Kimera Automobili EVO37 set loose as tribute to Lancia 037

Racing team and Italian engineering firm Kimera Automobili has revealed a restomod version of the iconic Group B rallying Lancia 037.

It joins cars like the David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered and the GTO Engineering Squalo in the rapidly expanding restomod sector, and will be officially unveiled at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It’s powered by a heavily re-engineered version of the 2.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the original 037. But, where the rally car produced around 270bhp and 300Nm of torque, the Kimera EVO37 has 498bhp and 550Nm. 

The unit shares the same dry sump block as the 037 rally car, but every other component in the engine has been changed. To reach the new power output the engine has been twin-charged. There’s a roots-type supercharger, like the original rally car, as well as a turbocharger, which is bolted to a bespoke stainless steel manifold.

There’s no fancy double-clutch gearbox here, either. Buyers change gears manually through a six-speed gearbox with a heavy-duty twin-plate clutch. Kimera has fitted a rev-matching system, which blips the throttle on both upshifts and downshifts.

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To support all that extra power, Kimera Automobili has overhauled the 037’s chassis, fitting adjustable Ohlins dampers, wider wheels and tyres and upgraded four-piston Brembo brakes, which can be specified with either traditional steel or carbon ceramic discs. 

Like the original car, the centre of the chassis has been sourced from a Lancia Beta Montecarlo, although Kimera has fitted new tubular subframes to the front and rear, as well as a stronger roll bar to brace the cabin. The steering arms and hubs have been built to the same specs as those on the Lancia Delta S4.

Kimera Automobili has also made a few sympathetic body modifications, in the style of the 037 rally car, some of which have been designed with the help of bang-up-to-date manufacturing techniques such as 3D scanning and CAD.

The EVO37 shares the same flared wheel arches and low splitter as the rally car, while a stylised version of the racer’s rear wing is fixed to the engine cover. The front and rear overhangs have been slashed, too, while the car’s original halogen headlamps have been swapped for brand new LED units.

Inside there’s a new hydraulic handbrake, a fresh carbon fibre dashboard, some new Delta S4 seats and four-point racing harnesses. All the gauges have been kept analogue, although they have been rebuilt with modern internals.

Kimera sought the approval of the Lancia 037’s original engineering team before embarking on any modifications. Once they were onboard, the same engineers oversaw the project from start to finish.

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Sergio Limone, who led the development of the Lancia 037 back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, signed off the car’s updated chassis configuration and revised styling. Claudio Lombardi, who used to design engines for Lancia back when the 037 was racing, also gave approval for Kimera’s engine updates.

The first examples will be completed by September. Production is limited to just 37 units, with each costing €480,000 (around £414,000).

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