After more than 40 years of being out of the spotlight, the Stratos has returned. It’s not made by Lancia anymore, but by Manufattura Automobili Torino (MAT). Called the MAT Stratos Coupe, the first-production version of the super-desirable sports car is now up for auction at Bonhams, and, as you can imagine, this particular Stratos Coupe is going to fetch a steep price.

The renowned auction house estimates that the first-production Stratos Coupe will fetch somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million. It’s about as unique a sports car as you can buy these days, and while the estimated price is way out of our budget, it’s not hard to imagine someone paying that much money to own the first-produced MAT Stratos Coupe.

A brief history lesson

It only lasted five years (1973 to 1978) on the market, but in the short time that it was around, the Stratos made a huge mark as a sports car and as a rally car. The Stratos HF rally racer, which was based on the production sports car, won the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976.

As far as five-year runs go, the Stratos arguably had one of the most memorable of any sports car of its era. Unfortunately, Lancia stopped producing the Stratos after only five years in the market, and it wasn’t until 2010 that the Stratos name returned to headlines, except it wasn’t a Lancia anymore. German billionaire and self-professed rally fan Michael Stoschek took the reins in bringing the Stratos nameplate back from the dead. He helped fund a startup project called the “New Stratos” that had one objective in mind: build a modern, production-ready version of the legendary race car.

The New Stratos sat under a Ferrari F430 Scuderia, and while Ferrari itself took kindly to the project, the Italian automaker declined to supply parts for the 25 cars planned and the project was eventually scuttled.

It was a huge tease that amounted to nothing, at least not for the next eight years. It wasn’t until 2018 when former Pininfarina special projects manager Paolo Garella revived the project under Manufattura Automobili Torino (MAT), a company he founded after leaving the Italian design house.

Finally, the MAT Stratos, formerly the New Stratos, has come to life.

What's so special about this particular MAT Stratos

The fact that this particular example of the MAT Stratos is one of only 25 units in the world is special enough on its own. But there’s a reason why this particular MAT Stratos — and not the 24 other models — is being auctioned off by Bonhams.

It had 18,640 miles on the odometer and, at the time MAT received it, it needed a lot of work. So, the whole thing was overhauled, right down to the mechanicals. MAT eventually finished the project in 2019, and not only did it look every bit as awesome as what we expected out of the MAT Stratos, but the automaker also dressed it up in the iconic Alitalia livery that the original Stratos HF rally racer wore during its three-year domination of the World Rally Championship in the mid-’70s.

Since it was built, this particular MAT Stratos has logged roughly 1,800 miles. That’s not a lot of miles for a sports car that was effectively rebuilt and repurposed. It also comes with proper German registration documents where all the modifications are laid out.

The MAT Stratos at a Glance

In terms of size, though, the Stratos is almost eight inches shorter than the F430 Scuderia so the folks over at MAT had their work cut for them in reconfiguring the chassis of the F430 Scuderia to fit the design of the Stratos. Despite the shorter length relative to the F430 Scuderia, the MAT Stratos is actually larger than the original Stratos. In all, the MAT Stratos is 164.6 inches long, 77.6 inches wide, and 48.8 inches tall.

The sports car’s overall look largely follows the design blueprint of the OG Stratos, but with a few modern design bits thrown in to make it stand out in today’s crowd of sports cars. Not only does this particular example wear the Alitalia livery, but it also carries four rally light casings in front of the hood. The yellow-tinted headlights also add to its cool factor and those wheels are absolutely to-die-for.

The engine connects to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, which sets power to the two rear wheels. In full bloom, the Stratos is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and from 0 to 124 mph in 9.7 seconds before maxing out at 170 mph. There is also an option to raise the output to 600 horsepower.


Engine

4.3-liter V-8 engine

Horsepower

540 HP

Torque

383 LB-FT

Transmission

six-speed dual-clutch

0 to 60 mph

3.3

0 to 124 mph

9.7

Top Speed

170 mph


Pricing Details

Twelve of the 25 units are already spoken for at the time of writing. The conversion price does not include the actual Ferrari F430 Scuderia. You’ll have to supply that. As for this particular MAT Stratos, Bonhams estimates that the car will fetch around $1 million for the sports car. The auction takes place at the Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais on February 6, 2020. If you’re going to the auction, you might have to bring your check books with you.

Final Thoughts

You’re not imagining any of this. The Lancia Stratos is back, albeit under a different name. This is the MAT Stratos and it looks absolutely stunning! Disregard the fact that this is the first-production MAT Stratos — there’s that provenance! — and the car still looks amazing. The Alitalia livery evokes a pure nostalgic vibe and those rally light casings on the hood add to the sports car’s identity. The Ferrari F430 Scuderia-sourced 4.3-liter V-8 engine produces a healthy 540 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. The MAT Stratos doesn't just look like a sports car; it's powered like one, too.

Sadly for most of us, getting our hands on the first-production MAT Stratos is going to be tricky. Not only is it a desirable piece, but it's also expected to fetch close to $1 million. That's hypercar-levels of money that you're going to have to part with if you want to score this rare beauty. I don't know if the cost justifies the ownership, but I certainly wouldn't begrudge the individual who splurges on this beauty.