(Find the Mini GT Stratos on Ebay)
I think we can all agree that MiniGT are doing an incredible job right now. Since those first FK Civic Type Rs released in 2019 they’ve absolutely blown us away with everything from Tommy Kaira Skylines to Le Mans winning McLaren F1 GTRs to the six-wheeled Tyrell P34 and all manner of things in between. The Lancia Stratos has been just one of the incredible bits of metal rolling out of their factory and even though the rally versions on offer are incredible, I was holding out for this road car version finished in stunning “Verde Chiaro”.
The Stratos came about as a result of design house Bertone’s eagerness to work with Lancia, and Lancia’s desire to remain a successful force in rallying. The Fulvia Coupe was still holding it’s own on the forest tracks and winding tarmac stages of Europe, but by 1970 Lancia were already looking at a replacement. And Bertone believed they could help. Designer Marcello Gandini set to work creating a showcase piece to impress Lancia bosses. He took a crashed Fulvia rally car, binned the body entirely and created the incredible Stratos Zero.
It’s said that when Gandini took the Zero to Lancia HQ for the first time he made quite the entrance, driving the 80cm high car under entry barriers to the applause of onlooking staff. Whether this is true or not, he and Bertone certainly had caught the attention of the Lancia top brass. They had found the perfect partner to create their rallying vision and partnered Gandini and his colleagues with the big names from the Lancia rally team: boss Cesare Fiorio, engineer Mike Parkes and the legendary driver Sandro Munari were all heavily involved in the development of the Stratos.
The concept of the Stratos HF was revealed at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and whilst it retained the name of Gandini’s Zero, it was a radically different (yet no less spectacular) car. Powered by Ferrari’s 2.4 litre Dino V6, Lancia more or less immediately set about entering prototypes into any event they could, gaining vital experience. By 1973 Lancia began the production of 500 road cars (492 were actually built) needed to meet homologation requirements for the FIA’s Group 4 rule set, and the Stratos entered the 1974 World Rally Championship.
The car became an instant success, winning the championship for the next three years and proving to be one of the all time great rally cars, logging wins in the hands of privateer entries all the way through until 1981. Lancia also built several Stratos for Group 5 sports car racing, which were superb in hybrid events such as the Tour de France Automobile and Giro d’Italia, but less successful on closed circuit racing. Despite this a Stratos did manage to log 2nd in class at the 1976 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Stratos has been modelled in 1:64/3-inch before of course; Kyosho, CM’s and Hot Wheels have all replicated the car amongst others, most featuring competition war paint. But there aren’t many 1:64s if you want a detailed road car version. But Mini GT have provided.
The model itself is perfection. MiniGT have become masters of 1:64 and there’s not much more to say other than it’s nigh on perfect.
The colour looks fabulous and is backed up by a solid paint finish and sharp decals. Even the paint on the wheels is great. This is a desperately pretty diecast.
You may be able to tell I had a real blast shooting this thing, and the changing light of the Lancashire skies gave the green paint a constantly shifting hue.
Detail is very good indeed; there’s spoilers, louvers, a very nicely done exhaust, and it rides without a wobble on treaded rubber tyres wrapped around perfectly replicated wheels. The only thing that lets it down is the front headlights. They are fine from a distance but on closer inspection the separate plastic headlight covers look a bit wonky. I can’t tell if this is a paint or part issue, but the “lumpyness” (for want of a better word) continues around the edges of the light recesses. It’s a shame but when am I really going to be looking at it so closely? And besides there are a million other angles to view it from.
I’ve been adding a few more Mini GT to my hoard recently and can see why John and the rest of my Lamley brothers covet them so much. They’re well priced, they’re detailed, they all roll whether they be apex scraping GT3 cars or Le Mans Prototypes, or Boulevard cruisers like the Lincoln Capri. And they’ve got a varied range that I’m sure will only get bigger and bigger. This may be my first Mini GT on Lamley, but it for sure won’t be my last.
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