Dallara is one of those firms that, although pretty unknown in the mainstream, is a central nerve in the world of motorsport and high-performance motoring. Company founder, Giampaolo Dallara, cut his teeth at the biggest name of Italian motoring. These include Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini where he famously engineering the Miura, which just turned 60. The company recently unveiled a car called the Dallara Macchina Posto Singolo (or MPS), which it created during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The MPS is now up for sale through leading auction house RM Sotheby’s.
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Lightweight Machine
Dallara has been consulting to the motorsport industry for decades. Its racecars have competed in just about every category from feeder series to Le Mans and Indy all the way to Formula 1. The company has also lent its expertise to automakers. Clients include Ferrari, McLaren and Maserati. Vehicles that have been dusted with the Dallara special dust include the Alfa Romeo 4C, KTM X-Bow and even the Bugatti Veyron.
Click here to take a video tour through the Dallara museum.
A few years ago, to celebrate the founder’s 81st birthday, the company used its extensive know-how to create the Stradale. See video at the bottom of this post for our driving review. This carbon-fibre machine was the first road car to ever wear the Dallara name. During the C19 lockdown Giampaolo Dallara led a small team of specialists to create the MPS using the simple philosophy of “First, aerodynamic excellence. Then, beauty”. The car is homologated for the road yet born from the same purity of intent as a racing machine.
A Solid Base
The starting point for this exercise was the Stradale. The Dallara Macchina Posto Singolo took inspiration from the SP1000 (pictured above), the very first racecar designed by the Giampaolo. The lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque wears a completely bespoke body that was honed in the wind tunnel. As a result it has a different frontal aspect with different headlamps and a longer tail section. In addition, as the name denotes, it has a single, centrally mounted seat.
Click here to check out the track-focused Dallara EXP with even more power and downforce.
This is about as close to an open-top racecar on the road as you’re likely to ever get. Best part is that no one can ever ask for a lift. With a kerb mass of well under 900 kg the MPS doesn’t need excessive power. The Ford-sourced 2,3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine of the Stradale remains in place. The engine produces 294 kW and 500 N.m of torque. A six-speed transmission sends power to the rear axle.
Apologies for the less-than-ideal audio track on this video.
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