With Jean Claude’s investment we built a car wholly different from what came before, a car which became chassis number 005, and effectively, Carteroni’s Second Prototype for a turn-key get-in-and-go Lancia 037 Rally re-creation.

What’s different on P2?

To give a quick peek at what was changed on P2 compared to our first car, P2 includes:

• In-house custom built fuel injection system
• In-house custom fabricated intercooler
• In-house custom fabricated inlet manifold
• Built engine incorporating forged internals
• Link ECU for injection and ignition management, enabling Jean Claude to map different tunes to P2 depending on his needs
• Better developed suspension components 
• FIA chromoly rollcage certified for international competitive use

P2’s impact on Carteroni’s manufacturing process can’t be overstated. As part of P2’s development, we built jigs for fabricating rear suspension. We redid the hubs to be compatible with modern parts; future-proofing our 037 builds and process by ensuring parts availability. We used off-the-shelf parts for the braking system. We also worked more with local engineering firms to outsource parts fabrication.

How has P2 impacted our 037 building process?

The next 037s we build will fold in the developments made during P2’s manufacture. 

We’ll continue to work with local firms to outsource parts manufacture; that way, we can pass on savings to customers and ensure our process doesn’t rely on one person. There are a myriad number of incremental improvements that’ll go into builds like chassis 006 and beyond, including very specific things like:

• Thermo-forming the polycarbonate for the rear clip’s window so we can have nicer louvres for the rear air intake and heat management
• The framework that supports the front clip
• A quicker steering rack that gives 2.2 turns lock-to-lock
• A deeper intercooler containing more cores to reduce the back pressure inside it
• Housing the intercooler in the side scoop of the rear clip to force air through the intercooler – this positioning negated the need for water sprayers and worked great in testing

As with any prototype, there are always more improvements to be made. P2 marks a milestone in our learning of how to manufacture a faithful copy of a truly legendary machine. We can’t thank Jean Claude enough for investing in us to make P2 a reality, his patience and support has allowed us to learn much and build a car we could only have dreamed about in 2013 when we built our first prototype. Merci beaucoup Jean Claude, enjoy your car!

003 is a unique chassis, running a full Abarth suspension setup, Speedline 3-piece rims, and Pirelli Corsa tyres. The chassis contains special modifications unique to Michael’s requirements that are different to 001, enlarged front wheel arches being one such difference. It additionally comes equipped with an international FIA homologated chromolly roll cage. 

The first completed Carteroni rolling chassis, Michael aims to run the completed car in events across the US. You can read more about Michael’s build here.

With grey gel coat panels fitted in 2021, this 037 will be a road car with bite, sporting a NZ competition roll cage giving Nick the opportunity to hit the gravel or the track.

Based on a treated Montecarlo tub supplied to us from Aus, Paul’s 037 will be used for competition within Australia, and be driven on the street. Currently awaiting construction of the front and rear spaceframes, chassis 004 will have a similar roll cage to Michael’s 037, and the French build. 

Follow his story on Group4Racing to see chassis 004 come together.