DeltaWing Racing Cars has revealed a coupe version of its famous DeltaWing that will be on display this week at Sebring. It is planned to debut in the ALMS later this season.
The new car features a new brand new chassis and a wider driver ‘greenhouse’ among other new elements in order to comply with the new LMP1 regulations coming into force in 2014. The car’s debut may even be as early as the ALMS round at Laguna Seca in May.
The car’s engine has also been updated over the open-top version, and will now be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged aluminium block designed and built by Elan Motorsports Technologies specifically for racing in P1.
Dr Ron Panoz, managing partner of DeltaWing Racing Cars, said: “As the season goes forward, and we incorporate the new tub with the 2014 rules, we think as with any new program that it will continue to improve in performance. As we get close to the latter part of the season, we’ll be capable of getting onto the podium.”
Elan engineer Simon Marshall, who was seen all stages of development of both the original DeltaWing and the new coupe version, said: “The coupe should be a no-brainer for safety. It’s just to remove the possibility of a driver’s head being struck by anything. If the car is upside down, there’s more of a controlled space.”
He continued: “We’ve elected to put the driver in the middle as another way of differentiating this coupe from other ones. It’s best to put the driver in the middle to protect them and also it will be good for visibility.”
Meanwhile the original DeltaWing, also powered by Elan, will make its debut in the LMP1 class at Sebring this weekend with drivers Andy Meyrick and Olivier Pla.
