KIMERA EVO38 Martini Collezione Turns Rally Nostalgia Into 631 HP

Martini stripes return to a car built for people who still believe a supercar should feel mechanical

Kimera has given the EVO38 the livery it always seemed to be waiting for, and the result is more than a cosmetic special. The new Collezione Martini uses the brand’s iconic racing palette on an all-wheel-drive, carbon-bodied tribute to the Lancia 037, a machine whose silhouette remains one of rallying’s most recognisable shapes. In Sardinia, at the Rally Storico Costa Smeralda, Kimera used the occasion to reconnect with Martini and to expand a concept first explored with the one-off EVO37 Martini 7. This time the idea is broader, with multiple liveries and finishes rather than a single bespoke car.

The early themes matter because they show Kimera understands the emotional code of the audience. Pearl White, Vermouth Red and Dry Green are not random colour names; they are motorsport cues with a period-correct mood. The company also says only a handful remain available, which places the car firmly in the world of ultra-low-volume collector specials rather than mainstream boutique production. For readers tracking the rise of analog restomods, the same market logic appears in projects like the MORGAN SUPERSPORT 400 Converte 408 Hp Em Velocidade Pura, where heritage branding and real engineering carry equal weight.

The 631 hp upgrade is the technical reason this Martini version matters

Kimera says the 2.1-liter twin-charged four-cylinder now makes 631 hp, or 640 PS, up from 592 hp in the standard EVO38. Torque climbs to about 700 Nm, which is roughly 516 lb-ft, and the rev limit stretches to 8,200 rpm. Those are serious figures for any road car, but they are more striking when attached to a four-cylinder engine without hybrid assistance. The result is a compact, high-output package that prioritises response and mechanical theatre over plug-in complexity.

The headline performance gain is tied to Flex Fuel capability, allowing the engine to run on E85 bioethanol for maximum output. Kimera also adds a supplementary intercooler spray system using high-pressure cold water jets to manage intake temperatures under sustained load. That hardware is more than a party trick: it is the sort of solution you would expect in a serious track or rally application, not a styling exercise. Similar engineering-first thinking is what makes the 2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC and the Hennessey Venom F5 LF compelling benchmarks in a world increasingly obsessed with numbers alone.

Why the EVO38 still feels like a faithful 037 continuation rather than a retro costume

Kimera’s styling cues are not just theatrical references. The body is wide, boxy and carbon-fiber in construction, with eight front lights, a vented hood and center-lock wheels helping frame the car’s deliberate rally-car stance. The underlying inspiration remains the Lancia 037, the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship when it took the 1983 title. That is the critical historical anchor: the EVO38 does not merely quote the 037, it builds a modernized mechanical argument around it.

The car’s approximate 1,100 kg mass is central to the experience because it puts the output in the right context. A 631 hp four-cylinder at that weight promises a power-to-mass ratio that should feel ferocious, especially with a six-speed manual and AWD traction working together on tight mountain roads. Kimera hints the Martini collection examples could be lighter still, which would only sharpen the response. For comparison, the lightweight, driver-first appeal is the same philosophy that underpins the GUNTHER WERKS PROJECT ENDGAME and the PININFARINA NSX Tensei, both of which use modern materials to preserve old-school engagement.

The real-market value is in the combination of limited supply and genuine hardware changes

Kimera’s decision to create a Martini sub-collection instead of a single one-off signals that the brand sees demand for personalised, historically anchored EVO38 builds. This is not a mass-production play. It is a controlled run of cars with distinct liveries and finishes, and the scarcity is part of the proposition. Buyers are being offered a documented link to Martini’s motorsport history, but they are also getting real mechanical upgrades in the form of E85 compatibility, revised cooling, higher output and a higher rev ceiling.

The E85 angle also deserves attention beyond the headline. Bioethanol’s higher octane tolerance enables Kimera to extract more from the twin-charged setup, but it also makes the calibration more dependent on fuel availability and proper tuning discipline. That is not a drawback for the likely buyer, who is far more interested in peak response than in commuter convenience. It is a similar logic to what makes the AUDI E7X and the Denza Z9 EV so strategically interesting: the engineering is shaped around a very specific usage model.

Martini heritage is the emotional hook, but the chassis brief is what will define the drive

The EVO38 Collezione Martini should be judged by how cohesively it manages its ingredients: four-cylinder urgency, manual gear selection, AWD traction and a mass target of roughly 1,100 kg. If Kimera has preserved the throttle response and steering feel suggested by the original EVO38 concept, this will be one of the most compelling low-volume performance cars on sale simply because it refuses to follow the hybridised supercar template. The six-speed manual alone gives the car a different rhythm from most modern exotics, while the AWD system should make the output exploitable rather than intimidating.

The K-39 confirmation shows Kimera is building a brand, not just a tribute car

The second major piece of news is the confirmation that Kimera will produce its K-39 hypercar. Unlike the Beta Montecarlo-based EVO38, the K-39 is being described as a clean-sheet design. Kimera previously showed the K39 as a concept in 2024, citing the Montecarlo Turbo silhouette racer that won major trophies from 1979 to 1981 as inspiration, and says more details will arrive on May 15. That timeline matters because it suggests Kimera is trying to move from a single nostalgia-led product to a broader performance portfolio.

That strategy mirrors the way ambitious niche brands grow credibility. They start with a highly specific, emotionally charged machine, then use that platform to prove technical competence before scaling upward. In that sense, the EVO38 Collezione Martini is both a celebration and a test case. If it succeeds, Kimera gains the legitimacy to launch a cleaner-sheet hypercar with real expectations attached. For enthusiasts watching the wider market, that is the same kind of evolution seen in the IM Motors LS8 and the Geely EX5 EM-i, where product range expansion reveals a brand’s long-term intent.

Why this Kimera is more significant than a livery reveal

The EVO38 Collezione Martini works because it respects the material truth of the original. The Martini graphics are the headline, but the real story is the 2.1-liter twin-charged engine, the 631 hp output, the 700 Nm torque figure, the six-speed manual, the AWD system and the low-mass carbon structure. Those are the ingredients that separate a serious enthusiast machine from a themed collector toy. Add E85 compatibility and intercooler water spray, and the car becomes a sharper, more sophisticated expression of the same idea.

Kimera has understood something many modern performance brands miss: nostalgia is only persuasive when the underlying engineering justifies it. The EVO38 Collezione Martini does exactly that, and the fact that it arrives with only a handful of cars left makes the package feel even more urgent. For buyers who want a road car that still behaves like a motorsport object, this is the right kind of excess. And for everyone else, it is a reminder that the most desirable supercars are not always the fastest on paper, but the ones that make 631 hp feel like a story with a pulse.