A host of patent images of Dallara’s upcoming sports
car have been published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office and
they’re very promising. First published by Auto Guide, the images confirm that
the car will be dubbed the Stradale and that it’ll look significantly different
than recently-spied prototypes.
Looking at the Stradale’s front-end, the
similarities to the British-born Elemental RP1 are striking. The headlights are
almost identical in shape, there’s very similar small windscreens and two
prominent buttresses behind the seats. Elsewhere, the Dallara’s decklid and
engine cover bear an obvious resemblance to the Porsche 918 Spyder with similar
exhaust outlets and humps.
Based on the patents, it seems as though the
Stradale will be offered as a speedster with no windscreen, a roofless sports
car with a windscreen, as a hardtop and as a T-top.
No one knows for sure what will power the Dallara
but it could make use of a 2.3-liter Ford EcoBoost with 400 hp. Whatever the
case may be, it has the potential to be a class-leader, particularly
considering the firm’s motorsport expertise which includes building the
chassis’ used in IndyCar.
