This Lancia Stratos Zero re-creation began its life as one of three static-use props built for use in pop star Michael Jackson’s 1988 anthology film Moonwalker. Initially consisting of a single-piece body shell mimicking the styling of Bertone’s 1970 one-off Stratos Zero, the replica was used in the film’s “Smooth Criminal” sequence, in which Jackson metamorphizes into a car to escape drug-dealing mobsters. The replica is said to have been later acquired by Neverland prop designer Art Millican before making its way to a Florida dealer who sold it to English car designer Andy Saunders in 2003. The car was subsequently transformed by Saunders into a functional re-creation based on the chassis, powertrain, and running gear of a Fiat X1/9 and utilizing the chassis number of a 1970 Lancia 2000 coupe. After its completion in 2006, the car was purchased in 2008 by the seller, who imported it to the US. Finished in metallic orange, it is powered by a rear-mounted 1,498cc Fiat SOHC inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transaxle. Additional features include a single Weber carburetor, four-wheel disc brakes, MacPherson-strut independent suspension, staggered-width 13” Schmidt alloy wheels, and two-place bucket seats upholstered in black vinyl. This Lancia Stratos Zero re-creation is now offered with removed side mirrors, a Moonwalker Blu-ray, service invoices from current ownership, importation paperwork, magazine articles, and a clean Michigan title describing it as a 1970 Lancia.

As premier Italian coachbuilding firms competed for automakers’ attention with wedge-shaped one-offs in the late 1960s, Nuccio Bertone began the development of a functional concept based on the chassis of a Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF in late 1969. The resultant Stratos Zero debuted at the 1970 Turin Motor Show with styling by Marcello Gandini featuring a dramatically tapered nose ascending to a roofline that peaked at 33” before extending to a convex tail panel. Power was from a rear-mounted Lancia V4 housed beneath a side-opening cover comprising nested triangles, while ingress and egress were through a single lift-up glass front canopy. In 1971, the one-off concept is said to have been driven by Nuccio Bertone to the Lancia factory, where the design house was contracted to develop a production car that would share the concept’s stratosphere-inspired name.

This replica was initially constructed as a single-piece shell based on the Stratos Zero’s styling but without a chassis, running gear, or opening panels. Finished in silver for the filming of Moonwalker, the body was fitted to the floor pan and chassis of a Fiat X1/9 during the build by Andy Saunders. Functioning opening panels and lighting were added during the build, and the body was finished in Lamborghini Mica Orange, a shade similar to the original concept’s color. Imperfections in the finish and trim are shown up close in the photo gallery below. Features include a low-profile strip of headlights across the nose, a rubber nose mat, horizontally stacked side windows, angled intakes that converge at a V on each flank, dual strips of LED lights on the tail panel, quad exhaust outlets, Bertone badging, and an Andy Saunders signature on the tail panel. A pair of removed side mirrors is included in the sale. The car is not equipped with a windshield wiper.

Schmidt multi-piece alloy wheels feature Bertone-branded center caps and Campagnolo decals, and they are wrapped in 215/50R13 BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires up front and 10.5/23.0-15 Avon tires at the rear. The seller notes that the rear tires require the addition of air. The Fiat X1/9 donor chassis’ MacPherson-strut independent suspension is said to have been lowered by 8” up front during the build by Andy Saunders. Stopping is handled by four-wheel disc brakes, and service in 2020 included replacement of the master cylinder, fluid reservoir, and left-rear caliper.

The cabin houses a pair of bucket seats trimmed in black vinyl with matching upholstery over the sills, center tunnel, and rear bulkhead. Color-matched carpeting covers the floors and front shelf. The upper window panels slide rearward for ventilation.

The Mountney steering wheel is situated at the right-hand side of the cabin, while switchgear is positioned to the driver’s right. The car is not equipped with gauges, air conditioning, or a radio. Total mileage is unknown. A rearview camera has been fitted to the back of the car with wiring extended to the dash area, but a display is not present.

Mounted transversely at the rear of the car, the 1,498cc Fiat SOHC inline-four features a dual-throat Weber carburetor that was rebuilt in 2014. The water pump was replaced in 2020.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transaxle, and the clutch slave cylinder was replaced in 2020. Areas of corrosion are noted on underside surfaces.

A plate stamped with 1970 Lancia 2000 coupe chassis number 820031*002333* is affixed inside the nose at the front of the cabin. The number is said to have been sourced from a car purchased by Andy Saunders and is listed as the re-creation’s identification number on its title.