Anyone Recognise This Car?

[ProtoTipo]

Pretty much what I thought it could mean. It is a car which has been converted from an original Stradale road car to be a Gp4 car out of period which could be interpreted as a GP4 replica. It's a bit harsh and doesn't run true to our interpretation of a replica but it makes sense.

I guess some people would say that converting a Stradale today is sacrilege. Others might say that if you're the owner, you can do whatever you like.
I know which camp I'm in.

I think Tryphon kept all his Stradale parts, so that it could be converted back, if needed?

[Stratie.fr]

@Chris
I believe to know in which camp you are! Nowadays converting one Stradale is becoming a sacrilege and I understand it ! But in a recent past it was usual and the better solution to get a car for racing! If I had the chance to own a Stradale few years ago I would have certainly converted it! Now I'm not sure and I would much prefer to buy or build a gr 4 rep for using on track and rally!!

@Craig
You're right it is not one original gr.4 but an original Stratos though! We should name it more accurately an original car converted in gr.4!?!
I wonder which car you prefer on these pics the Replica...or the replica!!

[Guy Mayers]

Hmmm - I wonder what happened back in the day when Lancia wanted a rally car.... They took a Stradale out of the production line or stock and upgraded it? I've never had a problem with the conversion of a Stradale to Group 4 spec but it's a shame that the conversions are frequently exterior makeovers only. How often have you seen a Gp4 car with a Stradale interior or a Gp4 dash with Stradale gauges? If you're going to do it then do it all!
Guy

[Strat Fan]

@Craig
You're right it is not one original gr.4 but an original Stratos though! We should name it more accurately an original car converted in gr.4!?!
I wonder which car you prefer on these pics the Replica...or the replica!!

In this case I'll take the one on the right please. the one on the left has lots of good points but was definitley a compromise. Trying to shoehorn all the Mondial suspension components into a Strato's rep was not easy and not something I'd attempt again especially at the front end. It was a good effort for the first production kit and I do like some of the chassis details but ultimately was a compromise but the customer was very specific on what they wanted to use from the donor car.
The one on the right I would need to respray, I'm not a fan of the Pirelli scheme (Sorry Guy, Chris, Richard etc!) but I do like red wheels! I actually prefer the simpler Lancia England scheme (very similar but without the red). In addition it should be square arch with that scheme, the black makes the side of the round arch car look very heavy. It would need lower pods for me as well. Traditionally I have always been a round arch fan but certain schemes suit the square arch better, Erik Comas's Zenith car definitely looked better as a square arch rather than as a round.
Dash board, if it is in a rally livery then yes I think a group 4 dashboard, if it is a plain colour car then I am happy to have the stradale dash on a wide arch car.
I have seen lots of images of Gp4 cars with Stradale gauges & suspect that this happened even from the factory. The early cars were built as Gp4's but later I suspect they got pulled/borrowed from the production line and what was on the car is what got used. The Gp4 gauges are preferable in a Gp4 dash.

[ProtoTipo]

As far as I know, no works car ever ran with Pirelli colours and round arches.

Lancia kept an old 1975 24v car (old green bottom white top Alitalia colours originally) for demos etc.
It was painted in Pirelli colours, but no longer eligible.
Andy Dawson once drove it for a magazine article at Donington.

The only works round arch Pirelli car is the 24v TOL96265.
'Never used in anger in that colour scheme. It's outings were in 1975/76:
1975 San Remo 13th O/A - Munari
1975 Tour De Corse (accident) - Munari
1975 RAC (engine) - Munari
1976 Safari (engine) - Munari
Or at least a car with that number plate?!

1978 was the only year that the works cars ran in Pirelli colours and it was 2 valves per cylinder from 1978 onwards. So this 24v Pirelli car can't have been WC rallied, which probably explains why it was used for promotional and demo work.

The car can be seen on some colour pages, just after page 96 in the Trow book. It's a posed shot with some Lancia personnel and other Lancia Museum cars.
It was used for an article - 'Stratos on stage' included on page 65 of the LANCIA STRATOS 1972-1985 Brooklands Books compilation.

[NoCorseChris]

Pretty much what I thought it could mean. It is a car which has been converted from an original Stradale road car to be a Gp4 car out of period which could be interpreted as a GP4 replica. It's a bit harsh and doesn't run true to our interpretation of a replica but it makes sense.

Who's going to email Tryphon & tell him his car is now classed as a "replica"?

I’ve always been of the view that converting a Stradale to Gp4 creates a replica. Unless Lancia did it, it’s a replica, with a Stratos donor car. Same as all the other rally reps out there.

Claiming it is anything else is misrepresentation, surely?

[Stratie.fr]

Also we should say almost Stratos group 4 are replicas ( I don't speak about Kitcars like Transformer Allora Corse Hawk and LB ) because only a few original group 4 are still existing ( less than three dozen were originally built by Lancia ) and much less are still racing ( Comas car, Vandromme ex Fassina car and maybe Perez car!)

Most group 4 racing now in historic rally are Stradale converted in the past or more recently; original ones and ex works cars are so expensive than their owners are keeping them in garage or in museum!!

[Lancialulu]

We should call converted stradale Homage cars??

[Stratie.fr]

We should call converted stradale Homage cars??

That sounds better with no confusion with replica kitcar!
As we say in this side of the Channel: "il faut appeler un chat ...un chat "
Call a spade a spade or say it like it is!!