A modern Lancia 037 Stradale? Yes please!

Italian restoration specialist reimagines a road and rally classic.


It remains one of the most iconic rally cars in history, the last rear-wheel drive car to win the World Rally Championship against a horde of four-wheel drive rivals. With rally royalty Walter Röhrl and Markku Alen behind the wheel, the Lancia 037 propelled the Italian manufacturer to the WRC Manufacturers’ title in 1983, against the might of Audi and its fearsome all-wheel drive Quattro.

While the Martini-liveried Lancias captured hearts and minds, the homologated roadgoing version remains a bone fide classic today.

Just 217 examples of the Lancia 037 Stradale were made to comply with Group B regulations and today command prices well north of US$500,000 (AUD$675,000).

Italian car restoration specialist, Kimera Automobili, has built a successful business restoring and maintaining original Lancias, including the 037. Now, it’s going one step further, with its in-house designed and built homage, the Kimera EV037.

A concept at this stage, Kimera Automobili has reimagined the 037 Stradale using modern materials and technologies. Remaining faithful to the original’s design and shape, Kimera has enlisted the help of engine-builder Claudio Lombardi to oversee the mechanical reimagining which will see the original’s 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine modernised and uprated.

Where once the Abarth-sourced, mid-mounted, supercharged inline four was good for 153kW and a 0-100km/h time of around 7.0-seconds, this new homage promises to deliver between 372-447kW, thanks to a combination of turbocharging and supercharging. Power will be sent to the rear wheels via either a traditional manual or a more modern sequential gearbox.

Kimera Automobili hasn’t released an abundance of technical details yet, but has outlined on its website: “The core of the original model was maintained, through the involvement of former specialists and mechanics of the time, who shared with the engineers, car designers and craftsmen of today’s leading names of the Italian industry… the new version of this totally Made in Italy masterwork.

“The result is a sum of the style, taste and allure of a legendary racing Lancia of the ’80s, a modern car characterised by extraordinary features in terms of performance, appeal, comfort and daily use.”

It’s slated to make its public debut at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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Rob Margeit

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

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