Not too long ago, we spotlighted Lancia's return to the top step of rallying with the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. That conversation touched on icons like the Lancia 037, the last rear-wheel-drive car ever to win the World Rally Championship. Now, another storied name from that era is being revived, as Kimera Automobili has now applied it to its EVO38 with its Collezione Martini.
The car broke cover at the Rally Costa Smeralda Storico in sunny Sardinia, fittingly close to the very stages where the original 037 turned its first competitive wheel back in the early 1980s. Seen here in Pearl White, Vermouth Rosso, and Dry Verde, it builds on earlier Martini-themed cars and brings the story full circle with the Martini-Lancia legacy that spans five decades.
The dark blue, light blue, and red stripes were first seen in the 1970s, and they quickly became synonymous with success across endurance racing, Formula One, and rallying. Porsche carried them to multiple Le Mans victories with the 917, Brabham brought them into Formula One, and Lancia cemented their legacy. From the 037’s 1983 championship to the Delta Integrale’s six consecutive titles between 1987 and 1992, the Martini livery became inseparable from rally dominance.
Kimera has been around since 2020 and has already carved out a niche in an increasingly crowded restomod scene. Founder Luca Betti grew up around his father's Lancia dealership in Cuneo, Italy, watching mechanics work on rally icons like the Stratos, Delta Integrale, and 037s during the heat of Group B's golden age. He went on to become a rally driver himself, then transformed his rally team into a manufacturer and set up shop at Villa Kimera, a Baroque-era 17th-century mansion.
Pull back on any Kimera, and you arrive at the 037, the Abarth-prepared, supercharged coupe styled by Pininfarina that took the likes of rally legends Walter Röhrl, Markku Alén, and Attilio Bettega to the 1983 World Rally Championship. Röhrl famously took this rear-drive coupe to victory at Monte Carlo while the four-wheel-drive Audi Quattros watched in disbelief.
First shown in 2021, every Kimera EVO37 began life as a Lancia Beta Montecarlo before the team tore it down and rebuilt it into something altogether more serious. The EVO38, revealed at Monterey in 2024, goes deeper into Lancia history. Its conceptual starting point is the SE038 "Mazinga," (pictured below) a forgotten all-wheel drive prototype that Lancia shelved in favor of the Delta S4. Kimera is essentially finishing the job history left undone.
The bodywork combines exposed carbon fiber with a lightweight carbon-Kevlar construction that tips the scales at just under 2,425 pounds, sitting on a racing-inspired five-spoke center-lock wheel design. The exposed mid-mounted 2.1-liter inline-four produces 640 horsepower with torque climbing roughly 22 percent to 516 pound-feet. A Flex Fuel system allows operation on E85 bioethanol, while a high-pressure intercooler water spray system manages intake temperatures under load.
Inside, the focus stays on mechanical engagement. Alcantara wraps around the sporty bucket seats and dashboard; the bolsters feature red, white, and blue Martini stripes alongside the red harnesses, and aircraft-style toggle switches sit under flip covers. The 6-speed gated shifter is exposed and milled from solid aluminum, and the analog gauges and the driveshaft run visible beneath a glass tunnel. Production is limited to 38 units, with pricing around €1.15 million ($1.34 million).
Kimera has another car coming, the K-39, a ground-up hypercar bound for Villa d'Este next month. The company plans to run it at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, bringing a piece of Italian rally heritage to one of America's most demanding mountains.
Images: Kimera Automobili
