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