RE: Jaw-dropping Kimera EVO37 Martini 7 for sale

[bloomen]

SlimJim16v said:

I had a ride in a Lancia S4, it looked and felt very well put together. I'm sure road tests at the time said the interior was quite luxurious compared to other Gp B cars.

I was lucky enough to scab a ride in one too. The interior was very special and the soundtrack was exceedingly unique. Definitely far from a lashup.

Maybe it's 80s British workmanship people are thinking of when they're compared to old nails, and the RS200 and 6R4 were far more geared towards being sold to privateers as competition cars so they weren't going to be barrel of laughs on the road.

As far as I know there was only one S4 Stradale rallied and that was in David Sutton's collection. It looked a bit weird.

[BVB]

Stunning!

[Mr Tidy]

I'd much rather have the real one!

Stunning cars though.

[pheonix478]

bloomen said:

...
As far as I know there was only one S4 Stradale rallied and that was in David Sutton's collection. It looked a bit weird.

Bit weird is charitable! It was fugly as hell. I guess the beauty is in the performance.

[bloomen]

pheonix478 said:

Bit weird is charitable! It was fugly as hell. I guess the beauty is in the performance.

The works cars were all purpose. Not lovely but very stirring to look at.

This is the Stradale. It did the Monte Carlo in 86 driven by a Spanish fella. I think it was the only converted road car to compete.

[pheonix478]

bloomen said:

The works cars were all purpose. Not lovely but very stirring to look at.

This is the Stradale. It did the Monte Carlo in 86 driven by a Spanish fella. I think it was the only converted road car to compete.

Yeah it's the rear of the car that makes you wince it's so oddly proportioned but then the whole thing lifts up and you realise it's just a sillhouette of a road car. Ultra cool.

[s m]

andrewcliffe said:

s m said:

Which timed test did they actually do that in though?

February 1983 issue of Quattroroute magazine?

Edited by andrewcliffe on Thursday 2nd May 22:08

The one CAR tested was considerably slower so maybe wasn’t prepped as well for testing, although it was straight from the factory. It was all out at 125 and a second slower to 60

[redroadster]

Makes me horny .

[LotusOmega375D]

bloomen said:

The works cars were all purpose. Not lovely but very stirring to look at.

This is the Stradale. It did the Monte Carlo in 86 driven by a Spanish fella. I think it was the only converted road car to compete.

Yes, I took part in a private viewing by Integrale owners of the David Sutton Collection in Daventry ca. 2008/2009. By that time the red privateer ex Monte Carlo S4 Stradale had acquired a works S4 nose cone, rather than the standard Stradale grille on this photo. I guess it was developed as a sort of semi-works car. From memory quite a lot of the Group B cars on display were actually owned by a well-off Portuguese ex rally entrant.

[mrclav]

chrisironside said:

mrclav said:

Meh.

Quite a strange car to feel indifferent to :

Indeed, you are correct.

I always found the original to be a strange looking thing and this re-interpretation doesn't do anything to convince me otherwise. It's not a particularly horrible looking car as such but to me it's just... meh.

I find aerodynamically shaped cars far more appealing and appreciate the 'sinewy' look of modern cars shaped by the wind far more than these blocky looking relics that do absolutely nothing for me whatsoever aesthetically. As I've never cared for rallying I also do not have any emotional connection to Group B, let alone Martini sponsorship liveries (being a lifelong teetotaler).

[Matt_T]

Maybe some better wheels...

[JJJ.]

Matt_T said:

Maybe some better wheels...

Not fussed, I'll have either

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

bloomen said:

SlimJim16v said:

I had a ride in a Lancia S4, it looked and felt very well put together. I'm sure road tests at the time said the interior was quite luxurious compared to other Gp B cars.

I was lucky enough to scab a ride in one too. The interior was very special and the soundtrack was exceedingly unique. Definitely far from a lashup.

Maybe it's 80s British workmanship people are thinking of when they're compared to old nails, and the RS200 and 6R4 were far more geared towards being sold to privateers as competition cars so they weren't going to be barrel of laughs on the road.

As far as I know there was only one S4 Stradale rallied and that was in David Sutton's collection. It looked a bit weird.

My father had an S4 and an RS200. Both were great cars. S4 was slightly more comfortable ( it even had a/c which sometimes even work ) but Ford was better balanced and easier to drive quickly on the road. It did though have a very fast clutch and pretty useless handbrake. Hill starts were not for the faint hearted....

[Matt_T]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

My father had an S4 and an RS200....

Chapeau!
There must be more to this, how did he end up with these?

[nismo48]

Matt_T said:

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

My father had an S4 and an RS200....

Chapeau!
There must be more to this, how did he end up with these?

Good call

[RabidGranny]

some guy in ZH owns this and runs it up the hillclimb near me every year. Nice machine

[LotusOmega375D]

He’s posted about them on the previous 037 Stradale thread.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=19...

[AUSRS2]

So cool but that mark up is crazy. I'm sure there is a bitcoin trading website owner who will pay up.

[smilo996]

Absolutely stunning and the engine in those sounds like a mechanical orchestra. Fantastic paint too.

[MF35]

Lovely bit of work, ruined by the dumb, over-sized wheels. Big wheels are slower. And it doesn’t have a fit-for-purpose suspension. A bouncy, track-day “suspension” like that wouldn’t be worth spit on a back road or rally stage. Speaks volumes for the buyers.