ListerBell Stratos
Discussion
shalmaneser said:
God this looks amazing. It's amazing how small the glasshouse is!
Do the windows drop as per the original Stratos? And is there AC?
EDIT: looks like an AC rad in the front there actually - good move!
Yes, ticked the options box for AirCon. I suspect the shape of the windscreen might mean it gets a bit hot in there plus the heat from the big noisy thing behind my head.Do the windows drop as per the original Stratos? And is there AC?
EDIT: looks like an AC rad in the front there actually - good move!
Yes, the window mechanism is as per the original Stratos and indeed the windows themselves are interchangeable with an original car.
DJHay said:
renmure said:
Yes, the window mechanism is as per the original Stratos and indeed the windows themselves are interchangeable with an original car.
What a fantastic car. You mention the windows fitting the original cars. Can I ask, how much of the kit is interchangeable with an original Lancia Straos?stratosboy said:
that would be good, probably be with Norman in his LB Stratos, look forward to it.
I've just twigged that I know your friend Norman. I bet your previous occupation comes in handy 
pingu393 said:
I'm surprised that any of it is interchangeable. It's a credit to the builders that they have made a car that is so close to the original. I'm thinking of building a kit car and the only things that are from the original would be the side lights
I want to say that even things like the bodywork parts are interchangeable but like I say, I'm no expert.I've done lots of trackdays in other stuff and lots of charity things in other cars as well. Suppose what I meant was that I hadn't got it for any specific reason or to enter any specific events. I know there are other owners who always intended they would enter rallycross events for example. I'll just be posing around making noise 
I live 4 miles from a shop so might take it to get milk or dog food every now and again and might even get home before the take-away pizza gets cold. Down in the village they still point and stare at airplanes so I expect this will get some attention.
I live 4 miles from a shop so might take it to get milk or dog food every now and again and might even get home before the take-away pizza gets cold. Down in the village they still point and stare at airplanes so I expect this will get some attention.
DJHay said:
Is there any update on the car? Any closer to being on the road?
BOR said:
Any news on this beauty?
No real tangible updates to speak of. One of the (many) frustrating things about the project is that because I'm not actively involved in doing any of the stuff and am about 400 miles from where everything is being done I don't have any real handle on the day/day or week/week small areas of progress, just the bigger picture.
I know that LB have fabricated some different brackets and mounts for some of the engine loom, wires, cables etc as things have evolved but that's all happening in the background.
Anyhow, the car is currently at the trimmers. It has apparently been there a couple of weeks and should be finished towards the mid/end of the month. The spec for the interior is red carpets with black contrast stitching and the rest of the interior trim, door cards, roll cage covering etc should be black with red contrast stitching. The seats will be dark charcoal with red harnesses. It sounds a bit garish but I've seen pics of similar styled rally Stratos's and it's really striking. Probably most of the original rally cars were all black inside but I didn't want to feel like I was in a cave. I'm genuinely dead keen to see photos myself of the finished interior.
Taking onboard some of the comments and advice earlier in this thread I've weighed things up and decided to go for a Zircotec coating on the exhaust for the full system rather than the Camcoat. It will still be in black as per the original cars. I understand the system is currently off the car and with Zircotec at the moment while the rest of the car is being trimmed.
There is a custom airbox for the car being made which will, as much as possible, replicate the original Dino engined one.
Back to the engine and again taking on board some of the comments and after a bit of discussion with the good folk at LB, we've sent a second set of cams along with info about the full engine spec to Piper Cams and asked them to reprofile this set of cams to give a bit more power and give me even more of that lumpy, cammy, race-car-like, idle. The idea isn't to go daft and make the car undriveable or make the engine fragile but there does seem to be a bit of scope to have a play around. I believe the cams are with Piper at the moment (they may even have been done) and I'm still waiting to hear back what the actual techie stuff was altered and why and what the likely expectation is.
I think the idea is to go through the IVA with the car set up as-is then change the cams over which will mean another trip back to the SCS rolling road to have things set-up again.
Other than that... that's it for now.
Edited by renmure on Thursday 9th January 18:14
t1grm said:
What a fantastic thread and a beautiful car. Gp4 Alitalia livery with a busso is the exact spec I would have gone for. Are LB managing the whole build or are you project managing it yourself and sub contracting out the various jobs?
Also, if it's not being too nosey, without revealing any amounts, what are the payment terms? Are you making stage payments or is it just a straight forward deposit to secure a build slot and balance upon delivery arrangement?
I'm torn between something like this (or a Martini livery 037 replica) or an F430 for my next weekend toy. Head says F430, heart says do something crazy like this.
I'm not project managing it. In truth, I'm very much a passenger in the process. My deposit went down in May 2017 so it's likely to be 3 years, give or take, to getting the car around May this year. I only committed to the deposit because I was hopeful of avoiding the quoted 18 month factory build wait by employing an independent car builder specialist with a hope of them working with LB an perhaps getting that closer to 12 months. That worked to a certain degree but wasn't totally seamless. In retrospect I was pretty naive about the time scales and the whole build process. The car went to LB in May 2019 for the build to continue to completion. I've not enjoyed the process other than in a sadomasochistic way but it is what it is. There's no chance I was going to be building it myself.Also, if it's not being too nosey, without revealing any amounts, what are the payment terms? Are you making stage payments or is it just a straight forward deposit to secure a build slot and balance upon delivery arrangement?
I'm torn between something like this (or a Martini livery 037 replica) or an F430 for my next weekend toy. Head says F430, heart says do something crazy like this.
My input has been to decide on the body style and interior detail but that pretty much reflects the actual 1977 car I'm looking to replicate. I've chosen the engine, engine spec, decided what level of rebuild to commit to for the engine, had input into the type of exhaust system and ecu programing but then again that sort of reflects the top level of spec I've been aiming for. Similar for going for the top suspension and brake packages etc. LB have been great and it's probably helped everyone that I've been fairly clear from the outset what I was looking to end up with.
Payment has been pretty much as you would expect. A deposit to secure a slot, a chunk of money when the chassis and initial running gear kit was supplied, some for the engine, some to the engine builder for the rebuild, etc, etc. Apart from a bit of budget creep to take advantage of any upgrades or developments, eg the Zircotec of the exhaust wasn't originally in the plans but is another chunk of, hopefully well spent, money, everything on the money front has been very grown up and perfect.
Having a Ferrari sitting in the garage (coincidentally sitting next to an Ultima) I would be a bit two faced to talk you out of any of your choices
Another update: Things are coming together nicely.
The car has just returned from the trimmers and all the interior is looking fantastic. The quality of the trim is way beyond anything that I would previously associated with a kit and is more like a bespoke product. Unfortunately for photos, all the inside parts are on the shelf wrapped up in bubble wrap and even the seats etc are still wrapped in plastic and waiting for the final fit till after the bodywork goes through the long final sand and polishing process.
Having seen everything I'm delighted with the choice of red carpets with black trimming along with a black alcantara interior with red contrast stitching.
This was the first time I'd seen the car with the majority of the bodywork on. The arch extensions for the front of the wheel arches were also made and the airbox to go over the ITBs was ready to fit. My full exhaust system had been finished by Zircotec and was ready to go back on after a more IVA friendly is fitted for the test.
Shouldn't be long to go before IVA then it's off to the paintshop for the Alitalia warpaint and full 1977 Tour de Corse decal set.
It's a bit easier to see how the end car should look now.
The car has just returned from the trimmers and all the interior is looking fantastic. The quality of the trim is way beyond anything that I would previously associated with a kit and is more like a bespoke product. Unfortunately for photos, all the inside parts are on the shelf wrapped up in bubble wrap and even the seats etc are still wrapped in plastic and waiting for the final fit till after the bodywork goes through the long final sand and polishing process.
Having seen everything I'm delighted with the choice of red carpets with black trimming along with a black alcantara interior with red contrast stitching.
This was the first time I'd seen the car with the majority of the bodywork on. The arch extensions for the front of the wheel arches were also made and the airbox to go over the ITBs was ready to fit. My full exhaust system had been finished by Zircotec and was ready to go back on after a more IVA friendly is fitted for the test.
Shouldn't be long to go before IVA then it's off to the paintshop for the Alitalia warpaint and full 1977 Tour de Corse decal set.
It's a bit easier to see how the end car should look now.
Edited by renmure on Tuesday 3rd March 11:40
DJHay said:
Bellissimo!! I can only imagine the excitement.
The light pod and lower driving light units seem very unfriendly to pedestrians. How do they pass the IVA process or are they exempt from testing because it's a low volume car?
They were both just temporarily fitted so I could get a better appreciation of how it would look at the end.The light pod and lower driving light units seem very unfriendly to pedestrians. How do they pass the IVA process or are they exempt from testing because it's a low volume car?
I can appear smart tho, cause I asked the same question when I was there. The lower fog lamps wouldn't pass the IVA test because they partially obscure the front indicator lights and you have to be able to see the front indicator lights at various angles. The quad driving light pod would pass the IVA test in itself but you're not allowed more than 2 driving lights so 2 of them would have to be changed for fog lights for the test so rather than faff about doing that it's easier to just leave them all off till afterwards.
The 430 based Stratos really doesn't do anything for me. The fact that all the replica kits retain, to a huge degree, the shape and dimensions of the original car is the thing that works in my eyes. That car makes me think of original mini / new MINI or original Fiat 500 / new Fiat 500 comparisons. No doubt a better modern car but not exactly comparing apples with apples.
As for mine.. no real update unfortunately. The paperwork had been sent of for the IVA test not long before lockdown but I understand that the test centers have been ordered to close for 3 months so that's pretty much where it's at just now.
Not surprisingly the LB workshops also shut down in accordance with the Govt guidelines but I'm sure they will be working on a plan for getting back to some form of normality around now. I'll drop them an email and ask if they can take some updated pics of the interior and the engine with the airbox fitted when they get back to keep the ball rolling.
As for mine.. no real update unfortunately. The paperwork had been sent of for the IVA test not long before lockdown but I understand that the test centers have been ordered to close for 3 months so that's pretty much where it's at just now.
Not surprisingly the LB workshops also shut down in accordance with the Govt guidelines but I'm sure they will be working on a plan for getting back to some form of normality around now. I'll drop them an email and ask if they can take some updated pics of the interior and the engine with the airbox fitted when they get back to keep the ball rolling.
Thanks, yes mine will be identical to the 1977 car.
LB recently completed this Ferrari engined car which shows the completed this square arch Gp4 car in Marlboro livery which shows the finished look of the arches. It also shows how the front light pod, lower driving lights and chin spoiler will look on mine.
LB recently completed this Ferrari engined car which shows the completed this square arch Gp4 car in Marlboro livery which shows the finished look of the arches. It also shows how the front light pod, lower driving lights and chin spoiler will look on mine.
MiltonBaines said:
Your car looks fantastic. Have loved these since I bought a bburago 1.43 model from Beatties back in the 80s.
Looking at the side view of yours and the side view of the model you posted, yours seems more of a wedge compared to the slightly curvier shoulder shape of the model. Is the diecast inaccurate or is yours being a kit not (allowed?) exactly the same shape as an original.
No, it's just the angle of the photo. I wanted to get a bit of the roof detail in the model pic so it's at an angle. The panels from my finished car would be interchangeable with the original.Looking at the side view of yours and the side view of the model you posted, yours seems more of a wedge compared to the slightly curvier shoulder shape of the model. Is the diecast inaccurate or is yours being a kit not (allowed?) exactly the same shape as an original.
Edited by renmure on Saturday 16th May 18:39
DJHay said:
Update?
Hmmm. Not really much to update at the moment. The IVA tests have started up again and I'm just waiting my turn now.However, there's been a slight change in plan. Previously the intention, as stated, was to stick with the polished white gelcoat finish and only have the Alitalia stripes painted.
After a chat and some thought and guidance from LB we've decided to send the car off in a couple of weeks to paint the whole car including the Alitalia stripes. The folk doing the work have a great background in preparing and restoring racecars so it seems to be in good hands and they've promised lots of photos of the process. I imagine we will talk about decals etc during the process.
Edited to make it clear that it's only the Alitalia stripes being painted
Edited by renmure on Tuesday 25th August 00:03
Adam B said:
Love the Alitalia livery but for a road car I think all the sponsor / driver stickers would look really fussy.
(not that you care what I think I’m sure)
I think I'm fairly sold on the sponsor / driver stickers.(not that you care what I think I’m sure)
The Alitalia livery itself comes with a standard bunch of logos and I think it looks a wee bit naked without the full rally look.
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