Lancia 037: WRC legend reborn as 500bhp Kimera Evo37
Italian outfit's recreation was completed with help from team who masterminded Lancia's WRC campaign
An Italian motorsport outfit by the name of Kimera Automobili has revealed a significantly modernised and heavily uprated take on one of the most successful rally cars of all time: the Lancia 037.
The road-legal 'Evo37' is based on Lancia's fearsome mid-engined World Rally Championship contender, which is remembered for being the final rear-driven car to win the top-flight series.
Kimera refers to the Evo37 as "a tribute to those legendary cars of the '80s protagonists of the World Rally Championship". The project was completed with contributions from suppliers and engineers who also worked on Lancia's original racer, including engineers Sergio Limone and Vittorio Roberti, and two-time WRC champion Miki Biasion.
Like the 037, the Evo37 is based around the central chassis section of a Lancia Beta Montecarlo, with new tubular frame sections added at the front and rear.
The chassis has been completely overhauled with new adjustable shocks from Öhlins, modern-spec Brembo performance brakes and Pirelli sport tyres. Kimera has yet to confirm the final kerb weight of the recreation, but claims a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp/2kg, suggesting it tips the scales at around one tonne.
The dynamic enhancements come alongside upgrades to the mechanicals that take total power to around double that of the original road-going 037. The engine is based on the standard-specification block, but with a package of modifications carried out under the supervision of Claudio Lombardi, the famed Italian engineer who oversaw Lancia's motorsport powertrain programme in the 1980s.
Kimera claims outputs of 498bhp and 406lb ft from the turbocharged four-cylinder, which - while performance figures have yet to be detailed - should be enough to get the Evo37 from 0-62mph in around 4.0secs and to a top speed in the high hundreds.
The overall design remains largely true to that of the original, but visual tweaks include a new set of rally-style wheels and a subtly updated design for the distinctive quad headlights - now LED-equipped. The bonnet and rear deck have been redesigned, too, while the overhangs at each end have been slightly shortened.
Inside, exposed carbonfibre and Alcantara upholstery set the Evo37 out from its 1980s namesake, but nods to its rallying heritage include a hydraulic handbrake, an analogue instrument cluster and four-point racing harnesses.
Kimera will build 37 examples of the resto-mod car, with prices starting at £414,000 and 11 examples sold already. The car will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, before customer deliveries get underway in September.
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