Jaw-dropping Kimera EVO37 Martini 7 for sale

Just 37 of Kimera's homage to Group B will ever exist. Here's your chance to beat the queue. For a price...

There’s a huge amount of restomod potential in Lancia’s back catalogue. The firm’s legendary rally specials of the mid-'70s and ‘90s have such colossal star power that they’re often ranked among the rarest Ferraris and Lamborghinis for desirability - and they’re said to be as brilliant to drive as they are to stare at. The only problem is their vanishing rarity and relative fragility means Stratos, Delta S4s and 037s owners lock them away in climate-controlled garages to protect them from Britain’s many rust-inducing elements. A solid foundation then for restomods that share none of their underpinnings with the originals, right?

In fact, before the days of Singer Design 911s and GTO Engineering 250 SWBs, a small Italian firm called Manifattura Automobili Torino took a punt on reimagining the Lancia Stratos. Using the Ferrari F430 as a base, the MAT Stratos featured a drastically shortened wheelbase, carbon fibre body panels and a gloriously faithful design conjured up by a student for their end-of-year project. More ‘traditional’ restomods followed in the form of the Automobili Amos Futurista and Maturo Stradale, both of which were based around Delta donor cars - before Kimera came along and blew everyone away with its interpretation of the mighty 037.

Unlike the cars listed above, the Kimera EVO37 is less of a restomod and more a new car based around the silhouette of Lancia’s rear-wheel drive rally monster. It’s built on a bespoke chassis with double wishbone suspension front and rear with Ohlins dampers, while its Beta Montecarlo-inspired centre section (just like the original 037) has been refined in the digital world for a sleeker, more slippery profile. Meanwhile, the wheel arches sit even further out than the original car (and it's not like the old-timer was a scrawny thing), and the wing sits even taller and more swept back. Every inch of its carbon fibre-reinforced plastic body, from the deeper air dam to the tip of its wing, is pure 037 awesomeness.

As is the engine. Well, sort of. The 2.1-litre four-cylinder in the middle is based on the same block as the original car, only brought up to date to meet all the current noise and emissions standards, and there’s a Volumex supercharger for that signature 037 whine. Oh, and a turbocharger this time, too, clearly inspired by the epic twin-charged setup of the Delta S4. The bonkers combination results in a peak output of 500hp, all of which meets the road via the rear wheels exclusively (although Kimera is working on an all-wheel drive EVO38 version) through your choice of manual or automatic ‘boxes.

This, however, is no ‘ordinary’ EVO37, it’s an ever rarer (and more powerful) Martini 7 special edition. Limited to just 37 examples, the Martini 7 boosted power by 50hp and (obviously) slapped on the iconic stripes of the motorsport-mad drinks company. The aero package was reworked as well, with a deeper carbon splitter, skirts and massive NACA ducts ahead of the rear wheels. There are loads of neat touches inside, with the blue Alcantara seats serving as a nod to the Delta S4 rally car and buttons mapped exactly the way they would have been on the original 037. 

Whether Kimera has managed to shift all 37 examples of the Martini 7 isn’t confirmed, but it would be impressive if it has given the EVO37 was only announced a year ago. Pricing was never made public, but the seller’s asking £1,170,000 for this particular car - quite the hike over the standard model’s £430,000 base price. The ad suggests it might be in the US at the moment, which means you may have to go through the rigmarole of importing it. That’ll be well worth the hassle for a die-hard Lancia fan with bottomless pockets, but if you fancy something closer to home there’s always this limited-edition Bianco Perlato Delta HF Integral Evo II for a fraction of the price…

See the original advert here