2019 M.A.T. Stratos

Offered for sale is this 2019 Manifattura Automobili Torino (M.A.T) Stratos Coupe.

The M.A.T Stratos is truly magic on wheels -  and not just in the way it looks.. It manages to pull off the almost impossible trick of being both a singularly special and unique machine, while also faithfully following the origins of the nameplate it employs.  

Resurrecting an old nameplate, however, is always fraught with potential problems. If the new version doesn’t measure up, and comes off as a poorly executed attempt to capitalize on the good will earned by the original, the market will react quickly and cruelly. The original Stratos was and continues to be a fascinating car, one that enjoyed multiple victories in the international rally races it was designed for. Notably, it was one of the last rear wheel drive cars to do so before the arrival of the first Audi quattro, bringing with it the seismic shift to all wheel drive that followed in its wake.

The only real competition the Stratos faced, in fact, came from Lancia's parent company, Fiat - who simply felt that the marketing advantage their Fiat 131 rally car gained was more valuable for the mainstream brand, and withdrew factory support for the Stratos despite its proven competitiveness at the time. Even so, privateer racers continued to compete succesfully with the Stratos, underscoring the validity of the Stratos concept.

In both looks and performance, the original Stratos made a strong impression worldwide. That brings us to this MAT Stratos, a recreation inspired by that original, being offered for auction. 

The company that made this happen was Manifattura Automobili Torino, M.A.T for short. But they were not the company that originated the idea. That honor goes to Chris Hrabalek, who as a teenager envisioned this project, whose father owned original versions of the Stratos, and managed to not only secure the rights to the Stratos name trademark as a teen, but managed to create and execute a full running concept that was good enough to display at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2005. His concept, called the Fenomenon Stratos, drew enough financial backers, and even assistance in engineering and design details from Pininfarina, and the concept became a reality.

But, just like the original Stratos, the new one suffered from a lack of commitment on Ferrari’s part—this time under the auspices of Luca di Montezemolo, who wouldn't commit to supplying the engines and parts necessary to make the car happen. But once the Ferrari F430 became old enough to be available in the aftermarket, that meant Hrabalek wouldn't require the direct participation of Ferrari. So, Hrabalek and M.A.T. found a way to resurrect the project with an appropriate powerplant, and bring it to market successfully.   

The details behind their Stratos are proof of concept. To create these new cars, they start with a donor Ferrari 430 or 430 Scuderia, shorten the wheelbase and customize the chassis to accommodate their new bodywork, and the result is an incredible and unique sports car with a pedigreed background.

But again, the beautiful part about this is how it reflects the genesis of the original Lancia Stratos. The original Stratos was purpose-built, with the plan to build the minimum number of street-legal Stratos’ necessary to qualify for competition. The rally machine was equipped with Ferrari’s Dino V6 engine—an arrangement that Ferrari had agreed to, then seemed to forget about even as Lancia built the car for production, but then ultimately fulfilled by shipping the engines unannounced to Lancia at the last second. The reasons for that delay are disputed, but ultimately the Ferrari-engined Stratos was a success, and remains an important moment in motorsport racing.

So it only stands to reason that the M.A.T. Stratos rely on Ferrari power, and as motivation, the V8 engine from the F430 Scuderia acquits itself well. 

While all M.A.T. Stratos supercars are a tribute to the original, this example leans into the theme with its color scheme. The Alitalia livery was synonymous with the winning Stratos rally cars from the 1970s, as the biggest Italian airline company was a longtime sponsor for Lancia’s rally teams, and the iconic green and red colorway adds mightily to how evocative this car is for anyone who understands the intent.

This is M.A.T. Stratos Coupe is finished in white with Alitalia Airlines livery over a black interior. It is powered by a 4.3 liter Ferrari V8 with 540 hp, running to the rear wheels through a six-speed automated single-clutch transmission. It has 3032 kilometers (about 2485 mi) covered. It features full carbon-fiber bodywork constructed on a shortened Ferrari F430 Scuderia chassis, and is the first example of a scheduled 25 in total to be constructed by the firm. This Stratos is located and registered in Germany.