Wrong turn
Yes, there were (probably) two Lancia Stratos Turbo built by Lancia (or better: Mike Parkes) especially for circuit racing, where they even had a bit of success as Group 5 cars, in 1974 with the overall victory at the Giro d’Italia (Andruet/Espinos), in 1976 a 20th place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Lombardi/Dacremont) and another overall victory at the Giro d’Italia (Facetti/Sodano). But the basic model was not really made for the racetrack, the wheelbase was much too short, the driving characteristics rather nervous, the power of the 2.4-litre V6 not exuberant either.
But that didn’t stop American Anatoly “Toly” Arutunoff (or Arutunov) from getting a Stratos and racing it a total of five times at the 24 Hours of Daytona. All beginnings were difficult, Arutunoff travelled from Tulsa to Turin in the autumn of 1976, bought a Stratos there directly from the Lancia showroom, drove it to Cherbourg, took the ferry to England, loaded his vehicle there onto the Queen Elisabeth 2. In Boston, “Toly” and his Stratos disembarked, then he drove it to Tulsa in heavy snow.
And already in February 1977, Arutunoff competed in Daytona for the first time. He did not reach the finish line with his co-drivers José Marina and Brian Goellnicht, a hole in the fuel tank was the reason for the failure. “Toly” also competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, but all the successes that could be told failed to materialise. In 1977, he suffered a major engine failure at Daytona, but in 1978 he still managed a 26th place. Nevertheless, the American remained loyal to his not really competitive Lancia until 1984 – he was used to adversity, having tried his luck with a Lotus Europa before the Stratos.
Now “The Duck”, as the Stratos was called because of its bright yellow paint, will go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey (18-20.8.2022). The car certainly needs some love, it has rarely been moved since 1986. There is no estimated price yet. But we have the whole story of the Stratos and a collection of them: here.
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