It’s Monday morning. The coffee is lukewarm, the inbox is full, and suddenly—there it is. A picture that stops you in your tracks. A design so striking, so unapologetically Italian, that it makes you forget everything else. This is the Lancia Pu+Ra Montecarlo, a concept so beautiful it hurts—and one we’ll almost certainly never see on the road.
Lancia’s Struggle and a Designer’s Tribute
Today’s Lancia lineup is thin. The once-legendary brand, part of the Stellantis empire, survives globally on just one model: the Ypsilon. Sensible crossovers and a new Delta are planned, but sensible isn’t what made Lancia great. This was the company of rally icons, daring designs, and cars that stole hearts while occasionally breaking down.
The Pu+Ra Montecarlo isn’t even an official Lancia project. Instead, it’s the passion project of Christopher Giroux, a senior Ford designer, who dreamed up this car to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Lancia Beta Montecarlo. His goal? Drag the beloved mid-engined coupe into the electric era. And the result is jaw-dropping.
Design: Where Past Meets Future
The Pu+Ra Montecarlo blends nostalgia with innovation. At a glance, you see the DNA of the original Beta Montecarlo in the signature flying buttresses, reimagined here in transparent glass. Up front, the slim T-shaped LED lights connect it to Lancia’s new design language, while the profile recalls the legendary Lancia Stratos with its sharp greenhouse and integrated spoiler.
Every detail screams speed and elegance:
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A clean side profile with aggressive black gills.
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A rear end that looks like it belongs on a modern rally weapon.
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Proportions that make it look fast even when standing still.
Giroux even imagined a rally version in classic Alitalia livery—white body, green and red stripes, golden wheels, scoops, spoilers, and lights. It’s a love letter to the Lancia 037, the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship.
Electric Power, Imagined
Here’s the twist: the Lancia Pu+Ra Montecarlo doesn’t actually exist beyond stunning renders. There are no specs, no horsepower figures, no 0–60 times. But the “Pu+Ra” name—short for Pure and Radical—is tied to Lancia’s electric design language, strongly hinting at a battery-electric powertrain.
Picture it: a lightweight coupe with instant torque, low-slung balance, and EV silence. It’s the perfect formula for a car that looks like a predator on the road.
The Price of a Dream
If a boutique builder ever decided to turn this into reality, expect a six-figure price tag—likely starting at $200,000 or more. This would be a toy for the wealthy, not a volume seller. For Stellantis, investing in such a project makes little sense when Ypsilons and crossovers are what keep the lights on.
And yet… the dream persists.
Could Someone Build It Anyway?
We live in an age of possibilities. With 3D printing, off-the-shelf EV platforms, and specialist workshops, wild design studies don’t have to remain digital fantasies. Companies already exist that bring concept cars to life in small numbers. Why not the Pu+Ra Montecarlo?
It wouldn’t be cheap. It wouldn’t be mainstream. But it would exist—and that’s all enthusiasts like us really want.
Final Thoughts
The Lancia Pu+Ra Montecarlo is a reminder of everything we love about Italian cars: beauty, daring design, and a refusal to play it safe. Even though it’s “just” a digital concept, it stirs the soul like few real cars today.
Will Lancia ever build it? Almost certainly not. But as long as designs like this exist, the legend of Lancia lives on. This is more than a car—it’s a dream on wheels.