Yes I am a fan of Italian Exotics of all types. The big names are more familiar: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati; but this 'Lancia' is not as well known. The Lancia Stratos was a purpose built rally car - and quite successful at that. It first appeared in the 1972-73 race season and won a number of championships throughout the '70's. I had always admired the originality of the design. It was wild and different, styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. That might not mean much to some people, but others will recognize the name of the man responsible for the styling of some of the most beautiful cars on the road. A short list of his other works include the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo.
So as is usually the case, a beautiful road car makes for a beautiful 1/64 scale replica, but there are other things to consider with the Hot Wheels version. The colour of this one is a very nice shade of red, characteristic of the "Italian passion" for the automobile. The details are well represented, pop-up headlights, hood vents, fender flares and all.
I truly appreciate the aesthetics of this car and I would have a place in my dream garage for this piece of automotive history. Having a Lancia Stratos in my pocket is a good compromise.
