Lancia Stratos tribute rally car

Buying a Lancia Delta replica is one thing. Getting up to full Targa rally spec is a whole other level

For Colin Byrne, building and owning a Lancia Stratos replica may have had some inevitability to it. Alongside his father, he’s been racing Alfa Romeo 105s in tarmac rallies since 2005.

“We started off in the same car and after the first event vowed never to be in the same car together ever again!” He laughs. Father Paul and he have since raced their own 105s in tandem. But for Colin, it was starting to lose its shine, despite ending up with a handful of wins and places.

“We pushed it as far as we could with that car and the rules – it was a handicap competition and we wanted to get into the classic GT or outright class, with a bigger engine and something designed for the task.

Out and about in full rally trim

“I was looking around, watching some old Group B videos and came across the fact you could buy Stratos replicas.” He and Paul decided to pitch in together to get one. There were two main options: The Hawk which is a reasonably faithful replica of the original, or a ListerBell which is an updated silhouette version.

They decided to put their name on the two-year waiting list for a Hawk until a Sydney car popped up for sale. “I remember coming around the corner and seeing it on a trailer and thinking that thing is coming home with me,” said Colin.

All the bones were there, but it was still a very big build as the car was nowhere near what was required for a tarmac rally. “The fact it was a complete car meant we didn’t have to track down a lot of little things like door handles and trims, which saves a lot of time. Mechanically and performance-wise we started again.”

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The twin wishbone front end was massively reinforced and adapted with Fiat 124 uprights for Alfa Romeo wheel hubs, while the rear is now running one-off uprights with Peugeot 205 GTi hubs. Both ends use high-end remote reservoir coilovers. Braking is by vented disc all round, with the calipers donated by a Porsche.

Though mostly happy with the end result, Colin reckons the rear end could use more development. “It’s a Macpherson strut rear end, which is great for packaging but pretty diabolical for roll centre migration – it dives around all over the place as the car moves around. I want it to be more predictable.

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“We took it to Phillip Island and turn one was pretty terrifying. Lift-off turn-in and high-speed oversteer is un-nerving and we’re trying to get that sorted.”

The roll cage is a full six-point Motorsport Australia spec, which was a lot of work to get in. Colin is six feet (183cm) tall and co-driver Michael Patridge a little taller, so space is at a premium in the tiny cabin. “I designed the cage in CAD first. Fitting in was one problem and welding inside a fibreglass car was another level of difficulty,” explained Colin.

Lots of clever work

While it might have been nice to fit a V6 Dino engine, just like the original Stratos, the realistic option is a 3.2lt 24-valve late Busso V6 from Alfa Romeo. Converted for rear-wheel drive with an LSD clutch pack, it’s matched to a six-speed transmission.

On the electronic side of things, the engine is running fuel injection with a Haltech system.

Power from the lightly modified engine – built by Paul – is reckoned to be around 300 horses at the flywheel – more than enough for a tiny and light car.

Weirdly, one of the major challenges was making a new set of saddle fuel tanks. The originals carried just 20 litres per side – not enough. So Colin set about designing a new pair using every millimetre of available space. The complex curves presented some issues but the pay-off is a set-up that carries 38lt a side.

After three years of hard graft, then came the shake-down run. “We went to Targa High Country and had quite a few issues. It was good to get it out and we learned a lot. Then we went to Targa Tasmania, and had a good first two days, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to a fatal crash,” explained Colin. Now they’re waiting to see what the future holds when it comes to the expected new technical rules for such events.

Fabulous from any angle

Colin has since done a few track days and observes: “The Alfa 105 was super predictable to drive and I’ve been driving them all my life – that was my first road car. This thing with its mid-engine, very light and short wheelbase is a very different to drive. Incredible turn-in. One of the biggest things is learning to drive with the majority of the mass behind you.”

Is he happy he did it? “Oh yeah! It was so much fun to build. Because it was purpose-designed as a rally car and you have great access with the clamshell design. You can’t buy a single part for it, if you need it, you make it.”