Presented in a bright green hue on a lounge-like stand, complete with bar and live DJ, the Fenomenon Holistic Design-created  Stratos concept raked in the attention of journalists and leading auto industry designers alike on its unveiling at the 75th Geneva Salon.

Project manager Christian Hrabalek was on his feet all day, his stand humming with activity, excitement and good humour. Hrabalek said, “The stand has worked well, it’s a relaxing atmosphere and it’s open so that everyone can enjoy and be part of my Stratos vision.”

Enthusiastic as ever and thrilled with the positive feedback and international response, Hrabalek said nearer the end of the day, “it has been fantastic, so far I have only heard positive comments about the design.”

The Stratos concept is very much a shape that works in three dimensions; photography is not able to capture the true spirit of this highly intriguing design. The car’s lines and character are very much ‘alive’.

Whereas the concept was a non-functioning mock-up, fitted with a mock-up engine mounted higher than normal for presentation purposes, there are interesting possibilities for production feasibility. Hrabalek says, “It would be great to get Bertone or the like involved in making a limited production run. Production would definitely have to take place in Italy.”

The styling development took three years from conception to the unveiling at Geneva. “The initial sketches were very different to what the car has become,” Christian says, “and a lot of the ideas such as the centrally positioned A-post came about later.

“The original Bertone Stratos Zero concept was epitomised by the opening windscreen for entry, so I wanted to create something along these lines whilst being different at the same time. Of course, there is a homologation rule for forward visibility that makes this impossible for production. A production version would have to use another design, unless we are able to get away with a see-through pillar as on the Volvo SCC. The typical Stratos ‘visor’ window line will remain.

The Stratos clearly fits within Lancia’s new image, as was explained by their CEO with the launch of the Ypsilon Zagato Sport, “Lancia’s future not only lies with producing luxury vehicles, but also sporting vehicles as well. The Ypsilon Zagato Sport marks a new direction for our brand.”
 

Initially, in the press photos, the new Stratos was presented with a Lancia emblem. For the show launch, however, Hrabalek was a little more careful. He enthused, “I have the real Lancia emblem in my pocket, because maybe they (Fiat) won’t approve!”

Alongside the new Stratos concept was the original and utterly outrageous 1971 Lancia Stratos prototype, painted in fluorescent red.

Legendary Lancia rally driver Sandro Munari was also at the show. After unveiling the car in the morning, he stayed on to aide with explaining the Stratos history. Hrabalek called him over for a chat, which recalled the glory days of his past as a racing and development driver at Lancia.

“Whereas my fame really started with the Fulvia HF at the end of sixties, it’s the Stratos that I’m best associated with. The original Stratos represented a very interesting development project, as there were so many unknowns. Mid-engine sports cars were relatively new at the time, so a lot of the engineering was touch-and-go. Whereas on paper everything looked ok, the initial prototypes were very tricky to handle. I was the only test driver, and had to spend hours behind the wheel under all weather conditions to get the car setup just right.

"This was a huge undertaking as if I made any mistakes with the car’s setup it would have meant wasting thousands of tyres, the annual rally budget and of course Lancia’s image. The final handling solution concentrated on modifying the suspension uprights, and after that the Lancia Stratos became the rally legend that it is now.”

Upon asking Munari about the new Stratos, he commented, ”I think it is a great design, it looks like a Stratos and is very modern. I also think it will be possible to translate the handling character of the old Stratos with the new car. But most importantly of all, I think it is an amazing achievement that Chrisitian has made on his own. To say that he is only 27 it is remarkable, and I think it’s a great example that he has set for other young designers and entrepreneurs.”

By James Granger & Edd Ellison in Geneva
 

FENOMENON HOLISTIC DESIGN: WEBSITE