1982 Lancia 037 Stradale

When is a road car not (exactly) a road car? When it is a homologation variant of something as wild as a Group B rallycar. The 037 Stradale is road-legal, sure, but under all of the road-approved gear like headlights, turn signals, and reflectors is the same space-frame, Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass, and competition-bred engine as the Group B car. Of course, the Stradale versions couldn’t be as wild as their racing twins, with additional weight and an engine tune that wouldn’t require a tear-down every few races. Located amidships in a longitudinal placement is Lancia’s competition-tested 2-liter four cylinder motor, supplemented with a supercharger provided by Abarth that adds extra power without the lag of turbochargers. As the last of the rear-wheel drive rally cars to see success in WRC, the 037 does have the advantage of lighter weight and less complexity than the early all-wheel drive competition, which helped propel the Group B 037 to a manufacturer’s championship in 1983. With a minimum construction of 200 cars to comply with racing rules, the 037 Stradale is exceedingly rare.