RM Sotheby’s Monterey Sale Preview
1974 Lancia HF Stradale by Bertone
Words by Knotty Nawadhinsukh
If one was on the lookout for a “Time Warped” example of the road-going version of a Lancia Stratos, then this particular one, chassis number 001527, would probably be it as it is likely one of the few to remain in such a condition.
Slated as Lot Number 238 that will go up the auction block at the Monterey Conference Center during the 24th and 25th of August by RM Sotheby’s, 001527 is one of the early cars built as per the regulation to produce a total of 500 (in reality though Lancia came up short of that) in order to homologate and qualify the Stratos as a Group 4 racing car that can be entered also for world rallying, which we all saw how it had gone and dominated that arena.
What makes this Lancia (full name Lancia Stratos HF Stradale or “Road” or “Street”) a standout would be its originality—right down to original documents, tool kits and even the tags and the stamps from the day it was delivered.
This Stratos have gone through several ownerships that began in native Italy, where it was at one time a demo car for a dealership in Rome, before moving on to the United Kingdom, down all the way to New Zealand and currently settling in the U.S. But in spite of that it still retains the same Rosso Arancio paintwork (the original paint sticker is still there) and had recorded only 6,440 kilometers since 1974. The only major items that needed to be changed are the tyres and the seats. But the originals of both from the period are included with the car—should the new buyer wishes to place them back to truly match the Seventies flared trousers and sideburns!
(Estimate: US$600,000 – $675,000)
All Photos Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s