Nov. 20, 2017 | Source: Composites Manufacturing Magazine
Last week, Dallara—the legendary Italian engineering firm that’s developed chassis for IndyCar, Formula One, Formula Three, Formula E, IMSA and a bunch of other racing series—unveiled its first street-legal vehicle, the “Stradale.”
The car weighs just 1885 lbs as a result of its extensive use of composite materials, including a copious amount of CFRP. Dallara says the logic behind materials and processes is materials and processes suitable for their function. The monocoque’s materials were pre-impregnated in an autoclave. The structural components of the bodywork featured long fiber compression molding. And the exterior panels were sheet molding with carbon reinforcements. Polynt Composites was a key contributor to the vehicle’s development, producing nine different inner parts produced with Polynt-SMCarbon®24CF.
As far as performances are concerned, it will be able to cover the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint in 3.25 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 174 mph (280 kph). In fifth gear, it will need 3.49 seconds to get from 50 mph (80 kph) to 75 mph (120 kph) and 8.5 seconds from 62 mph (100 kph) to 124 mph (200 kph). With the optional rear wing installed, the car will generate more than 820 kilograms of downforce at top speed as a result of optimizations made in the wind tunnel.
“This project sums up everything we learned from racing and from collaborations with our clients, and I am convinced that those who will use this car will be able to try the pleasure of driving for the sake of driving. They will get in the car to take a nice ride and to experience the pleasure of driving,” says Giampaolo Dallara, President of Dallara Automobili.