Why We’ve Redesigned the Lancia 037’s Chassis

At Rebel Autoworx, we're building 037s differently, using a new chassis design unlike the original 037. What's wrong with building 037s the same way Lancia did, today? Why would we redesign the chassis of a Group B icon? And will our cars still drive like the original 037? The answers are below.

How the original 037 chassis was made

Original 037 chassis use the centre section of Lancia’s 1976 mid-engined sports car, the Beta Montecarlo.

The Carteroni 037 demonstrator car was built using Lancia’s original chassis design with a Beta Montecarlo centre tub. Rebel Autoworx

Around the time Lancia was considering getting into the new Group B class of rallying, the Beta Montecarlo was being used in motorsport - and for a host of favourable reasons, became the prime candidate for the development of Lancia’s first Group B rally car. Over a few years, the Montecarlo’s base would be morphed into the iconic 037. Instead of using the front and rear sections of the Montecarlo’s chassis, the 037 uses front and rear spaceframes, matched neatly to a significantly reinforced centre tub.

The centre tub separated from the front and rear structure of a Montecarlo. Carteroni

However, as simple as this design appears, when taken further it grows into a complex engineering project: one we’ve realised can’t be completed efficiently enough to justify an entire 037 business.

Time and Money: why we pivoted

Time and money are the two culprits that make building 037s the old-fashioned way unfeasible for anyone in the 2020s.

Rust: every Lancia enthusiast’s enemy. Montecarlos often have significant rust damage, particularly in the floor. Carteroni

It cannot be overstated how long it can take to construct a Lancia 037 chassis from scratch with a Montecarlo centre tub. Rust is the first big issue here - hand repairing the damage, fabricating new pieces, welding them back in. And even if you manage to purchase a well-preserved Montecarlo, or a stripped centre tub on its own, you’ll be faced with another time-crunching problem: modifying the existing structure. To make the centre tub strong enough to attach the front and rear spaceframes, strengthening panels must be applied at the front and rear of the tub, and all by hand.

Montecarlo tubs require extensive modifications to accept front and rear spaceframes, particularly in the rear section.

Ultimately, every hour used to adapt a centre tub into an 037 chassis comes at a cost. At the end of the day, these costs have to be fronted by someone, and that person usually is you, the buyer. Luckily, there is a way to build an 037 without spending tens of thousands on a chassis alone: enter, our redesign.

Meet our Lancia 037 chassis redesign

Our redesigned 037 chassis is a straightforward concept. Instead of a centre tub that connects the front and rear spaceframes, we have in effect a ‘middle spaceframe’: a tube formed centre section that incorporates the roll cage while seamlessly connecting the front and rear spaceframes right into it.

Sneak peek: Allan working at his drawing board, refining his initial chassis design in September, 2025. Rebel Autoworx

Without the usual Montecarlo centre tub, Rebel 037s can be built quicker, using new materials, all at a reduced cost. The full-spaceframe design bypasses the most time-consuming tasks from the Montecarlo-based 037 chassis build process; no more repairing and or modifying an existing tub, fitting it with a rollcage, connecting the spaceframes and adding additional strengthening. The best part is that because our new chassis doesn’t alter the front and rear spaceframes’ design, a Rebel 037 will still demonstrate the fluid, precise, and predictable handling that makes every 037 so incredible to drive.

Surely, that isn’t the whole story?

Yes, the complete story and background behind our decision and approach to building redesigned 037s is more detailed than what we’ve laid down here. If you’d like to get more detail, drop a comment below with what you’d like to know more about.

Written by: Connie Carter

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