+44 Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
Reviving ‘The Duck’. Part 1: as it was
In this series, we will follow the restoration process of the 1977 Lancia HF Stratos ‘Toly’ Artunoff raced in the United States. Our friends at Girardo & Co. bought the car and they are currently having it inspected in Italy. At regular intervals, we will show you how work is progressing.
We all know the Lancia Stratos as a rally car. The more educated among us will even be familiar with the outrageous and turbocharged Group 5 silhouette racers, as raced in the Giro d’Italia Automobilistico by the likes of Gilles Villeneuve and Walter Röhrl. But both in the Targa Florio (a Stratos won in 1974), Le Mans and the Giro d’Italia, we also saw Stratos’ appear in Group 5. And then there was this one as well.
Bought in Turin
In 1976, Anatoly ‘Toly’ Arutunoff embarked on an adventure that would see him compete in IMSA in the USA with a Lancia Stratos. The first hurdle was getting his hands on a Stratos, as Lancia was not present in the US market. No problem for Arutunoff, who set off to Italy to buy one of the road Stratos Stradale models (chassis #1559). Arutunoff drove his Stratos from the Lancia SVAT dealership in Turin, Italy to the UK. With Lancia less than enthusiastic about the project, Arutunoff turned to UK-based team Chequered Flag to assist him. He would ship the Stratos from Southampton to the USA, and drive it himself from Boston to his base in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
No louvres
IMSA asked him to remove the characteristic louvres at the back. Arutunoff created slightly wider wheelarches to accommodate wider wheels. Early in February 1977, he had the Stratos ready for its race debut in the Daytona 24 Hours. In characteristic yellow, featuring start number 7, the Stratos was quickly nicknamed ‘The Duck’. Arutunoff had high hopes, considering the Stratos to be a challenger for the Porsches in the 2.5-litre class. The Stratos started from 54th place on the grid (out of 59 starters), but after 99 laps the adventure was over for Arutunoff, Jose Marina and Brian Goellnicht. The car was retired with a mechanical issue.
Danny Sullivan
Anyone thinking this setback would demoralize Toly Arutunoff would have to reconsider. Arutunoff would race the Stratos right up until 1984. He was back at Daytona in 1978 and this time the Stratos made it to the finish, albeit in 26th place and ninth in the GTU class. Later in 1978, the Stratos appeared with revised bodywork and in white and blue. With Danny Sullivan in place instead of Goellnicht, the Stratos placed 25th at Daytona.
Arutunoff raced his Stratos extensively – it would show up at Daytona three more times and has an impressive finishing record at Sebring as well – and only let go of the car reluctantly in 1986. The new Texas owner kept it as he bought it.
The Baldi brothers
This brings us to the now. The Duck is now a part of the Girardo & Co. collection in the UK. After a first visit to the UK in October of last year, where the Girardo crew inspected it further. The car is a real barn find, ‘ran when parked… a very long time ago’. As such, it is fascinating but it is also clear that it is going to take a lot of work to get this Stratos to shine again.
Current status: The Duck has gone full circle. The car is back in Turin, and it is now in the hands of the famed Baldi brothers. They are taking the car apart to analyse each part. The engine is undergoing a rebuilt and the gearbox has been taken apart.
As the restoration progresses, we will keep you updated and take you on this journey that should see The Duck – well – fly again. “At the moment, we think the restoration should take 1 year to 18 months,” Alex Easthope tells us at Girardo & Co.
