Jay Leno hasn't been using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to take some time off from his automotive YouTube series Jay Leno's Garage. Instead, he's committed to continuing his output, last week sharing a look at his 1931 Bentley that was restored after being used as a chicken coop by a former owner. And the week before, he explored a 1955 Bristol 403 and its BMW-sourced engine. But today, Leno released a very exciting video featuring one of history's all-time rally greats, the Lancia Stratos HF, and proceeded to drive the iconic sports car through the streets of Los Angeles.
Lancia's Incredible Rally Racing History
The Stratos figures heavily in Lancia's storied rally history, dominating competition thanks to its mid-mounted Dino V6 engine, long-travel suspension, and microscopic wheelbase. Keep in mind, this was before Audi revolutionized rally racing with the introduction of Quattro all-wheel drive (to which Lancia would respond with the most successful rally car of all time, the Integrale), so the Stratos retained rear-wheel drive.
Some Concessions To Modern Times
The Stratos that Leno gets to play with here formerly belonged to John Campion—and it does have some concessions to street driving, including longer gear ratios and syncromesh, plus an interior with a few more comfortable touches including leather seats and trim that wouldn't have made it into the competition variants. Its Dino V6 also employs two valves per cylinder, rather than the later four-valve iterations that could reportedly pump out power in excess of 500 horses (in a car weighing around 2,700 pounds, mind).
The Lancia Isn't Too Bad In Town
Even an experienced automotive aficionado like Jay Leno has to get a bit excited about climbing into the cramped Stratos cockpit, though Leno admits it's not quite as much of a screamer as he anticipated. Sure, the engine sits right behind his head and the dash is chock-full of gauges and buttons he can't decipher, but with the taller synchro gears, he's able to manage LA streets without too much discomfort.
As compared to when Matt Farah drove this same Stratos with the shortest gearset imaginable and was barely able to get above 60 miles per hour, Leno estimates the Stratos could now probably climb up to 100 mph or more. Of course, such things remain a dream in LA traffic, though for many gearheads, the Stratos itself remains the stuff of dreams.
Sources: youtube.com and carscoops.com.