The 1982 Lancia 037 Rally Stradale is a legend in the world of rally car racing. Born from the Group B era, this mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive marvel was built for homologation, meaning a road-going version had to be produced in order for the rally car to be able to compete in the World Rally Championships. You cannot miss its striking Pinifarina-designed bodywork, and a supercharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, which made the Lancia 037 famous for its ability to win against all wheel drive cars at the time. Notably, it was the last rear wheel drive car to win a World Rally Championship manufacturers title, making it a true legend. The road-going Stradale versions are highly collectible today, as they represent a pure and exhilarating driving experience of the 1980s that is not available on cars today.

I have to applaud Laudoracing Models for their choice of Italian subject matter, as this 1982 Lancia 037Rally Stradale checks all my boxes. It may be a resin and sealed model, but when Kyosho is sleeping, Laudoracing is thriving in subject matter and simply fills the voids of beautiful cars that are yet to be produced in 1:18 scale. As the odds of seeing a real car in person are slim, this scale model will fill that desire of admiring its design up close.

This red specimen, labelled with product code LM185A, is a limited production, individually numbered model with a total production of 1499 pieces as noted on the bottom of the model (NOTE: The Laudoracing website states it is one of 999 pieces). This model is reproduced in resin and checks in with a dry weight of around 900 grams (no oils or gas are required here).

As always with Laudoracing models, external packaging effort is greatly appreciated as the box is filled with pictures of the model inside. It also includes a little synopsis of the real cars’ technical data. I have praised them for this before, and I will praise them again – I do like that approach, and I am glad they continue to package their models this way.

Laudoracing models are priced similarly to GT Spirit models, slotting them on the budget end of resin models available on the market today. Once unboxed, my first impression of the model is well well-received, with an indication that Laudoracing models are slowly improving; however, there are still some visible shortcomings.

The overall paint on my example is smooth with no paint drips, bubbles or oversprays. On my pictures of the driver side front bumper, you will notice some white lines as something that got stuck to it while I was photographing – this is my fault and not the fault of the model’s paint finish. It is also very pleasing to be able to see the engine through the back window, and it is very encouraging to note that Laudoracing is putting in more effort in this area. They have included some wiring and different colours to make it more pleasing to the eye. There is obviously room for improvement, but it is definitely a good start, as I believe most of their models from the past had non-visible engine bays.

At the front, this model does not have any perforated grilles, which is quite a shame. I feel Laudoracing should at least make the main one perforated – it would drastically enhance the overall look and make the model feel a lot more premium. On the positive side, dual oval lights are well placed, as is the Lancia badge and the surrounding chrome area around it. Orange turning signals, fog lights, and bumper cut-outs are painted in black with the correct number of horizontal slots. What looks like a small Italian license plate completes the front end to remind you this is indeed an Italian subject matter.

Looking at the side, you can admire this unique design for hours. The turning signal lens is made of a separate plastic piece and is painted orange, black mud flaps behind front wheel arches even have dabs of silver to represent screws – that is some good attention to detail for a budget model. Both doors have well-replicated chrome handles. The round door lock mechanism with a black vertical line where a key would be inserted is well done too. Both Abarth and Pinifarina emblems behind the driver and passenger doors are faithfully replicated, as is a black gas tank cover. All shut lines are on point and are emphasized with black paint, giving the model a realistic look as the real car had some ’80s panel gaps. Outlines around the windows are a shade of dark grey; however, from the pictures I found online, I believe they should be painted black.

The back of the model is where I think this model could be improved. I would like to point out that the real car shows quite a few more details below the bumper. I would have also liked some perforation in the vent area between the rear lights. Rear lights do have a silver outline around them, but it should have been more pronounced. The red light lens should also have been slightly wider. Rear fog lights, exhaust tip and a full-size license plate complete the package.

Let’s move on to wheels and tires. Speedline rims look accurate with a chrome lip and matte center finish. Valve stems are present, but could be a little more refined. Brake calipers and rotors are mostly hidden by the rims – nothing wrong, as they are true to the original. Tire thread is present; however, tire branding or size is not. I wish manufacturers would include this little detail, as tire sizes have been changing over the years.

Inside, you are greeted with a mostly black interior, which is true to the original. Since this is a budget model, there are no textures; however, I think the team has done a reasonably good job. Both driver and passenger seats include vertical red piping, seatbelts look great, and the dashboard has just about the right amount of colour on gauges and buttons. It is nice to see the Abarth logo included in the center of the steering wheel. Three silver foot pedals look very acceptable too. Overall, I think Laudoracing Models used a reasonable amount of detail on the interior, and I feel it is equivalent to most resin models in this price range.

To sum things up, I think this is a very unique model. Kyosho made a rally version of this car, but it is nice to see a true road-going version too. I do appreciate Laudoracing Models’ choice of some very unique and iconic Italian subject matter. Yes, the model could be improved, but with no immediate competition for their choice of cars, this may be the only chance to get one. Their models are improving, and this model looks beautiful on display – it gives me a glimpse of what road road-going version of group B cars used to be.