The Art of Resurrection: Inside Kimera Automobili’s Masterpiece of Modern Heritage

By Hasel Magazine

At dawn, the fog hangs heavy over the winding roads of Piedmont, northern Italy. The silence is broken only by the sharp, metallic growl of a 500-horsepower engine echoing through the valleys. If you’re lucky enough to stand at the roadside and watch it pass, what you’ll see looks like something out of a black-and-white photograph from 1983: the unmistakable silhouette of a Lancia 037 Rally car, poised and muscular, devouring the asphalt.

But look closer. The lines are sharper. The roar is more precise. The details are too perfect to belong to a car built forty years ago. What you are witnessing is neither a relic nor a replica — it is something much rarer: the Kimera EVO37, a hand-built masterpiece that bridges decades of automotive passion.

This is the story of Kimera Automobili, the tiny Italian company rewriting the rules of heritage, design, and modern craftsmanship. A story of love, obsession, and what happens when one man decides that legends deserve to live again — not in museums, but on the open road.

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

The Man Behind the Myth

Kimera Automobili was founded in 2020 by Luca Betti, a man who grew up in the Italian hills, dreaming of rally stages and turbocharged glory. His father was a Lancia dealer in Cuneo, and as a boy, Luca spent countless hours wandering the service bays, watching mechanics fine-tune the legendary cars of Lancia’s Group B era — the Stratos, the Delta Integrale, and, of course, the 037.

Luca Betti / Founder-CEO / Kimera Automobili

“I still remember the smell,” Betti tells. “Oil, rubber, fuel… mixed with excitement. Those cars were alive. They had character. They were dangerous, unpredictable, but beautiful.”

As a young man, Betti became a rally driver himself, competing in the World Rally Championship and earning respect on some of the toughest courses in the world. But his fascination with the 037 never faded. Even as he raced modern machinery, he felt that something had been lost: the connection between driver and car, the raw mechanical dialogue that made those early rally cars so special.

So when he stepped away from competition, he knew what he wanted to do: create a car that honored the spirit of the 037, but updated it for the modern era, without compromise.

Why the 037?

For those who don’t know the history, the Lancia Rally 037 occupies a singular place in motorsport lore. Introduced in 1982, it was a rear-wheel-drive car competing against emerging all-wheel-drive rivals. Against all odds, it claimed the 1983 World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title — the last rear-wheel-drive car ever to do so.

It became an icon not just because of its victories, but because of its purity. With its tubular frame, mid-mounted engine, and supercharged ferocity, it demanded — and rewarded — skill like no other.

Betti explains: “The 037 wasn’t just a car. It was an experience. When you sat behind the wheel, you felt everything: the road, the engine, the edge of control. I wanted to bring that feeling back — not just copy it, but elevate it. Build the car the engineers of the 1980s would have built if they had today’s tools.”

Building the EVO37

The idea was audacious. And yet, in less than three years, Kimera delivered not just an idea, but a fully realized car: the EVO37.

Every EVO37 begins as a bare shell, painstakingly fabricated in-house. The tubular frame is rebuilt and strengthened, the body panels sculpted from carbon fiber. Modern dampers, brakes, and electronics are integrated seamlessly, while the engine — a turbo and supercharged inline-four — is engineered to deliver over 500 horsepower while retaining the explosive character of the original.

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

But despite the high-tech upgrades, the car remains analog where it counts. There are no digital screens, no driver aids. Just a wheel, three pedals, and an open invitation to dance.

Betti and his team insist on maintaining the mechanical soul of the 037. The clutch still bites hard. The steering remains unassisted. The engine note is tuned to recall the guttural bark of its ancestor. “We wanted to respect the DNA,” Betti says. “We modernized the car, but we didn’t sanitize it.”

The interior, too, is a lesson in restraint: Alcantara, exposed carbon, hand-stitched leather. Every element feels deliberate — luxurious yet spartan, like the cockpit of a fighter jet.

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

Craftsmanship Over Mass Production

Kimera builds just 37 examples of the EVO37, each one customized to its owner’s specifications. This is not mass production; it’s sculpture on wheels.

That passion extends to every aspect of the process. Even suppliers are handpicked for their ability to deliver parts to Kimera’s exacting standards.

One of the more remarkable aspects of the project is its ethos of collaboration. Kimera works with former Lancia engineers and mechanics, many of whom helped design and service the original 037s in the 1980s. “We are standing on their shoulders,” Betti says. “Their knowledge is priceless.”

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

A Philosophy of Respect

In an age where the word “restomod” is thrown around casually, Kimera’s approach feels different. They’re not building replicas. They’re not merely restoring old cars. They’re creating something entirely new, but deeply respectful of history.

“You cannot treat heritage like a marketing tool,” Betti says. “These cars deserve respect, not because they are old, but because they have meaning. We wanted to create a car that is worthy of the name. Something that makes the original engineers proud.”

This philosophy is evident in everything Kimera does — from the decision to keep the EVO37 rear-wheel-drive (despite the popularity of AWD), to the meticulous recreation of the 037’s distinctive proportions. Even the car’s badging is subtle: Kimera’s logo sits alongside discreet tributes to the Lancia lineage.

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

The Reception

Since its debut, the EVO37 has drawn praise from journalists, collectors, and former rally drivers alike. Many have called it the ultimate driver’s car — raw yet refined, thrilling yet approachable.

When Top Gear tested it, they called it “a love letter to one of rallying’s most iconic machines — written in carbon fiber and gasoline.” Collectors have reportedly paid well over half a million euros for the privilege of owning one.

But for Betti, the real reward comes from seeing the car out on the road. “We built it to be driven,” he insists. “Not locked away in a garage. These cars are happiest when they’re moving.”

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

Beyond the EVO37

While the EVO37 remains Kimera’s signature creation, Betti hints at what’s next: new projects inspired by other icons of Italian motorsport. Already, rumors circulate about a reinterpretation of the Lancia Delta S4 — another Group B legend — as Kimera’s next act.

For Betti, though, it’s not just about which car comes next, but about maintaining the integrity of Kimera’s vision. “We’re not here to chase trends,” he says. “We’re here to honor stories — to take something beautiful and make it even more so.”

Kimera Automobili / EVO 37

Why It Matters

In a world increasingly dominated by digital screens, driverless technology, and disposable consumer culture, Kimera Automobili stands as a reminder that there is still room — and a market — for artistry, authenticity, and mechanical joy.

Watching an EVO37 tear through the Italian hills is a visceral experience. It speaks to something primal in us: the desire to feel connected, to wrestle with the edge of control, to be reminded of what it means to drive.

Kimera doesn’t just build cars. They build bridges between eras, between ideas, between man and machine.

And in doing so, they prove that the past is not something to be left behind, but something to carry forward — with reverence, skill, and just the right amount of noise.

For Hasel, this is what great design is all about: not just form or function, but feeling. A dialogue between generations, rendered in carbon fiber and steel. Kimera Automobili reminds us that the legends of the past are not gone — they are waiting for us to catch up.

And thanks to Luca Betti and his extraordinary team, we can.

To learn more about Kimera Automobili, their philosophy, the process of creating the EVO37, and their upcoming projects, visit their official website: kimera-automobili.com. There, you’ll find even more inspiring details and unique stories from the world of legendary automobiles.