In the late 1970s, Lancia faced a difficult conundrum. Replacing the Stratos, which dominated the rally scene of its era and turned every head with its muscular-looking styling, was a Herculean task. Bertone’s Marcello Gandini couldn’t help Lancia with the racing part of the equation, but he created the Stratos-based Sibilo concept presented at the 1978 Turin Motor Show to illustrate how he envisioned the supercar of the future.
Gandini was the right person for the job, as he designed both the Stratos that released in 1973 and the 1970 Stratos Zero concept that previewed it. However, beyond the fact its front end was shaped a little bit like a wedge of parmesan, the Sibilo shared very few styling cues with the Stratos it was based on. It featured a highly futuristic design characterized by blacked-out windows with sliding round inserts, a large glass hatch, and an orange “SIBILO” emblem that looks straight out of an old-school digital clock. Gold-finished wheels added a finishing touch to the out-of-this-world look.
The interior can’t really be compared to any other. It’s got the overall layout of a 1970s supercar in the sense that the door sills are wide, the dashboard is massive, and the footwells are comically small, but the controls look like they were designed for a 1970s science-fiction movie. The steering column is as broad as the steering wheel, and the wheel has no spokes. Instead, it features an integrated speaker and a selection of warning lights. There’s a speedometer built into the dashboard, close to the windshield, and Bertone put a handful of switches on the edge of the steering column.
Put another way, it was pure Gandini. Futuristic and daring at first glance, yet well thought-out when you zoom in on the details.
Bertone made no significant changes to the drivetrain. Power came from a mid-mounted, Stratos-sourced 2.4-liter V6 and five-speed manual gearbox linked to a shifter that looks like it belongs in a 1970s economy car. This is the same basic engine that powered the Dino 246 GTS, and using an existing drivetrain meant that, against a great many odds, the Sibilo could move (and move fast!) under its own power.
We have both good and bad news if you want the Sibilo. Let’s start with the bad: It’s a one-off. Now, the good: It’s in private hands. Bertone liquidated a big chunk of its collection shortly before filing for bankruptcy in the 2010s, and RM Sotheby’s sold the concept for €95,200 on the sidelines of the 2011 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance. It’s hard to put a value on a car like this, but it will come up for sale again sooner or later.
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