The Lancia 037 Stradale

As road-going homologation specials go, the Lancia 037 Stradale is just that: special. Lancia built just 207 of these pretty and purposeful Pininfarina-designed coupés in order to enter its full-fat Group B rally version into the 1982 World Rally Championship.

It was a true thoroughbred, honed by Lancia’s racing department in collaboration with Abarth and Pininfarina in order to do one thing: win rallies. And win rallies the Lancia 037 did.

Thanks to head engineer Aurelio Lampredi’s novel use of supercharging, which largely eliminated the lag suffered by its turbocharged rivals, along with its lightweight clamshell body design that drastically reduced servicing time and a squadron of hot-shoed drivers, the 037 fulfilled its destiny, winning the World Rally Championship in 1983. It was the final rear-wheel-drive car in history to do so.

Unlike most of its road-going homologation rivals, the 037 Stradale was not constructed so haphazardly. In fact, its black cord interior is a wonderful place to sit, blurring the lines between theatre and refinement. Electric window switches and air-conditioning vents can be found alongside a supercharger boosts pressure gauge and a bank of blown fuse indicators.

From a driving point of view, everything that made the rally version such a formidable machine – the agile chassis, pin-sharp steering, bump-soaking suspension and punchy supercharged engine – is carried over yet in a more approachable and tractable package. These cars are an absolute joy to drive.

This Lancia 037 Stradale

The magnificent 037 Stradale we’re delighted to be offering is chassis number 062, the 62nd of the 207 cars built by Lancia in Turin.

We have encountered a great number of these rare homologation specials and this example is notable in that it has led a sheltered life largely in a prominent East Asian collection. Just 12,623km show on the odometer and it has clearly always been lovingly maintained.

Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious than the wonderfully 1980s interior. Surrounded all around by factory glass bearing all the correct Saint Gobain etchings, the interior is in fantastic condition.

The dash and door pulls are covered in the rare original neoprene material, the corduroy seats are plush and have not faded at all indicating the car has been kept indoors away from direct sunlight. Perhaps best of all, the navigator lamp is still in its slot in the passenger footwell. And what’s more, it works!

Externally, the red paintwork is bright, glossy and largely unblemished, the door shuts bear the distinctly solid and satisfying clunk that could only remain as a result of infrequent use, and the lights all have their original SIEM, Carello and Fiat lenses. All the car’s shut lines and panel gaps are clean and tight.

At the rear, we were pleasantly surprised to find the rubber grommets for attaching the optional rear wing still present and correct – often we’ve found they’re removed and the holes are filled in.

Beneath the rear clamshell, which still bears its two hand-painted factory ‘062’ body tags, the engine and rear subframe are in excellent condition. The original fuel tanks still bear their factory labels dating to January of 1982 and the chassis tubing is particularly clean, more so than on other 037s we’ve handled. That the car retains its ultra-rare original exhaust manifold and muffler tip is the proverbial cherry on the cake.

It’s a similar picture beneath the front clamshell, which also shows its factory ‘062’ body tag. The spare wheel looks to have never been removed and the original jack and toolkit are present where they should be – points which certainly can’t be said for many of these Lancias.

Prior to presenting this 037 Stradale for sale, we delivered the car to the renowned British rally car specialist BGMsport for a fresh service. We can confirm that the supercharged engine is smooth and pulls confidently, and the suspension does an impeccable job of soaking up bumps and grazes in the road – more so than other examples we’ve driven.

Now this beautifully maintained and beguilingly original Lancia 037 Stradale is awaiting a new custodian who will write its next chapter, discover all of its charms and, perhaps more importantly, maintain and preserve it in its current condition for future generations.

SOLD