Tag Archives: Stratos Zero

This Bertone Stratos Zero makeover is destined for street legal racing mania!

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Lancia Stratos is an iconic car that keeps pushing the imagination of automotive concepts for its sheer timeless proportions and the styling that was way ahead of its time. The ride’s masculinity and that hint of metrosexual character make it popular among enthusiasts to date, and for a good reason. The Bertone-designed Stratos Zero further escalated the car’s face value a notch higher. Decades have passed, but the edgy four-wheeler is still alive in the subconscious of automotive enthusiasts like Shane Baxley. Having his feet deep in the Hollywood community (his work features in movies like Captain Marvel and The Predator), Shane is creative in designing automotive concepts.

His latest work is the Bertone Stratos Bax – a remake of the Bertone Stratos Zero in an upbeat modern makeover that’s utterly desirable. Renders of Baxley’s latest concept are jaw-dropping, as I already want to open the gull-winged doors of this beastly supercar and drive it on the open roads. He has contoured the ride’s ultra-sharp edges just at the right places in the right proportions to give it that hot appeal. The flowing design and the fat tires with the hollowed-out rim lend it a very street-legal racer DNA, ready for any challenger on the other side of the lane!

The Bertone Stratos Bax manages to retain the classic ride’s boxy appearance, but with a makeover that takes it to another level as far as the modern aesthetics are concerned. This design alone demonstrates Baxley’s prowess in penning down designs that any automotive manufacturer would dream of achieving, and this Stratos has got me sold high and dry, wanting so desperately to feel it in real life!

Designer: Shane Baxley

The Lancia L Concept celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic Stratos Zero

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The story of Lancia is an extremely melancholic one. Founded in 1907, the company did pretty well independently but saw a gradual decline in popularity towards the 1960s, with most models facing a major problem of corrosion over time. This reputation for corrosion, resultant poor sales, and a mass buy-back scheme eventually led to Lancia being so unprofitable that they got acquired by Fiat in 1969. In 1970, things were looking up for the company, as design legend Marcello Gandini (head designer at Bertone) unveiled Lancia’s most iconic car… the hyper-sleek Lancia Stratos Zero, an automobile that is considered futuristic even by today’s standards. The Stratos Zero, as iconic and ground-breaking as it was (and the fact that it appeared in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker video), didn’t give Lancia the thrust it needed to take off. It soon slipped back into its lull, only for Fiat to later announce that Lancia would stop selling cars outside Italy post-2014.

The company may be long gone from the international scene, but it isn’t forgotten. The Stratos Zero is still regarded one of the most edgy car concepts to exist, even after 50 years since it debuted at the Turin Motor Show in 1970. In fact, it’s even the prime source of inspiration for this automobile, the Lancia L Concept. Designed by automotive designer and enthusiast, Guilherme Araujo, the Lancia L Concept pays homage to the Stratos Zero on its Golden Jubilee Anniversary. The Lancia L boasts of a similar sleek style, with a wedge-shaped hood. However, it sports air-intakes under the wedge design, allowing the car to both be aesthetically accurate as well as aerodynamic. The hot orange and black color combination pays tribute to the 50-year old automotive icon, and triangular headlamps is yet another hat-tip to the car’s spiritual ancestor. The Lancia L Concept’s wheels are a history lesson too, mimicking the style seen in the 2005 Fenomenon Stratos, and the subsequent Stratos models designed by Pininfarina. Moreover, the rims even come with 1970-2020 etched right into them, as a celebration of 50 years since the Stratos Zero, Lancia’s most revolutionary and innovative automotive release… and even though the company doesn’t have the international impact it did half a century ago, the Lancia L Concept keeps the flame of the carmaker’s illustrious history burning!

Designer: Guilherme Araujo

The Lancia Stratos Zero makes a conceptual comeback with its iconic wedge-shaped design

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I still remember how I felt when I saw the Cybertruck for the first time. I imagine it’s how a lot of people felt when they saw the Lancia Stratos Zero back in 1970 when cars were still pretty traditional looking. The Lancia Stratos Zero boasted of a silhouette that some would still describe as cutting-edge, with its unique wedge-shaped design that allowed it to slice through the air as the car raced forward. The Stratos Zero’s iconic form went onto be labeled as a masterpiece in Italian design, and even became a staple aesthetic for Lamborghini after the Countach.

The company recently announced that due to dwindling sales, Lancia will for the foreseeable future serve only the Italian market with just one offering, the Ypsilon… but that didn’t stop automotive aficionado and designer Joaquin Obligado from giving one of his favorite conceptual cars a modern makeover. The Lancia Cargo Stratos, as the concept is called, builds on the Stratos Zero’s wedge design, albeit with a lowered nose to help increase downforce. The concept sports a more streamlined design, embracing curves as well as straight, edgy lines to create something that looks like a wind-tunnel test brought to life. The car’s sides come with continuous metal paneling, hinting at the obvious lack of traditional doors. To enter and exit the vehicle, the windshield opens outwards, revealing the fighter-jet-style 1+1 seater cockpit beneath… just like in the original Stratos Zero. Two headlights sit flush on the car’s surface, right ahead of the fenders, and come fitted with LEDs. The car’s rear comes with linear taillights too, giving off a very cyberpunk vibe.

Joaquin Obligado designed the Cargo Stratos as an exercise in defining what ‘futuristic’ means in today’s world. The Cargo Stratos embraces a non-traditional approach no matter what angle you look at it from. Whether it’s on the outside or even the inside, the Lancia Cargo Stratos just tries to be strikingly different (and succeeds) – the same way its predecessor did way back in 1970… exactly 50 years ago.

Designer: Joaquin Obligado