Photo: Delta Wing Racing
No, this is not a reincarnation of the Plymouth Prowler for next year. It’s an official rendering showing how the DeltaWing racecar might look like if the company decides turning it into a legal road-going one.
Everyone was stunned back in 2012 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when the 56th garage door opened to release a rather odd-looking experimental vehicle. We’re talking about the first DeltaWing open top experimental vehicle.
The first DeltaWing was already looking towards future road vehicles, which need to be light, very aerodynamic and fuel efficient. Things at which the prototype excelled.
Since then, the DeltaWing evolved a lot and now the company thinks to put it into dealerships sometime in the future. Chances are the final product might look like the concept you see in the rendering above.
It lost a bit of the racecar’s Batmobile appeal by making room for four passengers, hence the bloaty cabin and shorter “nose”, but it retains much of the original vehicle’s technical aspects.
“Many of the aerodynamic, lightweight and handling benefits of the race car can translate to the street,” said Don Panoz, chairman of DeltaWing Technologies Inc. “We are competing at the highest levels of road racing with half the weight, half the horsepower, and nearly half of the fuel consumption. We believe we can deliver similar results on the street without compromising safety, comfort and performance. We have a formula that’s highly efficient and still fun to drive.”
The concept is intended to offer a possible solution for automakers obliged by more stringent fuel economy and emissions standards to create more efficient vehicles. The lightweight platform was designed to work with different small high-efficient gas or diesel powertrains and even hybrid ones.
Coming with a narrow front end makes it both aerodynamic and highly maneuverable in corners, while the rear mounted powertrain drags the center of mass well towards the rear of the vehicle.
Efficiency is also ensured by the vehicle’s weight, which the company said is 35 percent lower than conventional vehicles. This also means it can be powered by a smaller engine and a small 110 hp gasoline unit for example, can throw this coupe trike from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in around 6 seconds.
All while coming with an impressive mileage of up to 70 mpg if you treat it right. This sounds pretty good if you think that the new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards of 2025 dictate a combined 54.5 (5.2 l/100 km) fuel consumption.
Will it blend in? If the three-wheeled Elio turns out a success when it will be launched, what can stop the DeltaWing from joining the fuel sipping party?
The first DeltaWing was already looking towards future road vehicles, which need to be light, very aerodynamic and fuel efficient. Things at which the prototype excelled.
Since then, the DeltaWing evolved a lot and now the company thinks to put it into dealerships sometime in the future. Chances are the final product might look like the concept you see in the rendering above.
It lost a bit of the racecar’s Batmobile appeal by making room for four passengers, hence the bloaty cabin and shorter “nose”, but it retains much of the original vehicle’s technical aspects.
“Many of the aerodynamic, lightweight and handling benefits of the race car can translate to the street,” said Don Panoz, chairman of DeltaWing Technologies Inc. “We are competing at the highest levels of road racing with half the weight, half the horsepower, and nearly half of the fuel consumption. We believe we can deliver similar results on the street without compromising safety, comfort and performance. We have a formula that’s highly efficient and still fun to drive.”
The concept is intended to offer a possible solution for automakers obliged by more stringent fuel economy and emissions standards to create more efficient vehicles. The lightweight platform was designed to work with different small high-efficient gas or diesel powertrains and even hybrid ones.
Coming with a narrow front end makes it both aerodynamic and highly maneuverable in corners, while the rear mounted powertrain drags the center of mass well towards the rear of the vehicle.
Efficiency is also ensured by the vehicle’s weight, which the company said is 35 percent lower than conventional vehicles. This also means it can be powered by a smaller engine and a small 110 hp gasoline unit for example, can throw this coupe trike from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in around 6 seconds.
All while coming with an impressive mileage of up to 70 mpg if you treat it right. This sounds pretty good if you think that the new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards of 2025 dictate a combined 54.5 (5.2 l/100 km) fuel consumption.
Will it blend in? If the three-wheeled Elio turns out a success when it will be launched, what can stop the DeltaWing from joining the fuel sipping party?
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