“If Lancia itself only wants to build Ypsilons for Italy, we have to do the rest.” At least that’s what people seem to think with Kimera Automobili, because this Kimera Automobili EVO37 is a direct tribute to the Lancia Rally 037.
No worries, enthusiasts: Kimera does not demolish original 037s to achieve its tribute. However, the company is not completely rebuilding the EVO37, but is making it based on the much less rare Lancia Beta Montecarlo. That is a good thing, because that coupé also served as the basis for the original Lancia Rally 037. The car is completely rebuilt according to the restomod philosophy, which more or less dictates that the charm of an old model is retained in a car that is now not limited. ‘because of the limitations of its time’. In short: a modern car with a classic look.
> 500 hp
That modernity is reflected in the application of lightweight materials, LED lighting, 18- and 19-inch wheels (but in the right style) and of course also a thoroughly modernized powertrain. The original Lancia four-cylinder is used as the basis for this. With the help of, among other things, a turbo and a compressor, that block is boosted to about 500 to 600 hp and 550 Nm, Kimera promises. In terms of transmission, there is a choice of a manual gearbox and a sequential one with paddle shifters.
Lancia Rally 037
The Lancia Rally 037 is perhaps the most controversial car in Lancia’s rally history. The rear-wheel drive rally weapon managed to outperform four-wheel-drive competitors in the hands of Walter Röhrl, among others, and brought Lancia’s Martini Racing to many victories in the Group B class in the early 1980s. To be able to do so, a small series of Street 037s has also been built: Lancia reportedly put 207 Stradale versions on the road.
The modern EVO37 will remain even rarer. Kimera promises 37 copies to stay true to that magical number. Doesn’t that make them a little bit of turnover? No, the EVO37 costs about 480,000 euros.
No family
The Kimera Automobili 037 appears to be a direct relative of the Lancia Delta Futurista from Automobili Amos, but seems to have nothing to do with it outside of the shared philosophy. Kimera and Amos are about 250 km apart in Northern Italy. Kimera Automobili promised last month that the EVO37 would come, although the name was not yet known.