Could Lancia Stratos Concept Become Maserati's 911-Fighting Sports Car?
There's a lot more in common between Maserati and Porsche than is apparent at first blush. Both are historically significant, both have long and storied racing careers, and both are equally tied to gigantic European automotive companies, with Maserati linked to Fiat and Porsche to Volkswagen. And both are enjoying massive success on the buoyant wave of the new Chinese market.
So, it would stand to reason then that Maserati, who currently produces just two distinct models, would want to increase their market share via a swelling of its product line. And this isn't new news: rumours of two new sedan models to better compete against the Panamera have been circulating for nearly as long as have the rumours of a Detroit-built, Maserati-badged Cayenne competitor. But throughout all this, Maserati's been relatively quiet on how they intend to chase down Porsche's most elusive product: the 911.
However, due to some comments accredited to Maserati CEO Harald Wester, a plan seems to be emerging... and that plan is taking the shape of a mid-engined, V8-powered sports car. Intending to undercut their sister-company's similar offering (that would be the 458 Italia) by a significant margin, the new car will resurrect the long-dead GranSport badge that last appeared on the final iteration of the 4200 GT, and will undoubtedly promise blistering performance and an achingly beautiful shape.
But perhaps the most interesting part of this news is the consideration that was once given to a certain Ferrari-powered, mid-engined, V8-motivated Lancia Stratos revival. After being driven by none other than Ferrari's chaiman Luca di Montezemolo (who seemed impressed with the effort), the promising concept seemed to die quite abruptly on the vine after Ferrari nixed any hopes of additional bodies being produced by Pininfarina, but the whole thing seemed a little suspicious, even at the time. Could the Stratos revival have been transformed in favour of this new, mid-engined Maserati? Did that Stratos concept actually give us a glimpse into what may be in store for Maserati's new sports car, and was its untimely demise actually orchestrated by Fiat, who saw the potential for precisely that car Maserati's lineup? Only time will tell...
