Supercharged Lister Bell STR for sale
Authenticity be damned - here's a Stratos you can properly hoon
There was once a time when the World Rally Championship wasn’t populated by bewinged hatchbacks blasting between the thousand lakes of Finland to the tune of shouty four bangers and turbo whistles. Back when the WRC was in its infancy in the 1970s, it was rear-wheel drive sports cars that ruled the roost on the rally stage. The inaugural title went to the Renault Alpine A110, not dissimilar to the 1600S we featured recently, but from 1974 until 1976 nobody could get anywhere near the Lancia Stratos.
You’ll likely know the Stratos story by now: first revealed in 1970 as a futuristic, wedge-shaped concept pencilled by Bertone, later toned down (albeit mildly) to the Stratos shape we know and love today. A Ferrari Dino V6 was selected as the engine of choice, which only received Enzo’s approval after Lancia won the 1973 Monte Carlo rally with the front-wheel drive Fulvia HF. Lightweight glass fibre bodywork, a tiny wheelbase and wide track proved an unstoppable formula on the rally scene.
To guarantee a spot on the start line, Lancia needed to produce at least 500 examples to meet homologation requirements. It’s widely believed it missed the mark (no surprises there) and, as was the case with many homologation specials at the time, you can bet a good chunk of those were adapted for racing or rallying by privateers who couldn’t get their hands on the Group 4 car. So getting your hands on one isn’t easy, nor is it cheap with most selling for upwards of half a million these days. And even if you do get your hands on one, it’ll need to be handled with immense care. No drifting around in the drizzle, that's for sure, especially in an old Lancia.
So here’s the next best thing, available for around a fifth of the price. It’s a Lister Bell STR, a recreation of the rally legend, only it isn’t built on the underpinnings of an old MR2, rather it’s based around LB’s own tubular chassis. A great deal of the car is bespoke, in fact, from the Group 4-spec uprights made from ‘aircraft-grade aluminium’ to the specially designed driveshafts and brakes. Then there’s the interior, which on the car you see here has been built to the road car’s spec while others, like Alitalia-liveried STR owned by PHer Jim (aka remune), feature the dial-covered dash inspired by the rally car.
The only key parts taken from existing cars are the engine and gearbox. Most STR’s come with some sort of Alfa Romeo V6, usually the 3.2-litre Busso motor. However, this example is a little different, instead packing a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine built by Swindon Engines, which is paired with the gearbox from a Lotus Exige and a Quaife ATB differential. Quite the departure from the original formula, then, though you could almost call it a cross between a Stratos and a 037, which sounds really rather tantalising, doesn’t it?
As Jim said in his Readers’ Cars video, the big appeal of the STR is that it’s a Stratos that you can actually use, one that's free from some of the typical quirks of a 70s Lancia. It’s far from cheap at £125,000, mind, and for that sort of money you could pick up a genuine Lancia rally legend like this Giallo Ginestra Delta HF Integrale Evo II. But even then, you’ll have second thoughts about taking it out in anything other than perfect conditions, whereas the STR has been built for a good hooning. Besides, you’ll be too busy dancing between switchbacks to care about authenticity anyway.
Also made me go and look up the original concept - looks like a ‘prettier’ AM Bulldog but also seems like there were some actual ones kicking about?
They probably did the old switcheroo much like Ford did with the RS200 .
"Here's 100 cars , give us a minute to organise the others in the other room "
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