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Fenomenon Stratos may see the light of day

I must admit that we were confidently expecting to see an open-topped version of the awesome Stratos concept car on the Fenomenon stand in Frankfurt, having heard rumours in the weeks leading up to the show. On my arrival at the stand though the only sign of the roadster (to be called Barchetta if it is put into production) was in designer sketches. On the stand itself the show car from March's Geneva Show was displayed, though repainted in the nostalgic colours of the Alitalia airline, the most fondly remembered sponsor of the original Lancia Stratos rally car.

Fenomenon's Stratos has nothing to do with Lancia though, and like all the best unofficial celebrity biographies, it could be all the better for it. The Frankfurt Show provided the forum for Fenomenon to make a couple of important announcements. The first is that design studies have been completed for three versions of the Stratos: Stradale (coupe), Barchetta and Stratos Competizione, a club racing special. More exciting is the serious possibility of the Stratos being produced for customers in small numbers.

Prodrive has been engaged to carry out a production feasibility study on the Stratos, including all further design, engineering and the actual manufacturing process. Prodrive will also establish a suitable location to build the 50 or so cars a year thought to be practical for the Stratos. It is thought likely that if the green light is given to the Stratos, we'll be told more at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. Fenomenon are adamant that the style of the car has been finalised, including the radical central parting line for the doors and windscreen. Although no powerplant has yet been chosen, the car is designed to be mid-engined and retain its chunky 'any road' appearance and abilities. You won't need to worry about speed bumps in this supercar.

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