Automotive

Dallara funnels decades of racing experience into its own, doorless street supercar

Dallara funnels decades of racing experience into its own, doorless street supercar
The Dallara Stradale is a power-to-weight monster
The Dallara Stradale is a power-to-weight monster
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Dallara Stradale: top view
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Dallara Stradale: top view
Dallara Stradale: scoopy intake
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Dallara Stradale: scoopy intake
Dallara Stradale: aerodynamic modeling
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Dallara Stradale: aerodynamic modeling
Dallara Stradale: exploded, the simplicity of the car is revealed
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Dallara Stradale: exploded, the simplicity of the car is revealed
Dallara Stradale: aerodynamics has been a key part of the design work here
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Dallara Stradale: aerodynamics has been a key part of the design work here
Dallara Stradale: an expensive hairdryer, but a pretty one
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Dallara Stradale: an expensive hairdryer, but a pretty one
Dallara Stradale: targa roof and a white interior
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Dallara Stradale: targa roof and a white interior
Dallara Stradale: roofless and sans windscreen in a barchetta format
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Dallara Stradale: roofless and sans windscreen in a barchetta format
Dallara Stradale: the barest of gullwing doors allow wet weather driveability
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Dallara Stradale: the barest of gullwing doors allow wet weather driveability
Dallara Stradale: these gullwings are not for luxury or looks purposes, they're literally the tiniest things Dallara could stick on top of the chassis to keep the rain out
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Dallara Stradale: these gullwings are not for luxury or looks purposes, they're literally the tiniest things Dallara could stick on top of the chassis to keep the rain out
Dallara Stradale: top view with the targa roof and doors isn't bad
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Dallara Stradale: top view with the targa roof and doors isn't bad
Dallara Stradale: curved windscreen will be a pain to replace if it chips
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Dallara Stradale: curved windscreen will be a pain to replace if it chips
Dallara Stradale: barchetta style
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Dallara Stradale: barchetta style
Dallara Stradale: motoring purism
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Dallara Stradale: motoring purism
Dallara Stradale: with a targa roof and doors fitted
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Dallara Stradale: with a targa roof and doors fitted
Dallara Stradale: just doesn't look the same with that canopy on top
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Dallara Stradale: just doesn't look the same with that canopy on top
Dallara Stradale: the targa configuration, with a windscreen and T-section roof
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Dallara Stradale: the targa configuration, with a windscreen and T-section roof
Dallara Stradale: add just the windscreen and call it a roadster
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Dallara Stradale: add just the windscreen and call it a roadster
Dallara Stradale: the rear wing gives this thing 820 kg of downforce at top speed
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Dallara Stradale: the rear wing gives this thing 820 kg of downforce at top speed
Dallara Stradale: looking sexy side-on
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Dallara Stradale: looking sexy side-on
Dallara Stradale: rear view
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Dallara Stradale: rear view
Dallara Stradale: headlight and intake scoop
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Dallara Stradale: headlight and intake scoop
Dallara Stradale: rear corner
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Dallara Stradale: rear corner
Dallara Stradale: interior
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Dallara Stradale: interior
Dallara Stradale: full carbon chassis and an interior that errs on the comfy side of 'race car'
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Dallara Stradale: full carbon chassis and an interior that errs on the comfy side of 'race car'
Dallara Stradale: black interior
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Dallara Stradale: black interior
Dallara Stradale: Dallara's first street car after decades in racing
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Dallara Stradale: Dallara's first street car after decades in racing
Dallara Stradale: will be very, very comfortable on a racetrack
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Dallara Stradale: will be very, very comfortable on a racetrack
Dallara Stradale: uses a Ford EcoBoost 2.3-liter 4cylinder engine, supercharged and hotted up to a peak 400 horsepower
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Dallara Stradale: uses a Ford EcoBoost 2.3-liter 4cylinder engine, supercharged and hotted up to a peak 400 horsepower
Dallara Stradale: gotta love those obscene air exits behind the front wheels
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Dallara Stradale: gotta love those obscene air exits behind the front wheels
Dallara Stradale: looks its best naked
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Dallara Stradale: looks its best naked
Dallara Stradale: will tear up the racetrack
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Dallara Stradale: will tear up the racetrack
Dallara Stradale: a limited run of 600 will be made
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Dallara Stradale: a limited run of 600 will be made
The Dallara Stradale is a power-to-weight monster
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The Dallara Stradale is a power-to-weight monster
Dallara Stradale: at only 855 kg and 400 horsepower, this is a power-to-weight monster, focused on the pure joys of cornering
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Dallara Stradale: at only 855 kg and 400 horsepower, this is a power-to-weight monster, focused on the pure joys of cornering
Dallara Stradale: a no-frills Italian supercar focused on cornering fun
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Dallara Stradale: a no-frills Italian supercar focused on cornering fun
Dallara Stradale: with specially developed Pirelli tires, a featherweight chassis and finely tuned suspension, this car can handle cornering forces up to 2 Gs
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Dallara Stradale: with specially developed Pirelli tires, a featherweight chassis and finely tuned suspension, this car can handle cornering forces up to 2 Gs
View gallery - 37 images

The Dallara Stradale has no doors, no roof and no windscreen – those are optional extras, on top of a base price of US$182,000. And yet lovers of true driver's cars will likely be lining up for these things, because it's the passion project of one of the world's greatest ever chassis designers, and it'll pull a whopping 2G of lateral acceleration in the corners.

Italy's Giampaulo Dallara knows a thing or two about chassis design. When it comes to road cars, he and his company have worked on the Lamborghini Miura, Bugatti Veyron and Chiron, KTM X-Bow, and more Ferraris, Maseratis and Porsches than you could poke a gear stick at.

But Dallara is much better known in the racing world, where the company's chassis work has underpinned the handling of Formula One, Two and Three cars, as well as being the sole chassis supplier for IndyCar, Renault World Series, GP3, Super Formula and Formula E.

And now, after two years of design and development, the company has built its first road car – something simple and stripped back to the essence of pleasurable road and track driving. Meet the Stradale.

Dallara Stradale: at only 855 kg and 400 horsepower, this is a power-to-weight monster, focused on the pure joys of cornering
Dallara Stradale: at only 855 kg and 400 horsepower, this is a power-to-weight monster, focused on the pure joys of cornering

We usually start with engine stats, as that's generally the heart of a car. Not really, in this case, but it's a 400-hp (298-kW), supercharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder unit that should be reliable; it's actually been developed out of a Ford EcoBoost engine. That might be odd for such an exotic machine, but then, 400 horses is arguably an outstanding amount of power for a machine centerd around driving pleasure. It's powerful, but not so powerful you can't really get a gumboot into it. This car should be exceptionally thrashable.

The transmission's a manual, but there's an optional paddle shift kit for faster shifting, with Normal and Sport modes to suit how you're driving it.

The overall weight of the Stradale is an eye-popping 855 kg (1,885 lb), or about the same as four sports motorcycles. This is thanks to "extensive use of composite materials and carbon fiber," as well as doing away with heavy luxuries like doors and windscreens. This is a car to be leapt into, Dukes of Hazzard style. Or if you're feeling classy, just step in – the seats have a helpful "step here" zone on them built for the task.

Dallara Stradale: full carbon chassis and an interior that errs on the comfy side of 'race car'
Dallara Stradale: full carbon chassis and an interior that errs on the comfy side of 'race car'

Springs, bars and dampers in the suspension have been "defined to maximize the compromise between grip and comfort," and the setup has been extensively tested, both in simulators and on the road, by a series of the kinds of drivers you'd expect these guys would have access to.

Bosch has chipped in with an electronics package that includes ABS, with electronic brake force distribution, as well as traction control and vehicle dynamics control to keep things on the safe side of fun.

Dallara Stradale: exploded, the simplicity of the car is revealed
Dallara Stradale: exploded, the simplicity of the car is revealed

Pirelli has contributed a specially-designed set of tires that focus on precision, grip and kinematic feel. And these hoops, in conjunction with the light weight and expert chassis design, allow a whopping 2G of lateral acceleration in the corners. That's not far shy of the much wider, million-dollar McLaren P1, which can hang on with up to 2.4G.

This is a wicked looking machine in its base configuration, or with a large rear wing added that gives you a mighty 820 kg (1,808 lb) of downforce at top speed.

Dallara Stradale: the barest of gullwing doors allow wet weather driveability
Dallara Stradale: the barest of gullwing doors allow wet weather driveability

If you don't mind ruining the open-top barchetta-style look, you can plonk on a curved windscreen, and there's a targa T-frame as well that accepts a pair of gull-wing doors to keep things totally enclosed. But this car looks so much better when you've got your noggin right out in the wind, picking the bugs out of your teeth like a motorcyclist as you whip it around corners.

Only 600 will be built, according to Automotive News, and 100 are already reserved at a base price of €155,000 (US$182,000). The first to roll off the shop floor has already been delivered to customer #1 – Giampaolo Dallara himself, who's been driving the thing on his home roads around the Dallara factory. That's just up the road from where he was born in Varano de Melegari, about 50 km from Italy's Motor Valley of Modena, and a fine place to find yourself if you love fast cars.

Source: Dallara

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