Dallara Stradale ‑ your next sportscar built by racers

Dallara plans to build 600 examples of its new Stradale, with almost 100 reported to be sold already. Early clients include former Formula One drivers Jean Alesi and Paolo Barilla, plus the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Sergio Marchionne.

The Dallara Stradale is said to promise a racing car driving experience at a reasonable price, with the two-seater starting at 155,000 Euros plus local taxes.

Race car maker Dallara was formed 45 years ago by Giampaolo Dallara, after he worked for Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, where he was the engineering ‘father’ of the iconic 1966 Lamborghini Miura.

Dallara’s dream has long been to build lightweight a street-legal race car, taking inspiration from the affordable and efficient sports cars created by Lotus founder Colin Chapman in the 1950s. Dallara’s wish has finally become a reality today as he was given the first Stradale as a present for his 81^st birthday.

Tipping the scales at just 855kg, the 400 bhp Stradale nearly offers a 2 kg to 1 bhp ratio, replicating cars such as the original 1957 Lotus 7 that offered an outstanding power to weight ratio, allied to great drivability.

The Stradale will accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.45 seconds and has a top speed of more than 280 km/h (174 mph) in its standard configuration. An optional rear wing will provide almost 800kg of downforce to help improve track handling, but it takes its toll on the Dallara’s drag coefficient and reduces the top speed by 15 km/h to 265 km/h (163 mph).

Ahead of today’s official reveal, Dallara began building the Stradale this summer at its expanded its headquarters near Parma, Italy. Dallara’s production capacity will be just 10 units a month, so the Company expects to make about 120 units a year.

Dallara builds about 250 competition cars a year and plans to use the Stradale's limited production to showcase the Company’s core competencies. Its carbon fibre cockpit and body panels are engineered and built in-house, with Dallara also designing and building the carbon fibre chassis and body for the Bugatti Chiron. The Stradale's aerodynamics have been honed in a network of three wind tunnels owned by Dallara, which worked in parallel with virtual simulation. 

On average, about 300 race cars built by Dallara are currently run by private teams, competing in racing series as diverse as Formula One, Formula 3, Formula E, Indy Car and Indy Light, and Le Mans Endurance.

Stradale buyers will be able to add or remove, a windscreen, roof and gullwing side windows to turn the roadster into a coupe. The additions to alter the bodywork will cost 32,000 Euros plus taxes.

The Stradale is powered by a 2.3-litre four-cylinder Ford Ecoboost engine, as used in the Focus RS. It has a new valve train and a larger turbocharger to help increase its power, and its Bosch engine management system has been developed specifically for the car.