In the late 1970s, Lancia had to make a tough choice. The Stratos, which was the most popular racing car at the time and stood out for its muscular looks, was a tough opponent. Marcello Gandini of Bertone couldn’t help Lancia with the race part of the equation, but he did make the Stratos-based Sibilo concept, which was shown for the first time at the 1978 Turin Motor Show, to show what he thought the future supercar would be like. Gandini, who came up with the idea for the Stratos in 1973 and the Stratos Zero in 1970, was a great choice for the part. The only thing the Sibilo and the Stratos, which it was built on, had in common was that their front ends looked like wedges of Parmesan. It looked pretty futuristic, with a big glass hatch, blacked-out windows with moving spheres inside them, and an orange “SIBILO” logo that looked like an old-fashioned digital clock. Wheels finished in gold added to the car’s beautiful look. The inside is really unlike any other. It looks like a racecar from the 1970s, even though the footwells are laughably small, the dashboard is huge, and the door sills are extra-wide. On the other hand, the controls look like they were made for a science fantasy movie from the same period. The shaft that holds the wheel is the same width as the wheel, and it doesn’t have any spokes. Instead, it has a speaker and a number of warning LEDs built right in. Bertone added some controls to the edge of the steering column. The speedometer is built into the dashboard near the window. To put it another way, it was all Gandini. At first glance, it looks risky and futuristic, but a closer look shows that every detail was carefully thought out. Bertone only changed a little about the engine. A mid-mounted 2.4-liter V6 engine from a Stratos and a five-speed manual gearbox with a shifter that looks like it belongs in an economy car from the 1970s gave it power. The main engine in the Dino 246 GTS was the same as the engine in the Sibilo. By using an existing drivetrain, the Sibilo was able to move by itself, even though there were some problems. If you want the Sibilo, we have both good and bad news for you. First, let’s talk about the bad: it’s unique. The good news is that it is privately owned. Bertone sold off a lot of its collection before going bankrupt in the 2010s. RM Sotheby’s sold the idea at the 2011 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance for €95,200. Even though this car is hard to value, it will be sold again in the end.
