Real or Replica?

[StruanR]

It’s one of the first questions people ask you, “Is it a real one?”.
If you’re not a specialist it’s hard to tell with a replica, whether it is a GT40, a Cobra, ‘C’ type Jaguar, Ferrari, Lamborghini or any of the other replica/look-alikes available.
With no tax disc required nowadays it is even harder to tell that the flash Ferrari you are looking at is actually a Toyota under the skin, with fake panels, engine cover and wide wheels.
Of course the Stratos was a kit car built by Lancia to go rallying using many parts from the Fiat empire:
1 Ferrari Dino engine, wheel hubs, Daytona rear number plate light, dashboard air vents
2 Fiat X1/9 headlights, door handles and catches, body catches, modified radiator and fans
3 Lancia Fulvia side indicator lights
4 Fiat 850 Rear lights, interior door handles
5 Fiat 124 various instruments, steering column stalks, lights, interior mirror.
6 Lancia Beta bootlid knob, gear knob, door mirror
So how do you tell a replica Stratos from the real thing? A replica can be bought for £10-30K, an original 10 – 20 times that. You need a check list to tell the Difference.
1 Is it Left hand Drive? All Stratos were, there have been RHD conversions, but RHD usually means a replica. Of course there are many LHD replicas too.
2 Stick a magnet on the roof. Front, rear and doors of the Stratos are glassfibre, cockpit in steel. Most replicas are all fibreglass, although some steel (Gartrac?) copies have been made and steel cockpits have been re-manufactured.
3 The engine is the Ferrari Dino 2.4 V6. Maglioli is reputed to have also fitted the 308 V8 engine, visually identical and certainly a straightforward swap.
4 Wheels are Ferrari 5 stud 104 mm PCD. 4 stud means replica.
5 Original Stratos came in choice of 5 colours, but of course many re-sprays and liveries abound. Competition regulations require the removal or covering of racing numbers on finishing or retiring from an event. Old Rally plates belong on the garage wall, not the car!
6 If you are looking for an original car, it does come down to provenance, checking of chassis numbers etc. Factory cars re-used chassis numbers after re-shells and less reputable sellers can falsify things as well, due to the sums of money involved.

So which replica is closest to the original?
Most would say the Hawk/Transformer.
Litton/Corse models (no longer available) have been built to a very high standard and certainly pass muster as replicas, but chassis changes (improvements?) make them easy to tell from the real thing. Body shape is harder to achieve the correct finish.
Similarly the Lister Bell departs from the original design in many ways, from the shape of the body to the layout and use of components.

After 40 years of course it is easy to improve on the original design of the Stratos.
Everyone to their own of course, but if it has power steering, air conditioning, radio, electric door locks, bicycle door mirrors, LED lights, it’s not a Stratos….

Ready for corrections, disagreements, abuse…

Struan

[Strat Fan]

Quite simply if its made in England, has a space frame chassis & a grp centre tub then it is not a Strato's

[NoCorseChris]

Quite simply if its made in England, has a space frame chassis & a grp centre tub then it is not a Strato's

I'd go one further than that. If it wasn't made in Italy, by Lancia, back in the 70's then it's not a Strato's. Anything else is a replica of a Stratos. If a particular replica is 'worthy' or not is a far too subjective topic to have a definitively right or wrong answer IMO.

I do love a good dose of dead-horse-flogging.....maybe one day it'll get back up if we keep whacking it??

[Bernard]

I'd go one further than that. If it wasn't made in Italy, by Lancia, back in the 70's then it's not a Strato's. Anything else is a replica of a Stratos. If a particular replica is 'worthy' or not is a far too subjective topic to have a definitively right or wrong answer IMO.

I do love a good dose of dead-horse-flogging.....maybe one day it'll get back up if we keep whacking it??

................my sentiments entirely !......... love it Chris................. LOL

[ProtoTipo]

No, this forum's a dead horse.
There's nothing more to say.

[Darkspeed]

Litton Corse i with a Honda engine and Stormtrooper in Drag on the doors, Q plate and CORSE i on the back - closest replica there ever was bar-none indisputable fact definite confirmed and certified.

Next question.

[Cadami]

Tends to be the intro question I'm asked Struan.... My fav reply is "What do you think"? Breaks the ice............
Closest to the original?
I chose a Hawk for historic reasons. Not a simple build but damn worth the challenge. Vince's recreation is pretty cool :-)
LB is a simpler / modern kit car approach. Takes the hassle out of the build........

[LM mic]

Closest to the original ??????????????????????????
I remember this subject had been debated in another thread ???????????????????????????????
Is it really necessary to redo all this UNnecessary debate ? as none of any KIT can be compared to the real ????????????????????????????

[Strat Fan]

Closest to the original ??????????????????????????
I remember this subject had been debated in another thread ???????????????????????????????
Is it really necessary to redo all this UNnecessary debate ? as none of any KIT can be compared to the real ????????????????????????????

The forum needs some spice, some activity, some conversation, what it doesn't need is a "mines better than your's" debacle like on the old forum.

There are choices in kit supplier, that is not a bad thing. Each individual chooses according to their own personal requirements. historically the Hawk won out over the Corse because the majority preferred that it looked similar to an original Strato's under the skin as well as above it.
Vince's Hawk is exceptional, that is beyond dispute, it is an example to not only those who are building a Strato's replica but to anyone who wishes to build a kit car of what can be achieved with a generous dose of thought, time & ability. It is possibly the closest that anyone has come to replicating an original car, LHD could have sealed the deal as would have the Dino engine but I suspect that would have rendered it less usable.
There are other very nice examples under construction too, Ducatiman, Chris C, John H, Graham H etc, I believe Dave H's replica car is very good too.

Any prospective customer should assess all available products in the flesh & speak to the manufacturers directly, this will in turn allow them to make an informed decision as to what suits their personal requirements.

[maxlouis]

This thread appeals and I think, for me, it is about recreating a fantasy in a kind of personal, usable way. I had a picture of a Stratos on my wall when I was 15 and the idea of being able to replicate that - and possibly even refine it - without departing too much from the original concept is very attractive. We all invest a great deal of time, energy and thought into that process which, in itself, is very satisfying. And in practical terms maybe ultimately more enjoyable as a 'real world car', the sort that one doesn't have to worry about in quite the same way as being saddled with the custodianship (that is a word...!) of an irreplaceable original. In fact, my Stratos (Hawk) will be my everyday-ish transport and it will hopefully work properly and I plan to appreciate it in the mundane world of the M40 traffic jams and station car parks in a way that I could never enjoy a real Stratos, 246 or other genuine Dino that undeniably shares its lineage - I'd be worried sick!

The forum needs some spice, some activity, some conversation, what it doesn't need is a "mines better than your's" debacle like on the old forum.

There are choices in kit supplier, that is not a bad thing. Each individual chooses according to their own personal requirements. historically the Hawk won out over the Corse because the majority preferred that it looked similar to an original Strato's under the skin as well as above it.
Vince's Hawk is exceptional, that is beyond dispute, it is an example to not only those who are building a Strato's replica but to anyone who wishes to build a kit car of what can be achieved with a generous dose of thought, time & ability. It is possibly the closest that anyone has come to replicating an original car, LHD could have sealed the deal as would have the Dino engine but I suspect that would have rendered it less usable.
There are other very nice examples under construction too, Ducatiman, Chris C, John H, Graham H etc, I believe Dave H's replica car is very good too.

Any prospective customer should assess all available products in the flesh & speak to the manufacturers directly, this will in turn allow them to make an informed decision as to what suits their personal requirements.