stratos replica
Discussion
There's this if you fancy a bit of work
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=29974&s=130
Quite reasonable price I reckon as well. Vojx who posts over on www.madabout-kitcars.com (and here I think) may well be able to help with any questions.
John
www.Madabout-Kitcars.com
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=29974&s=130
Quite reasonable price I reckon as well. Vojx who posts over on www.madabout-kitcars.com (and here I think) may well be able to help with any questions.
John
www.Madabout-Kitcars.com
feet said:
I was at a trackday once where a guy had a red alfaV6 Stratos. It was quick, but the guy claimed it was a hell of a handful to drive. Looked fantastic.
there's two kits available - the Transformer and the Corse. The Transformer is a 'close' replica of the Stratos, the Corse is a 1990's update and thus has far better handling (adjustable double wishbones all-round).
i have a Corse i with Honda v6 powerplant, which i reckon sounds better than the alfa, but the alfa has a little more mid-range power whereas the Honda needs to be revved - again much more to my liking.
even with 400+ bhp the Corse is not a handful to drive (so i hear, i only have 200bhp), but just dont expect your licence to last very long. it's a giant go-kart. i wouldnt change mine for ANYTHING else.
try the Lancia Stratos Supersite to speak to the enthusiasts, but bear in mind there are two camps - Corse (driving fun) v Transformer (replica fun). (i dont post there any longer cos i'm not into the replica scene. also my car no longer looks like a stratos!)
www.webshots.com/g/32/33361-sh/24210.html
vojx said:
I was at a trackday once where a guy had a red alfaV6 Stratos. It was quick, but the guy claimed it was a hell of a handful to drive. Looked fantastic.
there's two kits available - the Transformer and the Corse. The Transformer is a 'close' replica of the Stratos, the Corse is a 1990's update and thus has far better handling (adjustable double wishbones all-round).
The guy also told me it was well-old - 15 years or something from what I remember.
I would love to own a decent Stratos, always been one of my favourite cars.
Vojx....you're either a very skillful driver, or else you have titanium testicles. Either way...
I helped a mate try to set up the handling on a Ferrari V8 engined Stratos rep. a few years ago; maybe 270 bhp?
Top car, and I loved it to bits, but the on-the-limit handling was very edgy indeed. On a par with an early 911 for sudden and uncatchable rear-end breakaway. We tried all sorts to tame it, but the bottom line was that the short wheelbase and rear biased weight distribution (combined with relatively high CG due to transverse engine-over-gearbox) meant that when it finally let go, there was nothing you could do to prevent it spinning.
I'd love a decent Alfa V6 engined Stratos, but I'd treat it with serious respect for road use...
>> Edited by Martin_S on Wednesday 27th October 23:33
I helped a mate try to set up the handling on a Ferrari V8 engined Stratos rep. a few years ago; maybe 270 bhp?
Top car, and I loved it to bits, but the on-the-limit handling was very edgy indeed. On a par with an early 911 for sudden and uncatchable rear-end breakaway. We tried all sorts to tame it, but the bottom line was that the short wheelbase and rear biased weight distribution (combined with relatively high CG due to transverse engine-over-gearbox) meant that when it finally let go, there was nothing you could do to prevent it spinning.
I'd love a decent Alfa V6 engined Stratos, but I'd treat it with serious respect for road use...
>> Edited by Martin_S on Wednesday 27th October 23:33
feet said:
The guy also told me it was well-old - 15 years or something from what I remember.
I would love to own a decent Stratos, always been one of my favourite cars.
i got it in 1991, on the road in 1993.
the Corse i will only catch out the foolish, eg full boot on a damp corner. my corse effectively applies the required amount of opposite lock for me - a mate who is currently bulding a v8 Ferrari-powered corse was sitting next to me when, pretty much on the limit in a bend at 80mph, the engine died from fuel starvation. the back end stepped out 3 feet or so, the opposite lock went on immediately and we stayed well within the lane, no worries. i was just annoyed about having to wait 5 seconds before i could blast on to the next bend.
a non-Corse i PROBABLY would have ended up in the armco
Any opinions on how straightforward a build of either Hawke HF3000 or Napiersport Corse would be? I'm wondering about viability of getting bits from the dwindling supply of Lancia Betas, Fiat 135s and X19s etc, also are these kits SVA friendly. Bot have been around a long time with various changes of ownership.
I'd be tempted by a Stratos lookalike with decent power and handling as they look the business (and a bit more exclusive than the Ultima
) - but don't have time or inclination for scouring scrappies around the country or fabricating of lots of one off bits.
I'd be tempted by a Stratos lookalike with decent power and handling as they look the business (and a bit more exclusive than the Ultima
) - but don't have time or inclination for scouring scrappies around the country or fabricating of lots of one off bits. gdr said:
Any opinions on how straightforward a build of either Hawke HF3000 or Napiersport Corse would be? I'm wondering about viability of getting bits from the dwindling supply of Lancia Betas, Fiat 135s and X19s etc, also are these kits SVA friendly. Bot have been around a long time with various changes of ownership.
I'd be tempted by a Stratos lookalike with decent power and handling as they look the business (and a bit more exclusive than the Ultima
not straightforward per se. took me 2 years of weekends, plus holidays. the corse i has very few fiat parts, besides the X1/9 door latches / handles and bonnet / boot catches. lancia delta steering column IIRC. ford granada hubs and brakes, plus princess track-rods, then various bits taken from my Rover 827 donor. plenty of small bracketry needed, but a standard toolkit, welder etc is enough. (in other words, not a bolt together job).
plenty of scope for making your car unique
SVA is possible, just a few things to be careful of, eg take side screens out beforehand (they're plastic). plenty of useful info at the Lancia Stratos Supersite where many of the replica guys hang out.
vojx:
Is the Corse-i the one with wishbone suspension all round?
The one I set up had Chapman Strut rear end, as per the original Stratos, and I suspect that the roll centre movement that you get with struts was a major contributor to the unpredictable on-limit behaviour.
If your car is wishbone suspension, have you driven a strut type car and how do they compare?
Is the Corse-i the one with wishbone suspension all round?
The one I set up had Chapman Strut rear end, as per the original Stratos, and I suspect that the roll centre movement that you get with struts was a major contributor to the unpredictable on-limit behaviour.
If your car is wishbone suspension, have you driven a strut type car and how do they compare?
the Corse i is double wishboned at the rear, and yes probably does account for much of its superior handling. i havent driven the other type for comparisons, but Steve Greenwood, who designed the chassis, Hugh Carson who I dealt with when Litton went bust, plus various people who have tried both agree that the double wishbone version is what you want for decent handling.
Hi vojx..wondered where you had gone
If it's of any interest, I was once lucky enough to get a ride in a bi-turbo Alfa V6 powered Corse S (the one with strut rear suspension). It was making in the region of 400bhp/400ftlb and didn't seem to be having too much bother dealing with the grunt.
Don't think my standard 2l Lancia TC is likely to give my S any problems when I finally finish it mind....
If it's of any interest, I was once lucky enough to get a ride in a bi-turbo Alfa V6 powered Corse S (the one with strut rear suspension). It was making in the region of 400bhp/400ftlb and didn't seem to be having too much bother dealing with the grunt.
Don't think my standard 2l Lancia TC is likely to give my S any problems when I finally finish it mind....
vojx said:
hi chris, keeping a low profile, for some strange reason
>> Edited by vojx on Wednesday 3rd November 17:11
...can't think why, my friend
I've overheard the odd comment from the guys who use their Corse I cars on rougher events, that the rear wishbone mounts need a wee bit of beefing up. Nothing serious apparently, mostly precautionary and easily done. I think I heard Hugh once say that maybe the strut was better for rally use.
I only mentioned the 'S' in case finding an 'I' proves too hard - just saying don't neccesarily write it off completely. An 'S' was doing pretty good work (considering the engine power) in the GT series for quite a while under Scott Racing. Also did OK in the odd Auto Italia rounds they competed in I think. Talking of AI, a certain Hawk has a good record there and that uses the strut at the rear. Maybe worth noting that the front suspension on that car was modified to reduce the shock inclination from the original (steep) angle.
CorseChris said:
I've overheard the odd comment from the guys who use their Corse I cars on rougher events, that the rear wishbone mounts need a wee bit of beefing up. Nothing serious apparently, mostly precautionary and easily done. I think I heard Hugh once say that maybe the strut was better for rally use.
I only mentioned the 'S' in case finding an 'I' proves too hard - just saying don't neccesarily write it off completely. An 'S' was doing pretty good work (considering the engine power) in the GT series for quite a while under Scott Racing. Also did OK in the odd Auto Italia rounds they competed in I think. Talking of AI, a certain Hawk has a good record there and that uses the strut at the rear. Maybe worth noting that the front suspension on that car was modified to reduce the shock inclination from the original (steep) angle.
IIRC, the Trowbridge book implies that the Lancia rally team tried double wishbones at the rear, but found the struts to have better reliability. For road use double wishbones are definitely superior.
vojx said:
IIRC, the Trowbridge book implies that the Lancia rally team tried double wishbones at the rear, but found the struts to have better reliability. For road use double wishbones are definitely superior.
Indeed. Given a choice, I'd prefer an I myself, but am content with what I have. Suppose I could always hack the back off some time if I was that keen..or more truthfully, capable enough to tell the difference
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