Petrolicious Lancia Stratos Group 4: Time For Tea?

The end of summer can force some people to pull their cars under wraps. Others, like Érik Comas, head out for a drive

If we ever needed motivation that the cold weather of the approaching months needn't hamper driving enjoyment, it's this. A video of French former Formula 1 driver Érik Comas dancing his Lancia Stratos Group 4 rally car along a thin ribbon of tarmac like it wasn't surrounded by trees and snow. He doesn't care that summer's over...

The Stratos featured in this new Petrolicious video is special, but not simply for all the things - WRC success, gorgeous styling, melodic noise - that make every Stratos special. What makes this car unique is that it was originally owned by Claudio Maglioli, Lancia's official test driver at the time of the Stratos's development.

Its current owner is no less esteemed, of course. Comas might not have ever met his full potential during four seasons in F1 in the early 1990s, but he proved his talent just before the turn of the millennium by winning two titles in the Japanese Touring Car Championship (JGTC) with a GT500-spec Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Comas loves rallying as well, and his passion for both the driving style and cars the sport has produced is evident in the video. He proclaims that the Stratos is such a sweet handling machine that he can safely explore the competition model's limits of grip and adjustability even on the public road. We suspect as much of that ability comes from the fact that he's Erik Comas...

Over to the man himself!