Driving the Kimera EVO37: The Group B Restomod | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat - Hagerty Media
In collaboration with Mobil 1.
Henry Catchpole is a rallying fan through and through, so driving and reviewing Kimera’s rally-inspired restomod, based on the legendary Group B Lancia 037, is a pretty good day in the office for him. Throw in some amazing mountain roads, a race track, and the odd Martini livery and you have all the ingredients for something truly memorable.
The Kimera EVO37 is the brainchild of Luca Betti and it combines the looks and layout of the 037 with an engine that takes inspiration from the Lancia Delta S4. The amazing little 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine that sits behind the driver is both supercharged and turbocharged. It has been engineered by Italtecnica in Turin and in its most powerful map puts out 505bhp and 442lb ft of torque. That’s pretty wild in a car that weighs less than 1100kg or 2400lb.
As with most restomods, like those from Singer, Alfaholics, and Eagle, the Kimera is a very analogue driving experience. To that end, there is a manual six-speed gearbox from Graziano, which has also been featured in the Lamborghini Gallardo and Audi R8 over the years. What differentiates the EVO37 from other restomods is its very distinct rally persona. You can see this in the twin Ohlins dampers at the rear, but you can feel it straight away on the move through the steering and the way it soaks up bumps and tackles corners.
In the film we cover a lot of ground, starting at the beautiful Villa Kimera just outside Cuneo in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Here we interview Luca Betti and discover the genesis of both the company name and the EVO37. Then we head to the beautiful Colle della Maddalena and its profusion of spectacular hairpins to drive the car on the road. Then it’s off to Turin for a visit to Italtecnica where the engine is built, before we pop over to Martini for a look at the latest, limited edition Kimera. Finally, we stopped off at a fun little race track to drive Kimera’s development car with shorter gearing and more power.
We hope you enjoy the film and Glenn Winhall’s superb editing and filming (aided on this occasion by Nick Wilkinson). Please do give it a thumbs up and share it with anyone else who you think might enjoy it – it really helps us to keep making content like this on the Hagerty channel.
