Start with what the Lancia Sibilo is: a car with 2.4 L (2418 cc) Dino V6, built from 1978, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Marcello Gandini at Bertone.
Where it came from
The Lancia Sibilo is a 1978 concept car designed and built by Bertone, and based on the production Lancia Stratos, but with the wheelbase lengthened from 2180 to 2280 mm. The car's main characteristics were its sharp, aerodynamic lines and polycarbonate windows. Like other Bertone concepts of the time, the body is made from hand beaten steel. A small circular portion of the side windows could be moved electrically and a single large windshield wiper vertically swept the windshield. Retractable headlights with circular lenses garnished a sharply raked front end. Inside, the steering wheel was anatomically designed to fit the natural grip of the hand, and also house switches for the warning lights and a loudspeaker. Digital instrumentation was placed in the middle of the dashboard near the point where the dashboard and the windshield meet, designed to divert the driver's eyes as little as possible from the road. The vehicle was painted a lighter brown after its debut at the Turin Auto Show in 1978 following feedback regarding its extremely dark brown color. The wheels were also re-painted from bright yellow to light gold, and a Lancia badge was added to the hood.
The Sibilo is powered by the same mechanicals as the Stratos, with a mid mounted 2.4 L Dino V6 and 5-speed manual transmission.
Under the skin
The engine is 2.4 L (2418 cc) Dino V6. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The wheelbase is 2,280 mm (89.8 in). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Mazda RX-7, the GM (General Motors) Saab 900, the Toyota Supra. Nearby in the Lancia catalogue sit the Lancia 037 and the Lancia 2000.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Lancia Sibilo has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.