September 2025: Rebel 037 Project Begins

September 2025 was the month our Lancia 037 project switched from a plan on paper to a reality. In this blog, we give you a closer look at the technical side of our project, behind the workshop doors of our build partners, Carteroni. Scroll down to explore the progress Carteroni co-founder and Rebel Technical Lead Allan Carter made in September.

Carteroni briefs partners on Rebel project

With the Rebel 037 program green-lit, Allan’s first priority was briefing his build contractors on the new project, starting with his composites specialists, Fibreglass Developments Limited (FDL), and the engineers at Extol, responsible for the tube cutting of the front and rear 037 spaceframes. FDL and Extol will both become pivotal in the effort to bring our new 037 chassis design to life; FDL as producers of a new exterior body section to cloak the chassis’ centre, and Extol as potential chassis fabricators.

FDL’s composites team produces Lancia 037 panel sets based on Carteroni’s moulds. Carteroni

As Allan explained, “it's important to get contractors on board early and to get some pricing underway for that, because that's an outsourced item and the sooner you get an idea of cost on, the better. It helps with planning…That would free up my time to devote to the project.”

This effort culminated with Allan taking the Carteroni 037 demonstrator car to FDL for orientation talks on the new composite components needed for the new chassis design.

Allan loads the 037 for the 40minute drive to Fibreglass Developments Limited (FDL). Rebel Autoworx

037 chassis redesign: Allan’s first sketches

Starting in mid-September, Allan’s focus shifted to establishing the first drafts for the new chassis with support from his long-time CAD partner, Barry.

Barry’s previous work with Carteroni involved modelling the front and rear 037 spaceframes, as part of an effort to increase the efficiency of constructing these complex chassis pieces. On the Rebel 037 project, Barry and Allan will build off the previous spaceframe models to produce a redesigned centre section that will unite the front and rear spaceframes into a single structure.

CAD Lead Barry created the models which  allow Carteroni to use laser-cut tubing, massively decreasing the time required to build spaceframes. Rebel Autoworx

Being the old-school engineer he is, Allan began his first drafts with paper and pencil on his drawing board, using worksheets provided by Barry based on his spaceframe models.

Designing the traditional way: Allan sketches ideas for the centre section that’ll unite the front and rear spaceframes.

037’s mid-section has a 360° scan

The Carteroni 037 demonstrator car stripped back in preparation for a 3D chassis scan. Rebel Autoworx

After the FDL trip, and coinciding with Allan’s first design sketches for the new chassis, the Carteroni 037 was stripped down for a 360-degree scan of its mid-section.

The Carteroni 037 during the spatial scan of its centre tub. Rebel Autoworx

The scan produced a spatial point cloud which can be converted into a digital representation, or skin, of the 037’s outer surface. Once loaded into SolidWorks, the 037 skin will be incorporated into Barry’s existing 037 spaceframe models, as an exterior container for Allan’s first version of the new chassis’ mid-section.

Looking ahead to October…

With one aspect of 037 development very much underway by September’s end, October will see other development priorities come into focus, including the suspension for the AWD 037 project.

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Written by: Connie Carter

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