It has the unmistakable sound, it has the cheese-wedge aesthetics, and it has the ability to make Steve Sutcliffe giggle like a giddy schoolboy. That might be because, for many, the Lancia Stratos was the definitive poster car for young rally fans the world across. Nowadays, for $53,000, a middle-aged man can relive his adolescence with the immaculate Lister Bell’s Stratos replica: the STR.

Though some might tremble when thinking of dropping fifty grand on a kit car, they can rest assured knowing the Lister Bell uses impressive components to provide old school charm with new-school reliability.

Who can argue with those seductive wheel arches, the shark nose, or the mega-short wheelbase.

The powerplant providing that sonorous bark is a 3.0-liter V6 from an Alfa 166, which also supplies the six-speed transmission. Though 240 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque might not sound that impressive, those figures propel a car weighing just 1,900 pounds.

Aside from the supplied running gear, Lister Bell provides the steel spaceframe, which includes the full integral rollcage, double wishbone suspension, either 11″ or 12.5″ brake rotors, and another choice between 15″ or 17″ wheels, though that should be easy.

The CAD-designed spaceframe is made up from a combination of folded steel sheet sections and tubular section steel. The chassis also includes a full integral roll cage built to RAC specification.

Filling the rotors for that athletic stance, the prominent gold wheels are just one of the many visual cues that will turn heads wherever this gem travels.