Stratos

Stratos

After much speculation in the Automotive Press, information on the new ‘Stratos’ has been officially released. An anonymous European business man is funding the project, where he aims to revive the legendary Stratos after 40 years.

The pictures are from the Fiat test track in Balocco. It shows a fabulous looking car that reproduces the sublime lines of the original Lancia, with a modern edge. It avoids being too retro, but retains the basic wedge shape and round tail lights. It also recognises the original cars power plant – the car from the 70’s had a Ferrari V6 Dino engine and this car uses a modern Ferrari V8. In fact, it was ex-F1 driver Tiago Montero that was driving the prototype for the test – and he claimed it was ‘sensational’ to drive.

Whether this car makes it into a limited production remains to be seen, but we certainly hope it does! Congratulations to all involved with this fabulous project…

McLaren London

One Hyde Park, in Knightsbridge, has been announced as the location of the new McLaren London showroom – just around the corner from the showroom McLaren had in Park Lane for the legendary F1 road car. It is planned to open in early 2011, prior to the spring launch of the McLaren MP4-12C.

McLaren London is expected to become the marque’s leading European retailer and probably the busiest in the global network.

The One Hyde Park development consists of 86 apartments and three very upmarket retail spaces, with the McLaren showroom on the ground floor of ‘pavilion B’, the largest of the three retail units, looking out onto Knightsbridge and strategically placed opposite Harvey Nichols at the top of Sloane Street. While McLaren will be the only motoring brand at One Hyde Park, it’s likely that the other two units will house leading luxury brands. As a further attraction, the McLaren showroom will displaying one of the team’s Formula 1 racing cars.

Porsche 918 Spyder

It is a good day for Porsche fans. The Porsche AG Supervisory Board have today given the green light for series production of the stunning Porsche 918 Spyder, after its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Reflecting the overwhelming response from the public and customers to the Concept Study, the Supervisory Board have now asked Porsche’s management team to develop a production model based on the 918 Spyder concept – an ultra-high-performance mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid technology.

Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG said, “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base for Porsche.”

The Concept Study of the 918 Spyder offered CO2 emissions of just 70 g/km, corresponding to a fuel consumption of 94.1 mpg (3.0 litre/100 km), combined with the performance of a supercar.

No further details are available at this time, but Porsche have promised to reveal more during the next couple of months.