Lancia 037 Stradale mechanics
Starting from the Lancia Montecarlo, under the hood of the Lancia 037 Stradale is the same four-cylinder Lampredi engine with four valves per cylinder that came from the 131 Abarth, the car that had been placed (for commercial reasons) between the Stratos and the 037 in the WRC. In the street version, the 037 produced about 208 horsepower, choosing not to overclock the engine compared to the 255 horsepower of the racing versions. These figures increased with the passage of time and constant improvements, so that the latest versions of the 037 rally cars, the Evoluzione, reached 310 horsepower. The 2-liter engine was accompanied by a supercharger developed by Abarth thanks to which it achieved power.
Crazy figures in those days for rally cars (in fact they even surpassed some street Ferraris) and even more so considering that the empty unit did not weigh a ton. This featherweight was possible thanks to the use of epoxy resin and fiberglass-reinforced Kevlar, which would be widely used in Group B cars to achieve rigid yet light assemblies. The suspensions were independent double arm to achieve the best possible results in sections. Of course, the 037 would be effective especially in asphalt rallies precisely thanks to its handling and light weight, suffering a little more in dirt rallies against the Audi at a time when rallies used to be mixed, with days with sections of asphalt and days on dirt.
For the 037 to be homologated to run in Group B, it was necessary to manufacture a total of 200 units of the 037 Stradale, as indicated by the regulations (the same happened with other special homologation cars, such as the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16). These cars were, like street cars, uncomfortable, especially the Lancia due to its complexity when entering and exiting due to how low and intricate it is, in addition to being especially noisy as it had little insulation. These are prices to pay to be able to drive a spectacular machine born for racing, with the Lancia 037 still performing amazingly well today.
A peculiarity of the Lancia 037 is that the five-speed manual gearbox, designed by ZF, was operated in the opposite way to that of conventional models. That is, a dogleg box, with the first, third and fifth actuated by pulling backwards and the second and third actuated forwards. Although it was somewhat strange, contrary to regulations, it was precise and very, very fast. In addition, these cars were successful in rallies due to their reliability, taking units to the Safari Rally (the authentic one, when it was held as an African rally). It may sound paradoxical considering the fame of the reliability of Italian cars of the time, but nothing could be further from the truth…as long as the maintenance is at the level of the machine.
037, a movie car
Recently, a ‘restomod’ version based on the Lancia 037 Stradale has appeared, the Kimera EVO37. A reinterpretation of the 037 but with today’s materials and designs, using Kevlar and carbon fiber, in addition to using a (combustion!) engine in a central rear position that produces 505 horsepower and 550 Nm of torque, reviewed by Claudio Lombardi , the same Lombardi who supervised the development of the 037 competition engines, the engines being coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox. 37 units have been made of this car, which have quickly found owners. The basis of this EVO37 has not been the already scarce 037, but the Lancia Beta Montecarlo (which are not exactly abundant today either).
The story of 037 can be seen in theaters in just a few days – specifically, starting January 5, with the arrival of the film Race for Glory (originally titled 2 Win). This film, with Daniel Brühl, Riccardo Scamarcio, Katie Clarkson-Hill and Volker Bruch in its cast, among many others, tells the story of the 1983 season and the great battle between Lancia with its 037 and Audi with its Quattro A2. Two completely different ways of understanding rallies facing each other, coinciding with the moment in which the discipline began to transition towards the dominance of four-wheel drive, but still maintaining the romanticism that characterized it in those years.
