RE: Dallara launches 855kg road car

[egomeister]

5harp3y said:

Stunning bit of design ... absolutely gorgeous.

now why cant kit car designers look at this and make a cheap version!?

Because Dallara probably spent more time getting that shape right than most kit cars do in the entirety of their development.

Looks like they've done a great job!

[BVB]

Interesting car. Colour me impressed.

[f1ten]

Wow love it. That is a cracking looking machine.

dimots said:

Perfect lines. What a stunning design.

[humblesabot]

boxerTen said:

Quite true. But probably the single most reliable predictor of whether a supercar company will prosper is whether it has bespoke engines. Compare Lotus with McLaren for example. IMHO if you aren't building (or commissioning) your own engine you might as well not bother building supercars.

My romantic side says yes, but my realistic side says: TVR


My take on the Dallara is that the engine choice is justified. The people they're selling to are probably those for whom Dallara is a brand that means something. When designing an LMP chassis, or an aerokit for IndyCar the engine is a pice of the puzzle, but it's the aerodynamic and structural integration that's much more important. You sell someone a badass platform and they can do what they want with the engine down the road, but they had to pick something that on technical merit was up to the task. It helps that they didn't start at the larger or more expensive end of the crate engine market.

I would also probably go for a tiny NA V8 or similar, but i feel i'd probably be happy enough snagging a complete but extremely competently built car that still leaves room for higher levels of development. It's not a P1GTR, it's not about branding, or touring cars converted to racing use, it's about using the lessons of chassis design that you rely on in the upper levels of racing.

Definitely agree that they're going the right direction with weight. Wish more would take note.

[Krikkit]

comfortably numb said:

A longer wheelbase isn't such a bad thing either if you want it to be a bit more stable.

Why would you want to increase the polar moment on a pointy track car?

[humblesabot]

Works in F1?
Mid corner stability is helped by a longer WB, and turn-in sharpness is influenced by camber, caster, kpi, relative track widths, and a whole pile of other things. At the end of the day it's a question of balancing engineering decisions.
In any case, i think they did well as they did.