The Kimera EV037 is a born-again Lancia 037
The Lancia 037 was the last rear-wheel-drive car to win a World Rally Championship, and now it’s getting a new lease of life thanks to Italian outfit Kimera Automobili.
The company founded by Luca Betti—who’s no stranger to the special stage himself, as a runner-up in the European Rally Championship—is paying homage to the wild, mid-engined 037 which beat Audi’s Quattros against all odds to take the 1983 WRC title.
The Kimera EV037 has been designed to mimic the looks, layout, and performance of the original 037, but it’s a completely new design. That said, to make sure this evocation is as authentic as possible Kimera has hired some of Lancia’s engineers, including Claudio Lombardi, who worked on the 037’s supercharged four-cylinder engine.
The EV037 will use the formula from the later Lancia Delta S4 by employing both a turbo and a supercharger for its two-liter engine, which is set to produce 550 hp, well over 200 horses more than the car that inspired it. Kimera claims the EV037 will weigh just 2090 pounds, so this thing should really fly. The engine will send power to the rear wheels via a manual or an optional sequential transmission.
Kimera says it will build just 37 units (of course), although a run of ten further Integrale models may follow, fitted with all-wheel drive. The cost of this awesome evocation is $600,000, though more details will be revealed on May 22. In the meantime, do as we did and salivate over the teaser video and images.
If you approve of this modern-day homage to past glories, then you may also like the Ares Design Panther ProgettoUno and the Niels van Roij Design Breadvan.
