This car WANTS to Kill You: Lancia Stratos — BTS with DTS — Ep. 14

Lancia managed to create the Stratos despite many barriers, both internal and external. Recently saved from bankruptcy by Fiat, Lancia had struggled to make money for decades. This was due in no small part to Lancia’s ongoing commitment to motorsport: during the 1950s, they developed three sports cars and the world’s most sophisticated Formula 1 car, the D50, all in a 40 month period. The financial stress of these programs caused the Lancia family to sell the company, and in the ensuing years of austerity, Lancia stopped racing. It would be a decade before Lancia raced again officially, although privateers had taken up the torch rallying Flavias and even Flaminias in the early 60s. The front-wheel drive Fulvia began rallying in 1965 and was quite successful, but by the early 1970s, Porsche’s 911 and the Renault Alpine A110, both of which were rear wheel drive and had the engines mounted over the driven wheels, were starting to outclass the Fulvia. Lancia needed a new rally car and Bertone’s outr