There’s something tragically poetic about the 2050 Lancia Stratos concept. Not because we’ll ever see it on actual roads, but because it represents everything the modern automotive industry has deliberately stopped being. It’s irrational and obscenely beautiful.
The original Stratos, Marcello Gandini‘s masterpiece for Bertone produced between 1973 and 1975, embedded itself in collective memory like a punch to the gut of automotive prudence. Since then, the internet has overflowed with renders imagining various revivals, some faithful, others utterly delusional. This one, crafted by independent designer Isdesignsrl on Instagram, belongs firmly to the latter category.
His Lancia Stratos 2050 is pure fantasy. Impossibly low and wide bodywork, hypercar proportions, surfaces sculpted as if wind itself had taken master classes in design. The metallic orange finish nods to competition Stratos heritage, creating that emotional short-circuit between glorious past and improbable future that somehow always works. The front end flaunts razor-thin LED light signatures with the Lancia name integrated and a vertical central element recalling the brand’s shield. Almost touching.
The side profile features taut lines, enclosed wheel arches, and nearly solid aerodynamic wheels designed to minimize turbulence. The roofline flows smoothly toward the tail, creating a compact, aggressive silhouette. At the rear, geometric light clusters and sharp surfaces emphasize speed and precision. Overall, it’s a visionary tribute to the brand’s sporting DNA, reinterpreted through supercar-grade future technologies and design language.
Who knows, maybe Stellantis will actually deliver something similar. Perhaps in ultra-limited production, following the template of the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale or the BottegaFuoriserie program. Or maybe not. Definitely not.
Meanwhile, on Instagram, we can continue dreaming of a future that will never materialize, with the bitter consolation of knowing the industry chose efficiency over beauty, profit over madness, long ago. The 2050 Lancia Stratos remains what it should be. A beautiful lie we tell ourselves about what cars could become.
