HEY say you should never meet your heroes. The version you create is typically so far removed from reality, ultimately, you’ll be left disappointed. Much like Jon Snow, ‘they’ know nothing. The Stratos has long been high on my list of cars to see up close and experience first-hand, but due to its relative rarity, it’s been one that has always eluded me. It’s hard to contain my excitement and play it cool as I draw close to Philip Allen’s garage. Poker face…. professional…it’s just a car.
I know I’m in good company when I see his daily driver parked outside - A Nissan Figaro. Philip was the first one to bring them into the country and suffered a long and expensive process of compliance. “To satisfy compliance requirements, I had to source front impact data through a contact in the UK. It was in Japanese, so I then had to have it translated.
Additionally, side impact data was also required, but there were never any tests done.” The only way to get the data was to perform a side impact test. Reluctant to do so, the lateral move was to import a second-hand door and have the test done on that. Thankfully this was the last hurdle and the Figaro was on the road, 3 years after his initial purchase. Philip is sharply dressed and has an exacting, meticulous
nature about him. Knowledgeable, obsessive, humorous and dare I say, a little eccentric. I like him immediately. Philip describes himself as the ‘doof, doof’ king of Australia. Puzzled and thinking I might be missing the joke, I ask him to explain. “You’re at the traffic lights and there’s a kid in a Nissan Silvia, bad hair, bad complexion, car inches off the ground. The windows are wound up tight, but the car is going ‘doof, doof, doof’…. that’s my fault.
I started bringing in brands like ‘Kicker’ and ‘JBL’ in commercial quantities for various audio retailers.” Philip steps inside and after what seems like an eternity, the Stratos appears from under a painfully slow roller door. Its bright yellow paint is as loud as its futuristic design. I take a little time to soak it all in. The Stratos shares the space with cars that are closely
related. “I call them the 3 amigos,” explains Philip. “All three have the same Father but all have different Mothers - they’re half-brothers.” In front of the Stratos sits a 1970 Fiat Dino Spyder, next to that, a beautifully restored 1972 Ferrari Dino. All 3 share the same Ferrari Dino V6 quad cam engine.
“But they all have their own unique personality and are different to drive.” “The Stratos is like a go-kart, it’s a car designed to be driven by experts on the edge.” “I’ve had the Ferrari Dino for about 17 years now and it’s a very modern car to drive, all the weight is over the rear wheels - it’s very tactile.” “The Fiat Spyder is more of a Boulevard cruiser.
It sits a bit higher and you don’t feel like you want to push it to the limit like in the Dino or Stratos.” “I’m not wedded to any marque, I worship a broad church.”
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