Dallara will build its first road car—and we want one!

Dallara

Racing fans will no doubt know the name Dallara. The Italian company doesn't field its own team, but you've almost certainly seen its cars race. Every chassis used in IndyCar is a Dallara. The same goes for Formula E. It's responsible for the carbon-fiber tubs used by the Haas team in Formula 1 and the Cadillac DPi cars that have been so successful in IMSA's WeatherTech series this year. It even built the chassis for many of Audi's legendary Le Mans prototypes. Now, Dallara is going to put its name to a road car the rest of us can buy and drive on the street: the Dallara Stradale. (Stradale means 'road' in Italian.)

And what a car it looks to be. The antidote to today's bloated vehicles, it's a lightweight (1884lb/855kg), mid-engined roadster. As you might expect from a company known for its skill working carbon fiber, the use of composites in the Stradale are extensive. The monocoque chassis is made from "pre-preg"—that's the really expensive stuff that's hand-laid before being cured by autoclave. But Dallara says it's also using "long fiber compression moulding" for structural bodywork. Although the images you see here are of a barchetta, there is an optional windscreen, and it can even be configured as a targa or closed coupe (with the addition of gullwing doors).

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