Following his professional life as a rally driver for other teams ended, Luca Betti, the founder of Kimera Automobili, started his own motorsport team called Kimera Motorsport.
Kimera Automobili produces the Kimera EVO 37, a limited-run version and reminiscencent of the Lancia Rally 037.
Their latest iteration pays tribute to Martini Racings Group B racer.
The cars don’t start with a homologation. Kimera sources old, often dilapidated Lancia Monte Carlo’s and removes the majority of the bodywork; in practice, using less than a third of the donating car.
The engine references the Lancia original, with a 2.1-litre 4-cylinder DOHC motor that is both turbo and supercharged to produce 543bhp.
At over 4,500 rpm, the supercharger is shut down via an electronic clutch, leaving only the turbo operating, and in so doing, gleaning an extra 50bhp.
Interestingly, the engine is not the previous 037 but a copy of the engine from the later Lancia Delta S4.
The ‘new’ cars are built from the ground up using a monocoque chassis constructed from freshly created tubular steel covered with carbon-fibre panels.
The interior is hand-made to the customer’s specifications.
To add even more authenticity, the development was overseen by one of Lancia’s original engineers, Claudio Lombardi.
Luca Betti aptly describes the Kimera EVO 37 as his ‘Concept of Passion.’
