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Fiat Group bosses are currently considering the development of a bespoke Lancia sports car, in the mould of its mid-engined Stratos and Beta Montecarlo models, for low-volume series production in 2011.
As Lancia CEO Olivier Francois told Autocar, the brand is seeking to boost its image and re-establish itself as a maker of “upmarket, masculine, fun-to-drive cars”. “A sports car is a great way to do this,” Francois said, “and I hope to convince [Fiat Group head Sergio] Marchionne that it’s a g...Read the full article

 

Whatever happened to the Fenomenon Stratos? Adopting this futuristic design would be an excellent base on which to relaunch a 21st Century Stratos ...

The original was a stunning little car. Took the motor sport world by storm. Fiat will do well to get to within 50% of replicating the image etc. of the original car.

Worth a crack though.

 

This will be a great thing! Really hope Fiat understand what great potential has Lancia like sport cars in the world, Delta, Stratos, Montecarlo-037, Fulvia ecc.. was icon-winners dreamed by all, hope this time Fiat stop to think only at Alfaromeo how in these lasts 20 years, Lancia has more italian fashion against german cars customers..

I wonder if Delta is the right name for the new Lancia. After all we all remember the integrale and all that goes with it. So if the new Delta is to be a sort of re-invented Rover 75 why not call it Aurelia.

lovely cars, cant wait

 Let's hope it's as good looking as the original. The new Delta is a repulsive little toad of a car and I can only hope the designer has been given the Italian version of his P45 and won't be involved!

simonali:

Let's hope it's as good looking as the original. The new Delta is a repulsive little toad of a car and I can only hope the designer has been given the Italian version of his P45 and won't be involved!

 

Well said that man! 

I'm thoroughly confused about the future direction of Lancia. More disturbingly, Lancia themselves seem to be, too. As a former owner of an original Stratos, I would be happy to see a modern version. But what would be the purpose? The original not only gave Lancia a glamourous rally star, it also provided them with a halo model for the brand at that time. Yet, I keep reading that Lancia wants to emphasize comfort and luxury for the next generation of Lancias - what relevance would something as extreme as a Stratos have to a range of Italian Rovers? None. Surely the Fiat Group needs to decide if there's really room for Lancia to sit somewhere above Alfa Romeo and below Maserati. Ideally, with REAL Lancias that offer quality, style, safety, comfort and benchmark handling. A rival for BMW. Now, there's a concept I can get excited about, even if it's probably just a pipe dream.

I love Lancias...I still own a Monte Carlo...but can't help but think that the company (brand?) doesn't know whether it's coming or going...in theses days of clearly defined brand architecture, I thought Fiats were the mainstream brand, Alfas the sporting brand and Lancia the luxury brand.  A neo-Stratos doesn't appear to fit.  On the other hand if we can have a luxury Volkswagen (Phaeton), and sports car Audi (R8) then it only goes to show that even the Germans can have some Italian madness!

I'm not sure it's Lancia who are not sure of their direction - it's FIAT who aren't sure of Lancia's direction. It's pretty clear what direction Lancia want if their Boss is trying to persuade FIAT's boss to let them make a new Stratos. Look at the heritage: World rally champions 1988 - 1992, Supercharged coupes, Saloon cars with Ferrari engines.... It seems to me that in days gone by Lancia were about performance and engineering innovation rather than "style and sophistication" . I would dearly love to see Lancia successful in the UK again and to me something like a new Fulvia with breathtaking performance would certainly attract attention.

I admit I am a Lancia fan having owned quite a few and I have to say that all the "dark days" were mostly greatly exaggerated. I have a 1984 Volumex coupe which still turns heads 35 years after the model was launched, and a 1994 Dedra which has 168000 miles on the clock and never misses a beat. It also has it's original paintwork and not one spot of rust, so any early issues of rust and poor reiability had been well and truly eradicated by the time they sadly withdrew from the UK market. Even Clarkson has changed his mind! See http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article4124872.ece?&EMC-Bltn=ONRG49

Mike

The problem is that Lancia sits between Alfa Romeo and Maserati, all sporty brands within the FIAT group. The only way I can see it fit is if Alfa is less ambitious (price-wise) and compete only with VW on a price level even if it delivers cars as good as the German 3. That leaves room for Lancia to fill that spot (on both sportiness and comfort). Even better is if Maserati could go further upmarket to rival Bentley as practical Ferraris that can be used daily. The current Quattroporte and Granturismo is a start but its 80s history means that is unlikely. That will give Lancia even more breathing room in the market.