As the world screeches to a halt due to fears of a global coronavirus pandemic, the arena of high-end car auctions has taken a big hit. RM Sotheby's 2020 auction in Essen, Germany, has been postponed until at least mid-to-late June, despite having a massive lineup of stellar cars on tap for collectors to ogle and, hopefully, drops gobs of cash to buy. But perhaps the extra time will allow more interest to foment, so that cars like a rare 1981 Lancia 037 Stradale may be able to claim at least closer to their values before the global economy took a nosedive.
More Than Special
Based very loosely on the Lancia Montecarlo, the 037 Stradale was a homologation special of epic proportions. Its rally equivalent was the Rally 037, which replaced the epic Stratos in Group B competition beginning in 1982 at the Rally Costa Smerelda in Italy. Despite appearances that aren't all that far off from the Montecarlo, this is definitely one special car and fits into history as the final rear-wheel-drive vehicle to win a Group B championship before the likes of Audi's Sport Quattro redefined the game. But of course, Lancia would go on to build the all-wheel-drive Integrale, later, which remains the most successful rally car of all time.
With A Little Help From My Friends
Behind the passenger compartment of this 037 Stradale lurks a supercharged four-banger courtesy of Abarth and mounted longitudinally鈥攊n comparison to the Montecarlo's transverse engine. With dry-sump lubrication and displacing 2.0 liters, the powerplant was capable of producing up to 285 horsepower in final guise before an increase in displacement for EVO 2 models.
Get It While You Can
While the final sale date of this Lancia remains a mystery, the sale price should be pretty impressive. This car is the 14th ever built, while other features include a ZF transaxle equipped with five forward gears, independent double-wishbone suspension at both axles, and 16-inch Speedline wheels shod in Pirelli tires鈥攁nd also benefits from a recent engine rebuild and new fuel tanks.
Source: RM Sothebys
