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| Honestly... have you ever seen anything that looks anything remotely like this? |
One of the most significant race cars of the generation, the DeltaWing concept will be on show at Birmingham’s NEC during Autosport International on 10-13 January 2013.
Designed by Ben Bowlby, DeltaWing started its life as a potential IndyCar single seater concept, but was adapted for sports car use in conjunction with American motorsport heavyweights Dan Gurney, Don Panoz and Duncan Dayton.
The world’s biggest sports car race, the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans saw Nissan DeltaWing tackle a race for the first time in June 2012, running as an invitational entry outside of official classification. In its first official race, the car finished fifth in October’s 1,000 mile Petit Le Mans, driven by Gunnar Jeannette and Lucas Ordoñez.
With a distinctively shaped, lightweight and low-drag chassis, the car is powered by a four-cylinder, 1.6-litre Nissan DIG-T producing 300bhp, marking a major departure from the high-powered cars used in top-level motorsport. Including fuel and driver, the car weighs just 575kg and accelerates from 0-100kmh in just 3.3 seconds.
DeltaWing captured the hearts and minds of race fans and the accolades of the industry throughout 2012, ahead of a full American Le Mans Series campaign in 2013.
The car was recognised with the Pioneering and Innovation Award at the prestigious Autosport Awards in December, along with Evo Magazine’s (UK) Innovation Award, Automobile Magazine’s Racing Car of the Year and a Popular Science ‘Best of What’s New’ Award. Bowlby himself received the Royal Automobile Club’s Simms Medal and Race Tech Magazine’s Dino Toso Award for race car aerodynamicist of the year.
Among the American exhibitors at the event, Aurora Bearing Company will showcase the DeltaWing project at Stand 8330 in Hall 8 during the 10-13 January 2013 event, having supplied rod end and spherical bearings for the project.
“Our involvement with DeltaWing has been incredibly rewarding, it’s been an honour to be part of such a significant race car project,” said John McCrory from Aurora Bearings. “Everywhere the car has gone, it’s turned heads, and we’re looking forward to showcasing the concept to fans at Autosport International.”
“DeltaWing is a perfect example of motorsport innovation, challenging the status quo and offering an alternative,” said Ian France, Autosport International Show Director. “It’s less than a year since it first appeared in public, and it’s really struck a chord with the motorsport community. We’re excited it will be a part of Autosport International 2013.”
DeltaWing will join a range of exciting new motorsport machinery at Birmingham’s NEC during Europe’s largest dedicated trade show. British manufacturer Radical will launch its newest supercar, the RXC at the show, along with the Sin 01 race car project.
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