre 24v V6. They put out roughly the same bhp (235 in mine) as the original Dino engine.
There's a new company producing replicas, alongsdie Hawk. They are just about to supply their first kits.
Anything else you wish to know, just visit the Strato's (did it again!) Enthusiast's Club forum
http://www.stratossupersite.com/forum/index.php
They're a damn fine bunch. They even let me in!
But, don't mention Top Gear. It's still a very sore point amongst us owners.
Overall, whenever I get in my little Strat, I smile. Driving her is a completely immersing experience. I've not driven anything like one of these.
Ands I've driven a G-Whizz. So, I know what I'm talking about!
Blib said:
Saying that, I've never even got close to the limits of my car.
Therein lies the rub.I did a lot of work some years ago trying (unsuccessfully) to tame the handling of a Ferrari 308-engined Stratos replica (a Litton Corse).
The limits of grip were quite high, so unless you did something monumentally stupid (like lifting off mid-bend...), the chances of actually breaching them on public roads were fairly remote: it was easier to make it wash-out entering a bend than spin.
But amongst the testing I did was to drive the car on a grip circle to measure cornering force and steady-state handling balance. As a result, I can say that it was one of the most difficult cars I've come across in terms of predicting when it would finally break away, and when it did break away, you had to be bloody quick to catch it.
In many ways, they are a lot like a Series 1 Elise, only more so: same sort of weight distribuition, but even shorter wheelbase and mass at the back even bigger and higher up.
I think you can safely say they're never going to win any drifting competitions.
So what we are basically saying is if you obey the oldest rule of all...slow in, apply throttle late in bend and exit quickly...you will be fine.
If you apply any other rule you need to be called Munari.
If you are not called Munari...see rule 1.
Which I think is basically what everyone adheres to. Lets be honest, most people who know the cars probably also know about rule 1. Its isnt therefore a suprise that perhaps they have a little more respect for their machines and what can be done than the usual plebs.
If you apply any other rule you need to be called Munari.
If you are not called Munari...see rule 1.
Which I think is basically what everyone adheres to. Lets be honest, most people who know the cars probably also know about rule 1. Its isnt therefore a suprise that perhaps they have a little more respect for their machines and what can be done than the usual plebs.
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