A MODERN-DAY tribute to the Lancia Stratos will make its debut at next month’s Geneva motor show, packing a 400kW-plus punch from its mid-mounted engine.

The first deliveries are due in April, with Manifattura Automobili Torino, an Italian coachbuilder headed by the former head of special projects at Pininfarina, Paolo Garella, licensed to build 25 units. The fancy of a German billionaire has taken a long time to arrive; the car was first revealed in concept form in 2010.

A press release from the car’s developer, New Stratos, announcing the special build run said the car would be customised as either a “GT racer, a Safari version, but also a competent supercar for the daily use”.

The original Lancia Stratos, designed specifically for success on the rally circuit, used a compact steel monocoque body with a tubular subframe, and was clad in a fibreglass body. Its unofficial 2018 reboot will feature a “full carbon-fibre body, state-of-the-art finishing, and all the technical solutions that contributed to the success of the first New Stratos: excellent handling capabilities, lightweight design, superior balance and precision driving”.

“The striking design of the New Stratos follows the lines of its world-famous predecessor offering a new exciting interpretation of the most famous and successful rally car of the past,” New Stratos said in a statement.

“The classic and simple car interior is a perfect example of efficient and bespoke design. It maintains the characteristics of the original car, like the integrated support for the helmets in the doors and enhances the souls and the mission of the car: making it ready to be a new, winning rally car.”