The Lancia 037 is one of the greatest rally cars of all time. It famously beat the Audi Quattro to become the last two-wheel drive car to win a World Rally Championship. Kimera Automobili is committed to making it even greater. In 2021 the Italian company introduced a modern tribute dubbed the EVO37, and followed that up in 2024 with the EVO38, inspired by the 037’s never-produced successor. But it’s not stopping there.
The Kimera K-39 is a ground-up hypercar that just happens to look like an 037. Unveiled Friday at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, it’s powered by a twin-turbo V8 from Koenigsegg. Some changes were made to the turbos compared to the Swedish automaker’s own hypercars, but this engine still makes 1,000 horsepower at 7,350 rpm and 885 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. It can also rev to 8,250 rpm.
Kimera isn’t just buying engines and dropping them in its own chassis. The company aims to get the Koenigsegg-powered K-39 certified as a new car in markets worldwide. Koenigsegg is also providing access to its cloud for diagnostics and software updates, so owners won’t be left to their own devices after the time of sale.
The K-39 still looks very much like an 037, boasting the same short wheelbase and enormous, boxy fenders. But the various scoops and ducts are deeper and more complicated, reflecting 21st century knowledge of aerodynamics. And Kimera hopes to put this aerodynamically optimized shape to the ultimate test at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The company didn’t say when it would make the attempt, but declared it a “defense of a vision of the automobile that believes in the refined and sustainable evolution of combustion technology.”
It’s unclear how much of a statement Kimera will be able to make for the good ol’ internal-combustion engine at Pikes Peak, where the altitude robs such engines of power and gives an advantage to electric vehicles. But it will definitely address some unfinished business. The Lancia factory team never raced at Pikes Peak, but nemesis Audi set a record in 1987 that remains the fastest-ever time pre-pavement.
Kimera will build 10 Pikes Peak-spec cars for its most loyal customers, with bigger rear wings and other aerodynamic add-ons. Pricing for both the Pikes Peak and standard versions was not disclosed, but you can bet that anything with a Koenigsegg V8 won’t come cheap.