Published on: 05/12/2017 Updated on: 20/02/2025
Gian Paolo Dallara, an engineer whose name is strongly linked to motorsport, wanted to crown his dream on the occasion of his 81st birthday: to build the first road car bearing his name. MAFRA was chosen for the care and maintenance of the Dallara Stradale, which created a box set dedicated to this dream car.
It was 1972 when a young engineer decided to found his company in Varano de' Melegari, in the heart of Emilia's "motor valley, " to build competition cars capable of winning in every corner of the globe. The engineer's name is Giampaolo Dallara and the company is Dallara Automobili da Competizione, one of the most famous names in international motorsport, triumphant in Formula3 competitions and supplier of cars for the IndyCar, Indy Lights, GP2, GP3, World Series by Renault and Super Formula championships. From 1988 until 1992, the Dallara brand was present in Formula1 as a supplier of chassis for the Italian Scuderia, while today it builds the F1 chassis for the American Haas team and will be at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with an Lmp1 prototype made for Art.
A birthday gift
On the stroke of his 81st birthday, the Dallara engineer decided to give himself and us a beautiful gift: his first road car. Produced in only 600 examples, the Dallara Stradale, this is the name of a real dream on 4 wheels, represents the entire history of the prestigious sports brand: ultra-light, simple, with a soft line that seems drawn by the wind and extraordinary performance. The transverse mid-engine is a supercharged 2.3 capable of delivering 400 hp, with 500 Nm of torque, a top speed of 280 km/h and 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.25 seconds. Lateral accelerations reach 2G, due to an aerodynamic load virtually equal to the car's total weight, which is contained in 855 kg. It is basically a racing car with a license plate.
A car to rediscover the pleasure of driving on the road and on the track
The Dallara Stradale began as a classic barchetta, with no doors and strictly uncovered. By adding the plexiglass dome, mounted on a T-shaped crossbar, windshield and two doors that open like gull wings, as well as an additional tail spoiler, the car is transformed into a super sports coupe. Two cars in one, sold for 190,000€ in the barchetta version, to which about 40,000€ must be added to transform it into a coupe. There are those who booked it at the beginning by paying €50,000 in advance without even seeing the sketches, and one name stands out among them: Sergio Marchionne, the president of Ferrari.
"I like to think that Colin Chapman, whom I have come to admire since the days of his Lotus Seven, would approve of the essentiality and simplicity of this car," says Eng. Giampaolo Dallara, president of Dallara Automobili. "In this project," adds Eng. Dallara, "there is everything we have learned from racing and collaborations with our customers, and I am convinced that those who will use this car will be able to experience the taste of the journey for the journey's sake, the desire to get into the car to go for a good ride, the pleasure of driving."
Only Italian excellence, except for one
The Dallara Stradale was developed and built under the watchful eye of Eng. Dallara, who personally oversaw every aspect of it, relying on the best Italian excellences working in the automotive industry. Pirelli handled tire development, Granstudio of Turin designed the styling of the car, and test drivers Marco Apicella and Loris Bicocchi are also Italian. The only exception is Bosch, which was responsible for developing the main electronic control systems for the car and engine and certified their reliability.
To keep both the bodywork and the interior of his first road car in perfect condition at all times, Eng. Dallara turned to another Italian excellence: MAFRA . Specially for the Dallara Stradale, a specific box containing all the products necessary for the care and maintenance of this super sports car that only a lucky few will have the pleasure of driving.
