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Dallara Automobili S.p.A.
Dallara Logo
Partner Information
Based Flag of Italy Varano de' Melegari, Italy
Founder Flag of Italy Gian Paolo Dallara (1972)
Announced 2013
Broke
Role Constructor
Official Website Dallara

Dallara Automobili S.p.A., better known simply as Dallara, are an Italian racing car manufacturer and designer, founded in 1972 by Gian Paolo Dallara and based in Varano de' Melegari, Italy.[1] Famed for their dominance in Formula Three since the 1990s, Dallara are among the most respected racing car constructors in the world, with their designs currently racing in IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship, FIA Formula 2, alongside consultation projects in Formula One.[1]

In terms of the ABB FIA Formula E ChampionshipDallara have been involved since the series' inception, partnering themselves with Spark Racing Technologies to design the first ever FE car, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E.[2] The two would also win the tender to build the second FE car ahead of the 2018/19 season, the Spark Gen 2, with Spark again winning the commission before asking for Dallara's expertise.[3]

Background[]

Having built several one-off racing cars in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Italian engineer Gian Paolo Dallara founded his own company in 1972, building a small number of chassis to compete in the World Sportscar Championship.[1] Small orders from various other disciplines soon filtered in, until Canadian businessman Walter Wolf commissioned Dallara to design a Formula Three car for him in 1977.[1] The new Dallara F3 would win the Championship in its second season, while its successor would take the title in the Italian F3 Championship in 1980.[1]

Italy's Garagistas[]

The 1980s would see Dallara gain an increasing number of contracts with big companies, including a series of sports and touring cars for Lancia.[1] This ultimately led to Dallara's first foray into Formula One in 1988, with the Italian constructor building cars for the BMS Scuderia Italia team, albeit with little expectation of success.[1] Ultimately, Dallara's little F1 effort would fall short of the points frequently in their five season stint, although investment in the firm allowed them to build a new headquarters in Varano de' Melegari, Italy.[1]

1993 would see Dallara enter a new era, with the Italian firm effectively gaining a monopoly over Formula Three that would last through to the present day.[1] Dallara also secured contracts with Ferrari to design their 50th anniversary road car in 1996, as well as develop a test-bed for the new Honda Formula One team in 1999.[1] The Italian firm also secured a deal to design sportscars for Audi Sport, a programme that would win the 24 Hours of Le Mans fourteen times in seventeen years.[1]

American Dreams[]

Dallara's relationship with America also began in their formative years, with an abandoned CanAm project in 1977 leading to a series of minor projects in the States throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[1] This would ultimately lead to the release of an IndyCar design in 1997, a design which would win the Indy 500 a year later.[1] Dallara's involvement in IndyCar continued into the 2000s, with the Italian firm later made IndyCar's sole chassis constructor in 2007.[1] Their current creation, the Dallara DW12 is still in use by the series.[1]

Dallara would also return to the US sportscar scene in the early 2000s, building cars for the GrandAm Series, and later the American Le Mans Series.[1] The effort disappeared after the merger of the two Series into the United Sports Car Championship, only to return with the creation of the DPi formula in 2016.[1] Dallara, in partnership with Cadillac, would go on to win the first USCC Championship for the DPi formula, winning all but one race in 2017.[1]

Formula E History[]

Dallara were first involved in the Formula E Championship as early as 2012, when the newly founded Spark Racing Technologies, having won the tender to supply the first FE Championship, commissioned them for some consultancy work.[2] This soon developed into a partnership, resulting in the creation of the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, designed almost exclusively by Dallara's engineers.[4] The new car, based largely on the Dallara's Formula 3 expertise, would later receive cosmetic updates in 2016/17.

The Italian firm would also be sub-contracted by Spark to design the SRT_01E's replacement, the Spark Gen 2 / SRT05e, after the French constructor won the tender to build the 2018/19 Formula E car.[3] This time Dallara called upon their sportscar programmes to help aid their design, resulting in a strikingly different design from any other formula style car,[3] they also developed the SRT05e Evo which was to be a face lifted version of the car for the 2021-2022 season, however due to the Covid-19 pandemic this was phased out in order for the Gen 3 Cars to be implemented instead.

Products[]

Dallara were sub-contacted by Spark to design two Formula E cars, one in 2013 and one in 2017.[5]

Spark-Renault SRT_01E[]

Main Article: Spark-Renault SRT_01E

Spark Renault SRT 01E

The Spark-Renault SRT-01E at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014.

Dallara's first work in FE would be to design and aid the construction of the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, beginning a partnership with the firm.[4] Capable of producing 200kw (270bhp) and reaching 225kmh (140mph), the SRT-01E was the first FIA sanctioned all electric race car to be produced, with all 10 entrants in the 2014/15 FIA Formula E Championship issued with four examples.[6] Modifications to the car are not allowed (apart from race setup work), although from 2015/16, nine manufacturers were able to design and fit powertrains for their cars.[7]

Spark Gen 2 / Spark SRT05e[]

Main Article(s): Spark Gen 2, Spark SRT05e

Spark II

The new Formula E "Batmobile": The Spark Gen 2

The second Dallara influenced FE creation would be the radically different Spark Gen 2, which featured prototype style bodywork rather than a traditional open-wheel design.[3] The new car, boasting a McLaren designed battery, will be the first capable of completing a full E-Prix distance, with a potential maximum speed of 300km/h (186 mph).[8] Like its predecessor, the Gen 2 will be retrofitted with different powertrains when it is delivered to the ten Formula E entrants for the 2018/19 season.[9]

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 'Dallara: History', dallara.it, (Dallara Automobili SpA, 2018), https://www.dallara.it/wps/portal/en/about/History, (Accessed 31/01/2018)
  2. 2.0 2.1 'Formula E orders 42 Cars from Spark Racing Technology', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 26/11/2012), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2012/november/formula-e-orders-42-cars-from-spark-racing-technology.aspx, (Accessed 19/07/2015)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 'Introducing: the Gen2 Formula E car', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 30/01/2018), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/january/introducing-the-gen2-formula-e-car/, (Accessed 30/01/2018)
  4. 4.0 4.1 'Overview: Spark-Renault SRT_01E', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 2014), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/guide/car.aspx?page=1327, (Accessed 27/04/2015)
  5. Scott Mitchell', 'Spark to build new Formula E car, cockpit protection device likely', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 24/08/2016), https://www.autosport.com/fe/news/125840/fe-set-to-adopt-cockpit-protection-device, (Accessed 31/01/2018)
  6. 'Car: Specification', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 2015), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/guide/car.aspx?page=1334, (Accessed 19/07/2015)
  7. 'Eight manufacturers to enter Formula E next season', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 23/02/2015), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/february/eight-manufacturers-to-enter-fia-formula-e-from-second-season.aspx, (Accessed 19/07/2015)
  8. Scott Mitchell, 'New Formula E car capable of more than 300km/h - champion di Grassi', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 31/01/2018), https://www.autosport.com/fe/news/134156/new-fe-car-capable-of-more-than-300kmh, (Accessed 31/01/2018)
  9. 'Nissan joins growing list of automotive brands in Formula E', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/10/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/october/nissan-joins-growing-list-of-automotive-brands-in-formula-e/, (Accessed 25/10/2017)
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