Lancia as it should be: New Stratos, Kimera Evo 37 & Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista

By Ghaith Madadha - Dec 27,2023 - Last updated at Dec 27,2023

Renowned for style, innovation and motorsport success since 1906, Italian carmaker Lancia’s repertoire has included the graceful Gamma saloon and coupe, and multiple rally icons like the Stratos, 037, Delta S4 and Delta HF Integrale. Also responsible for gloriously oddball efforts like the Ferrari V8-powered front-drive Thema 8.32 saloon during its 1980s heyday, Lancia is now a shadow of its self, with ever blander models since the mid-1990s struggling to capture a past appeal that balanced accessibility, premium cache and sporting heritage.

Relegated by the Fiat group in favour of Alfa Romeo, Lancia then became little more than rebadged European market Chrysler brand during the mid-2010s Fiat-Chrysler era, and is now down to just one aging Italian market city car, the Ypsilon. An all-electric three-car revival plan announced by new French owners, Stellantis, meanwhile seems unlikely to rekindle Lancia’s specialness, but its torch has instead kept burning by a trio of inspired independent boutique cars including a modern Stratos homage, 037 redevelopment and Delta restoration-modification makeovers.

New Stratos

A miniature supercar built from a shortened Ferrari F430 Scuderia donor, the New Stratos is the brainchild of German industrialist — and current “Stratos” nameplate rights owner — Michael Stoschek. A modern homage to Lancia’s 1973 original, a one-off New Stratos first arrived in 2010, with a limited 25 car production run starting in 2018 at Manifattura Automobili Torino, after rumored corporate wrangling with Ferrari and the Fiat group was resolved. Evolutionary in aesthetic, the New Stratos’ seductively potent modern design interprets the original’s proportions and urgent, jutting character with sharper lines and angles.

Powered by a mid-mounted Scuderia-sourced free-revving naturally-aspirated cross-plane crankshaft 4.3-liter V8 engine with freer flowing air intakes and exhaust, the New Stratos develops a more powerful 533BHP at 8,200rpm and 383lb/ft at 3,750rpm in 2010 guise and over 550BHP in 2018+ examples. Lighter, smaller and more powerful than the Scuderia, it romps through 0-100km/h in 3.3-seconds, 0-200km/h in 9.7-seconds, and onto 330km/h. Rear-driven with a limited-slip rear differential for stability and agility and choice of 6-speed manual or automated sequential gearbox, the balanced, lightweight and carbon-fibre bodied 1,247kg New Stratos promises corner carving heroics.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 4.3-litre, mid-mounted V8-cylinders
Gearbox: 6-speed manual or automated sequential
Drive-line: Rear-wheel-drive, limited slip rear differential
Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 533 (540) [371] @8,200rpm
Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 383 (519) @3,750rpm
0-100km/h: 3.3-seconds
Top speed: 274-330km/h (depending on gearing)
Length: 4,181mm
Width: 1,971mm
Height: 1,240mm
Wheelbase: 2,400mm
Weight: 1,247kg
Suspension: Double wishbones
Tyres, F/R: 265/30R19 / 315/30R19

Kimera Evo37

A tribute to the last great rear-wheel-drive rally car, the Kimera Automobili Evo 37 is far more than a simple recreation or restomod project, but is instead an authentic redevelopment that captures the seductive style and spirit of the 1982 Lancia 037 as a modern supercar. Introduced in 2021, the Evo 37 is built using a donor Lancia Montecarlo passenger cell and VIN number, but is otherwise a thoroughly modernised and newly developed car incorporating a carbon-fibre reinforced body, Ohlins-developed double wishbone suspension and a Dana Graziano automated 6-speed sequential gearbox.

Marginally bigger and heavier than the original at just 1,050kg, the Evo 37’s dramatic design is a true to original but is a slightly sleeker, beefier and sharper interpretation incorporating a huge built-in rear spoiler. Powered by a mid-mounted 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine the Evo 37 takes a leaf from the original 037’s Delta S4 successor by employing both a supercharger for immediate response and consistent delivery and a turbocharger for ample high revving power. Developing 498BHP at 7,000-7,250rpm and 443lb/ft torque the Evo 37 rockets through 0-100km/h in 3-seconds and onto 310km/h.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2.15-litre, supercharged & turbocharged mid-mounted 4-cylinders
Gearbox: 5-speed automated sequential
Drive-line: Rear-wheel-drive, limited-slip rear differential
Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 498 (505) [371] @7,000-7,250rpm
Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 443 (600)
0-100km/h: 3-seconds (estimate)
Top speed: 310km/h
Length: 4,055mm
Width: 1,905mm
Height: 1,200mm
Wheelbase: 2,520mm
Weight: 1,050kg
Suspension: Double wishbones
Tyres, F/R: 245/35R18 / 295/30R19

Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista

Developed by Automobili Amos in 2018, in collaboration with Podium Advanced Technologies, the Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista adopts a more straightforward restomod approach to modernising a beloved classic. Starting with an original later model Lancia Delta Integrale 16V donor circa 1989, the Futurista process is a thorough redevelopment that includes all-new and refurbished components. With stiffened frame and redesigned front suspension for more fluently responsive turn-in and improved handling properties, the Futurista also incorporates composite carbon-fibre materials for a reduced 1,250kg weight,

Authentic in style but with more modern elements and a more aggressive aesthetic that includes bigger wheels to accommodate bigger, better brakes, the Futurista, meanwhile, deletes the original’s rear doors for a sportier 3-door style reminiscent of the Delta S4. Powered by an updated and improved turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine developing an estimated 330BHP — compared to the original’s 212BHP — the Futurista pounces through 0-100km/h in around 4-seconds and onto 230km/h. Powering all four-wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox, it also features a limited-slip differential for added agility and stability.