The automotive history is full of people who tried to make their dreams come true but failed, some due to their limited ability or resources, some because of bad timing and others because the big fish swimming in their pond were, well, too big to handle.
Automotive industry entrepreneur, collector and historic car driver Michael Stoschek has just joined their ranks after attempting to build a 21st century version of one of rallying’s iconic cars: the Lancia Stratos.
Earlier this week, Stoschek announced that he will not be able to fulfill the 50 orders he had already received: “The reason lies in the attitude of Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, who opposes the production of other vehicles by companies that work with Ferrari,” he wrote on his website.
His “mistake” was that he chose to use Pininfarina for the design of the chassis and bodywork, and a Ferrari 360 or F430 as a donor car for the powertrain of the New Stratos.
Although Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo himself drove it and made very positive remarks about the car, Maranello had a change of heart and announced that it would not allow Pininfarina or any other of its suppliers to be connected with the New Stratos project.
Stoschek said that, despite having the chassis and bodywork data in CAD, the search for another company to take over from Pininfarina and continue the project failed since “many of the details are only in the minds of some highly skilled people employed by Pininfarina”.
Nevertheless, he said that the New Stratos will not be confined in a garage but will instead be presented at various public events – and he added that he is already building a black Lancia Stratos Stradale, “so that the many similarities between the old and the new Stratos are more obvious”.
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