Kimera Automobili 037 restomod revealed – new-build rally icon returns
Italian-based project to reimagine Lancia 037 with modern touches
Italian outfit Kimera Automobili has revealed its interpretation of the iconic Lancia 037 homologation road car, releasing a limited run of 37 units that will cost from around £415,000. The Kimera Automobili 037 is not built from one of the few, and very special originals, but built from scratch in a similar construction method with modern materials and techniques.
The chassis itself is a bespoke monocoque built from tube steel, with subframes directly welded to it on either side. The steel structure is then clothed in bespoke carbonfibre panels, replacing the original kevlar composite units.
Like the original homologation car, the forged double wishbone suspension has a long-travel design, with dual Ohlins dampers flanking the separated spring at the rear and a more compact coilover design on the front end.
Just like the structure, the engine is also referenced by the original, running a new-build 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine that is both turbo and supercharged. Unlike the original, however, the supercharger will be electrically driven, so as not to bleed power away from the engine itself as all purely mechanical units do.
The engine’s development has been overseen by one of Lancia’s original powertrain engineers Claudio Lombardi, and thanks to the advances in engine technology is expected to produce a reliable 500bhp to 600bhp, while still being tractable for road use. The engine will power the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual, or six-speed sequential transmission, the latter operable via electro-mechanically actuated paddles behind the steering wheel.
The design itself is a different take on the original, with an ever-so-slightly modernised design that takes advantage of modern manufacturing techniques achievable with the use of carbonfibre. Details, like the front and rear lighting, mesh inserts and wheels are also new, the latter being a much larger 18- and 19-inch staggered wheel design to clear the modern brake package.
This new-build 037 joins a ever-widening class of contemporary reimaginations, but comes with some genuine engineering experience behind its development. Whether it shares a similar sense of excitement remains to be seen – we’ll see it in the flesh come the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July to start answering that question.
