Lancia and the Martini Racing Team are prominently embedded in the history of the World Rally Championship (WRC), especially during that glorious period of the Group B super rallycars. The Italian cars, with the blue, light blue and red stripes, are just as well remembered as the Audi Quattro and Peugeot 205 Turbo.
Of the many rallies the team entered, it was during 1983 when the refined strategy and brilliance of team boss Cesare Fiorio beat Audi to take the first WRC title with the 037. It inspired the Martini Racing Team to continue competing with determination over the next 10 years. The 037 was succeeded by first the S4, and then the Delta Integrali which won another 6 world titles.
In the early 1990s, Lancia celebrated the fifth and sixth WRC titles won with the special versions of the Delta Evoluzione, respectively called ‘Martini 5’ and ‘Martini 6’. The two limited editions were recognizable and unmistakable with the familiar Martini livery and the proud ‘World Rally Champion’ writing.
No one has ever paid tribute to the team of drivers, engineers and mechanics who brought the glory to the Martini Racing Team. Now Kimera Automobili, an Italian company which specialises in restoration of classics, has collected the legacy and values of those men and celebrated them with the EVO37.
This is a limited series car of only 37 units that re-proposes the design, technical and mechanical solutions that perfectly summarize the Martini Racing Team. Additionally, Kimera has also come out with the EVO37 Martini 7 as an even more special limited edition that pays tribute to the 7 WRC titles won by the team.
This model is a continuation of the previous celebratory cars (Delta Martini 5 and 6), with same livery. This car is a further evolution of an already ‘Autentica Evoluzione’, with exceptional details that will delight enthusiasts.
The exterior features a carbonfibre aerodynamic package with splitters, side skirts and ‘nolder’ extractors on the front grilles of the front mudguard. On the sides, there are also ‘naca’ air intakes as well as on the sides of the front bonnet which has a round rear window renewed by new air extraction openings.
A refined reference is also found in the rear bumper which has a quick release system so that the lower section can be removed. When taken off, the mechanical artistry of the 037 group B evo 2 are evident. Visible is the breech of the gearbox and those exhausts, also like the original ones, with an intersected double cone.
The handcrafted reinterpretation uses a treatment in white ceramic material which, in addition to improving the performance, recalls the white colour of the Martini Racing bodywork, also revised in the colour with a white paint enriched by a modern pearl effect.
The rims have been completely redesigned, with an unmistakable reference to those of the Delta Evoluzione era. They are lighter and there has been a subtle redesign of the spokes. In the internal compartments, the typical carbonfibre kevlar material returns, as it was in all the Delta Group A rallycars.
The entire passenger compartment is finished with visible carbonfibre and the same blue perforated Alcantara with red stitching. This theme characterizes the seats which recall, in terms of shape, those of the S4, as well as the door panels and the other cockpit elements. The dashboard has the same colours as the fluorescent orange tachometer of the competition cars and each button is labeled exactly as the original.
The EVO37 Martini 7 by Kimera is a tribute that pays homage to the last Group B 2-wheel drive rallycar to win the world title, beating its all-wheel drive rivals.
