Deltawing
GT Concept
DeltaWing
Technology Group today revealed at Road Atlanta a full-size concept of what a
Panoz DeltaWing GT street-legal car could look like, as well as a DeltaWing GT
race car concept chassis, providing a glimpse of the fuel and energy efficient
DeltaWing architecture in another form. The display showcases the company's
rapid progress toward a new DeltaWing race car and ultimately a highly
efficient Panoz DeltaWing car for the street.
Both
are on display Oct 1-3 in the DeltaWing Racing Cars and Panoz exhibit in Road
Atlanta's Vendor Village. Road Atlanta is home to the 18th Annual Petit Le Mans
powered by Mazda, the finale of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup season.
The
Panoz DeltaWing GT concept car and DeltaWing GT race car concept chassis broke
cover just six months after DeltaWing Technology Group's March 2015
announcement that it would begin developing a DeltaWing GT race car concept.
Development began immediately after the company received the results of an
independent engineering analysis of a four-passenger road car concept based on
the patented DeltaWing narrow front track vehicle architecture. That analysis
showed it could achieve nearly 74 mpg highway and 57 mpg combined.
The
team then focused on further refinement of the architecture and design,
preparing for prototype development. As a result, the Panoz DeltaWing GT road
car design's coefficient of drag in simulation has been optimized and currently
is in the 0.26 Cd range.
The
efficiency and performance of the DeltaWing vehicle architecture can be defined
as a 'green technology multi-tool.' The architecture can accept virtually any
current or future transverse engine powertrain and deliver significant fuel
savings and green benefits when compared to traditional vehicle designs. The
DeltaWing platform also can be fitted with all-electric or hybrid powertrains;
today's smaller and lighter high-efficiency gas, diesel and compressed natural
gas (CNG) engines.
The
DeltaWing Technology Group engineering and design team leverages the data
acquired through racing and applies it to next-generation projects like the
DeltaWing GT. For example, many DeltaWing GT race car concept sub-assemblies
like steering and suspension are derived from the DWC-13 Coupe, and what has
been learned about the DWC-13's driving dynamics influence the direction of the
DeltaWing GT street and race projects. Preliminary DeltaWing GT race car
concept targets call for a vehicle powered by a 350 to 400 horsepower engine
and weighing about 1,800 to 2,000 lbs, depending on the powertrain.
The
goal is to begin real-world testing of a DeltaWing GT race car concept
prototype in 2015 to further drive the company's goal of creating both a
two-passenger Panoz DeltaWing GT and four-passenger Panoz DeltaWing car for the
road. Like the DeltaWing DWC-13 Coupe, the company hopes to acquire valuable
data through motorsports but has not announced official plans to race the
DeltaWing GT race car concept.