Lancia Vision Alpha concept is a glimpse of brand’s lost glory rejuvenated

Posted on 31/05/2022 by Gaurav Sood

Lancia has had its share of highs and then unfortunate lows as it didn’t manage to strike the right notes with the more modern auto lovers. Thankfully, they are making a comeback in 2024 in collaboration with Alfa Romeo and DS – a piece of heartening news for Lancia fans on the 115^th anniversary last year.

What the jointly collaborated brand will offer is still in question, but I hope it is a sports coupe or a striking roadster that’ll turn the tables for the Italian automotive legend. Laszlo Varga’s Lancia Vision Alpha concept adds excitement to this already good news – a sports car with the brand’s DNA with the right blend of modern aesthetics. I’m sure design experts at Lancia will be watching this in incognito mode already to derive some inspiration.

Designer: Laszlo Varga

While we all have a fair idea already about where they are heading – electric obviously – clean energy-powered performance cars will have many takers. It’s like jumping onto the EV future without forgetting the roots of the company. The Vision Alpha’s front end has slim LED headlights and the horizontal vents (it could hint at an internal combustion-powered drivetrain) remind me of the original Stratos in more ways than not. The angular design of the Stratos has been subdued to a fair extent with the rounded edges for a more contoured aesthetics.

The designer has put a lot of work into designing the concept from scratch, and the level of detail is impressive. This sports car gives off that tell-tale redemption vibe – challenging other futuristic cars to up their game before any imminent launches in the next couple of years or so. Back to reality though, Lancia could play it safe and release more consumer-oriented models to initially capture the interest and then later on go to release such luxury models once the waters calm down.

The post Lancia Vision Alpha concept is a glimpse of brand’s lost glory rejuvenated first appeared on Yanko Design.

This evolutionarily Lancia Delta S4 concept is one power-packed rally monster

Posted on 22/10/2021 by Gaurav Sood

Delta S4 shone in the 1985 and 1986 WRC, and thus, has seen numerous digital remakes and real-life replications in the current era. However, this concept rendered by Dmitry Mazurkevich outshines them all.

The eighties were dominated by World Rally more than Formula-1, and it was not Ferrari, Ford or Peugeot that were winning major world titles. It was the Lancia bagging a whole lot of trophies compared to any other team. The Delta Group B cars adorned the walls of rally fans during that era, and it is still an iconic racer. The fanbase of the Stratos and Delta S4 is passionate about the set of wheels, more than three decades after the class was removed from the calendar by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

The designer uses an S4 chassis, Abarth engine and transmission as the base to recreate a modern racer with modern elements, I truly like. The car gets a steel tubular space frame and is adorned in a custom body kit with detachable Kevlar inserts. For the engine, Dmitry creates a combination of Volumex supercharger and KKK turbocharger for a thumping power output of 1,000hp. That’s well over double that of the original one which churned out 483hp.

The rally car propels forward on deep concave-shaped Integrale Gravel wheels encapsulated in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires for superior grip. The long-travel suspension assures a smooth drive with the safety of Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers. Interestingly the car can detect the road ahead and adjust the double-wishbone suspension characteristics, ride height and steering to take on whatever comes its way. That’s possible with the conceptual Nvidia AI module running on x2 RTX 2080 GPUs collecting real-time data and 3D scans. The front and rear panels get the gas struts, while the flat underbody has a rear diffuser.

This by far is the most extensive Lancia Delta remake, as the designer has presented the detailed look of the components, interiors and dope exteriors. Just have a look at that large central opening at the rear that lets the hot air out while flaunting the custom twin-loop exhaust. On the interior, the adjustable dashboard and Woodward steering column promises optimal driving seat ergonomics. All this is done using the Unreal Engine 4 RTX, and the results are truly stunning!

Designer: Dmitry Mazurkevich

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

Posted on 12/10/2020 by Sarang Sheth

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

This Lancia Stratos concept shows off a newer, edgier car to commemorate 50 years of the original design!

Posted on 24/09/2020 by Gaurav Sood

Lancia Stratos HF began its rallying adventure back in the late 1960s with the 1.6 Liter V4 Lancia Fulvia engine powered coupe. Then things got interesting as it made its mark at the Turin Motor Show and later on claimed the top spot at the Monte Carlo rally. As the popularity of the brand shone, it ultimately got the top podium step at Firestone Rally. The consequent decade of the 70s saw Lancia grow as an icon for the rally championships. Their rally specialist cars became household posters for automotive enthusiasts, and it still lingers in the sub-conscious of diehard fans.

To commemorate the 50 years of the star brand that had its highs and the definitive lows – designer Meelis Lillemets has created his version of the Lancia Stratos. He calls it Lancia Stratos 50 – aptly so, and it has a modern design language that manages to preserve the essence of the iconic car. This one is powered by an electric drivetrain keeping the environment in mind. More than a rally car it looks tailor-made for circuit racing with its low ride height and an aerodynamic design to reduce drag and keep it glued to the tarmac. The sharp flowing lines from the front to the rear of the car give it a definitive character. On the rear, it sports a beefy muscular build – accentuated by the futuristic taillights and the dampers.

The subdued rear spoiler blends into the body rather than taking its position on the rear trunk. Somehow the side mugshot seems to be highly inspired by the Lamborghini Aventador with very futuristic looking wheel arches. Overall the designer has managed to capture the lasting spirit of the car that still lives in our memories – 50 years and counting!

Designer: Meelis Lillemets

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

Posted on 19/08/2020 by Sarang Sheth

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

LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS Kit Can Also Build a Lancia Stratos Stradale

Posted on 14/02/2019 by Shane McGlaun

One of the coolest cars ever made is the Lancia Stratos Stradale. It was rare and very fast in its day. If you happen to own the awesome LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS construction kit, there are some new instructions out that will let you build the Lancia with the same kit.

The build requires 2197 parts altogether – about 500 shy of the Porsche. If you want your LEGO Stratos Stradale to work perfectly, you will need a 32187 Technic Driving Ring Extension to enable reverse gear. If you don’t care about reverse gear, you can build the Lancia with only the parts in the kit with five working forward gears.

You can buy the full instructions via Rebrickable for 15 euro (or about $17 USD.) I wonder who the genius was who came up with this build was; they deserve a beer and a round of applause.

[via Hooniverse via Motor1]

GIZMODO.cz

Syndicated rss news

Tag Archives: lancia