The styling trend for the early 1970s can be summed up in one word: wedge. Both in production form (Lamborghini Countach, Maserati Merak) and in concept form (AMX/3, Ferrari Modulo), the idea was pointy nose, low height, and dramatic overall presence were absolutely jaw-dropping when cars started appearing shaped like doorstops in the late 1960s. Some were fairly useable, some were seriously radical, and one of the most off-the-wall was the Lancia Stratos Zero. If you immediately pictured the Stratos best known for wearing Alitalia livery while flying through the trees on a rally course, slow down for a moment. This is the predecessor concept, yes, but it’s so far removed from the Stratos HF that it isn’t funny.

Start with it’s height. It’s 33 inches tall…somehow, it’s shorter than the Ford GT40, and it’s only 141 inches long. It’s powered by the 1.6L V4 engine that powered the Lancia Fulvia, and is a Bertone-designed product. You could never guess that Bertone was trying to out-do the designers at Pininfarina, who had dropped the Modulo prior to, would you? The car was so radical that even eighteen years after it’s debut at the Turin Auto Show, it was deemed worthy of being a movie car, in the 1988 Michael Jackson film Moonwalker.

Many concept cars are rolling shells or are barely functional. The Zero actually moves around and drives. Pretty decent for a 1970 concept car! Check it out in action below: