Lancia 037 Rally Stradale

When the Lancia brand was acquired by the Fiat Group in 1969, the Turin-based company was keen to exploit the sporting image that was part of the historical identity of this newly acquired subsidiary. A vast investment programme was set up to restore the prestige that the manufacturer had once enjoyed. By becoming part of the Italian giant Fiat, Lancia was no longer limited by budgetary constraints to develop new models for competition.

Once under the Fiat umbrella, highly innovative projects, both in terms of style and technology, were launched. Starting with the Stratos, which won the World Rally Championship from 1974 to 1975, followed by the Group 5 Beta Montecarlo, that dominated the World Sports Car Championship from 1979 to 1981. The following year, Lancia returned to rallying with an entirely new model called the 037 Rally, derived from the Montecarlo used in endurance racing. Designed for Group B, created at the initiative of FISA that year, the 037 had to be manufactured in series of at least 200 cars within one year to obtain homologation in this category. This was the reason for the launch of the mass-market version of this high performance racing machine, called the Stradale.

A CRUCIAL MODEL 

The Lancia Rally 037 represented the link between a bygone era of the classic champions of the 1960s and 1970s and the new future of rallying, initiated by the introduction of the new Group B. This model also marked the end of an era: it was the last car with a two-wheel drive architecture to win a World Rally Championship (1983). With the Stratos, Lancia had remarkably restored its sporting reputation with a fabulous racing record, but it was not available to the general public. Some brands such as Porsche or Alpine were able to get their racing cars closer to their customers. Lancia followed this path by offering its street version of the racing car to a limited and wealthy clientele. Only 222 units of the Lancia 037 Stradale were produced and its selling price was set at 300,000 Francs, a third more expensive than that of a Porsche 911 SC or a Ferrari 308 GTB.

RACING CHASSIS 

The Lancia 037 Stradale uses the same chassis as the Rally version. It consists of an aluminium central cell taken from the Beta Montecarlo Turbo endurance model, completed by an integrated tubular roll cage. This particularly compact unit is covered by a fully removable Kevlar-reinforced epoxy resin bodywork. Only the two doors are made of sheet steel to improve structural rigidity. The monocoque chassis is extended by two cradles supporting the undercarriage and powertrain. These tubular frames support independent suspension systems, with overlapping wishbones and spring-shock combination at the front and twin coaxial gas shock absorbers at the rear, as well as the engine and transmission. The brakes are provided with ventilated discs (300 mm diameter) controlled by a dual hydraulic circuit that actuates 4-piston aluminium calipers. The wheels are made up of special 16-inch diameter Speedline light alloy rims, fitted with Pirelli P7 tyres. Two large 35-litre aviation-style fuel tanks provide some 300 kilometres of range during sporty driving conditions.

TWO-WHEEL DRIVE 

The 4-cylinder twin-shaft Tipo 232 AR4 engine was based on the famous engine designed by Lampredi, used in the Fiat 131 a few years earlier. The engine was prepared by Abarth, as evidenced by the logos engraved on its main components. With a displacement of 1,995 cm3, it developed 205 DIN hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 23 mkg at 5,000 rpm. The block was made of cast iron, while the cylinder head and dry sump were made of aluminium. Power was provided by a Weber twin carburettor and a Roots-type compressor. Using the Volumex system developed by Abarth for Lancia racing cars, this volumetric compressor, with a displacement of 1,130 cm3, was installed between the carburettor and the intake cylinder head. Unlike the turbo, which only uses air, the compressor releases a mixture of flammable gases into the combustion chamber. The engine is coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox and a ZF-type self-locking axle. Thus equipped, the Lancia 037 Stradale reaches 1,000 metres from a standstill in 28 seconds, with acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds (factory data).