Rising from the Past, the Kimera K39 Takes on the Pikes Peak Legend

One might want to write a legend or reinterpret it. This is in a few words the very essence of the Restomod celebrated by Kimera.

The young Italian manufacturer Kimera has chosen the Pikes Peak setting to showcase its K39. Fascinated by the legendary Lancia rally cars, Kimera’s designers have developed a Restomod project that brought to life the EVO 37 and EVO38, spiritual descendants of the Lancia Rally 037. This car, based on the very permissive FIA Group B regulations, made its World Championship debut in 1982 before clinching the world title the following season. In just 5 seasons, it entered the pantheon of motorsport thanks to its performance, of course, but especially to its irresistible design born under the magical pencil of Pininfarina.

The K39 pushes Kimera’s philosophy even further and is dedicated solely to racing. It will make its competitive debut at Pikes Peak in 2025, before perhaps being homologated in a very limited series. Little is known about this car except that it is built around a carbon chassis and will be powered by a thermal engine, as evidenced by its oversized exhaust outlets. Knowing that the two-wheel-drive EVO37 develops 505 hp and the all-wheel-drive EVO38 offers 600 hp, thanks to the same 2.2L inline 4-cylinder engine, it should not disappoint.

Kimera claims it wants to go after the absolute Pikes Peak record held since 2018 by the Volkswagen ID.R driven by the French heavy-footed magician Romain Dumas. It will take sweat, tears, and a lot of ingenuity for that, but dreaming is not prohibited by any sports regulations, especially not those of Pikes Peak known as “The Race to the Clouds”. The time achieved by Sébastien Loeb in 2013 at the wheel of the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak with a thermal engine may be a more attainable target given how electric prototypes dominate the hill climb, a perfect terrain for their technology.

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