Kimera Automobili wooed Lancia lovers with its tremendous tribute to the 1983 World Rally Championship-winning Group B 037 and now the Italian specialist has raised the stakes.
Battling against the all-wheel-drive Audi Quattro the rear-driven 037 was always at a disadvantage on loose surfaces – so much so that Lancia didn’t even show up for the snowy Rally Sweden. But what if the Italians had somehow shoehorned a four-wheel-drive system into the 037? That’s the question Kimera has now answered with its Evo 038.
Outwardly the 038 is very similar to its sibling, but the addition of a driven front axle with an electro-hydraulic differential gives it the traction that Walter Röhrl could only wish for. The system can be controlled from the cockpit, allowing the driver to set the front-rear torque split to suit the conditions. For dry asphalt the 038 can even revert to rear-drive.
The 038 gets a suspension upgrade with adaptive shocks that can be adjusted by switches on the steering for on-the-fly fettling to the damping and ride height. A six-speed manual transmission is fitted with shorter ratios than the 037 to make it better suited to “mixed roads rather than fast circuits,” while Kimera is also working on a sequential gearbox to turn the 038 into “a true race weapon, but one that can be unleashed on everyday roads.”
Despite the extra mass from the drivetrain the 038 still weighs just 1,100 kg thanks to prodigious use of carbon fibre in its construction. There’s more power, too, with over 600bhp easily offsetting any weight gain. A larger turbo, new cams and variable valve timing all help in this 100bhp hike over the 037.
Fittingly Kimera is to build 38 examples, and although a price hasn’t been announced you’d better set aside over £500,000.
