As easyJet flight EZY6407 descends towards Turin, the Matterhorn is framed, fleetingly, in the small window next to me. The prominent and picturesque craggy triangle caught in the round-edged peephole. It’s a perfect snapshot that somehow augurs well for the days to come.
A few hours later I’m looking at another almost-too-perfect picture. A sleek-yet-stubby shape, green over tan, is parked on gravel in front of a honey-coloured villa dripping with purple Wisteria. Cherubic statues gaze down approvingly on the yellow headlights.
The car is a Kimera EVO37, a restomod of the Lancia 037 that takes the fundamental shape and layout of the famous Group B homologation car but adds some tasteful muscle to the stradale version’s aesthetics, moving it closer to the stance of the rally car. The end result is elegant aggression. A bare-knuckle boxer in a Brioni three-piece.