Ferrari Says No to Plans for Limited Production New Stratos

“Despite Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo’s excellent assessment of the New Stratos after his test drive at Fiorano, Ferrari does not consent to construction of the planned limited run by either Pininfarina or any other Ferrari-dependent suppliers.”

And with the above short statement, Ferrari announced to Michael Stoschek, the man behind the 21st century interpretation of the famous Lancia Stratos of the ‘70s, that it won’t let him use its chassis, engines nor allow any of its suppliers to participate in the build.

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VIDEO: Michael Stoschek Takes his New Lancia Stratos out for Racing

Unlike many other exotic supercar owners, Michael Stroshek isn’t keen on letting his pride and joy pass its time as a fancy museum piece in a parking lot. The German owner of the much talked about one-off Lancia Stratos wants to enjoy his latest toy where it counts the most: on the race track.

In these latest videos, we see Stroshek taking the Pininfarina-built and Ferrari 430 Scuderia-based Stratos out for racing at the Circuit Spa Francorchamps in Belgium and at the Sachsen Rallyce 2011 in Germany. Hop the jump to see the 540-horsepower Stratos in action for yourself.

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Bertone Auctions Off Some of its Most Recognizable Concepts to Avoid Insolvency

Here lies Bertone, the famed Italian automotive design house, bankrupt and on almost on the verge of death. The once legendary company was forced to sell its most prized possessions – six concept cars – to appease the bankruptcy commission and also to remain afloat. RM Auctions of London handle the sale at this past weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2011.

So what delectable concepts were the vultures able to get their beaks into? Well, there’s the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal that once graced the Monaco Grand Prix and is often cited as the inspiration for the Espada of the following year.

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VIDEO: Eminem Meets Italian Opera at Lancia's Presentations of the 2012 Thema and Flavia Concepts

The 81st Geneva International Salon marked Lancia's biggest but also, most controversial motor show appearance in recent years. Biggest because Lancia rolled out a total of six new vehicles and concept models, most controversial because four of those cars including the Thema flagship, the Flavia sedan and convertible concepts, and the Grand Voyager MPV are nothing more than rebadged Chryslers.

Lancia and Chrysler CEO Oliver Francois presented the Chrysler 300-based Thema under the sounds of an odd music mix. "Introducing this car of two continents in Geneva became a very personal affair, therefore I personally worked out a little piece of music, a blend of two musical cultures, Eminem's typical Detroit beat with a touch of Italian opera," said Francois just before the 2012 Thema saloon entered the stage.

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Lancia Could Sell the Ypsilon and Delta in the U.S., Has No Plans to Revive HF Integrale or Fulvia

When announcing the new Ypsilon’s key role in Lancia’s turnaround strategy at a press event Carscoop attended in Turin, Italy, earlier this week, company officials told us that the small car could be sold in the States under the Chrysler brand if American buyers will show enough interest towards the recently launched U.S.-spec Fiat 500. Furthermore, the same could happen with the Delta.

On the other hand, Lancia's people told us the company has no plans to revive famous nameplates such as the HF Integrale and Fulvia, simply stating that there’s no market for Lancia sports cars.

Although in its current state, the new Ypsilon doesn’t comply with U.S. standards, Lancia Product Manager Claudio Nervi told us that it could be “easily federalized” and that logistically “it's not a problem, as the Ypsilon could be produced at the [Fiat Group’s] Mexican plant”. However, Nervi also pointed out the decision depends “on the performance of the Fiat 500 in the US”.

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Lancia Flavia Sedan and Convertible: Concept-Tagged Versions of Chrysler 200

Lancia is going to be quite busy at next month's Geneva Salon as the Italian brand deepens its ties with Chrysler by incorporating the latter's models into its range. Next up on our list after the new Lancia Thema, are the Flavia concept saloon and convertible models, which pay tribute not to their historic ancestor of the 1960s but to art of badge engineering. The two Flavia studies are based on the respective body styles of the Chrysler 200.

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Read All About it: Lancia's Geneva Motor Show Debuts in Detail

*The above photo is a Carscoop illustration

We've been hearing a lot of rumors and speculations for the past few months about Lancia's future product portfolio as well as which of these new models could make their world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 1. Carscoop has now learned final details of Lancia's plans for the Swiss Salon and can confirm that, aside from the 2012 Ypsilon we've already told you about, the Italian automaker will slip the covers off six more production and concept cars.

Without further ado, these are the Lancia models that will make their first public appearance in Geneva next month: the new Thema flagship sedan based on the Chrysler 300; the Grand Voyager minivan based on the Chrysler Town & Country / Dodge Grand Voyager; the Flavia sedan and convertible concepts based on the respective versions of the Chrysler 200; and finally, the subtly revised 2012MY Delta with a new grille plus trim and engine updates.

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New Lancia Stratos: 40 Buyers Interested in Ferrari-Based Supercar, Price Estimated at €400,000 or $545,000

A small series production of the Lancia-badged New Stratos seems increasingly likely as time passes by and more people learn about the supercar created by Pininfarina for German businessman Michael Stoschek.

According to the latest announcement, so far 40 potential buyers from Europe and other regions have registered their interest in the New Stratos, but Pininfarina and Stoschek believe that this number will continue to increase after the massive exposure from test drives and presentations in a variety of car magazines in their February and March issues.

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