Equipment
2418/190hp Dino V6, 5-speed, cloth upholstery, gold alloy wheels, Michelin XWX tires, wood shift knob, books and tools.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Italian market car. Placed in storage from 1984 to 2017. Old, possibly original paint. Numerous flaws including a large crack on the right front flare and chip near the passenger’s door. A couple of dings in the wheels. Clean seats and carpets but faded dash and lightly worn steering wheel. Recently got a gearbox rebuilt and engine-out service. Badass car in driver condition, which is exactly what you’re supposed to do with it.
Market commentary
The Stratos was the first car designed from scratch with international rallying in mind, and was homologated for the 1974 season. It won the World Rally Championship that season, and in '75 and '76 for good measure. Fewer than 500 cars were built and they're quite uncommon on our side of the Atlantic. The bidders rewarded this one for its impressive preservation, affording it the kind of price ordinarily preserved for well-restored examples and a good bit more than the $410,841 it brought at RM's London auction in 2016 (£308,000 at the time, this result is £485,600). If I could have just one (non-Alfa) car it would be a Stratos in good driver condition like this. It is much more rare and visually distinctive than its 246 GT Dino counterpart, and in today's dizzying Dino market at least, less expensive.