In our latest article on the Dallara’s world, we find out how the Dallara Stradale is produced. In fact, after our last article about the Dallara Stradale’s fantastic capabilities on the road, now it is the time to deep dive in what is happening behind the scenes.
We will talk about how the Dallara expertise is translated into a truly special car. In fact, here we are inside the Dallara Stradale factory. As soon as you enter, you immediately notice a large space where it is possible to see the production line and satellite stations, supported by cutting-edge technologies.
In this space, it is all about order and cleanliness. The production line is divided into 5 stations and does not use automatisms. Everything is assembled by hand by the Dallara technical experts. In the first station, the carbon fiber monocoque is still bare and ready for processing, while, in the last one, the technicians proceed with the assembly of the bodywork.
In the intermediate stations, all the components that make this car so precise and performing on the road are assembled on the monocoque. Here, components such as the powertrain and brakes are installed in the vehicle. The Dallara Stradale powertrain is coming from Ford. In fact, it is the same engine and transmission as the Focus RS, the 4-cylinder EcoBoost 2.3 L. Dallara has however made changes in order to make it lighter and more performing, reaching 400 horsepower and 500 nm of torque.
Speaking about the brakes, in the Dallara Stradale are coming from Brembo, deliberately not made of carbon-ceramic composite material. Dallara engineers, in fact, preferred a classic solution in steel. To explain this choice, we must consider that the size of the disc is usually chosen on the basis of the mass to be braked. Since the weight of the Dallara Stradale is low, a very large diameter brake disc was therefore not necessary. Hence, the choice for the solution in steel, which, for small discs, has a weight almost similar to the carbon-ceramic equivalent, but without the problems derived from the composite solution.
On the side of the main line, there are also satellite stations. These have the task of assembling components, such as the suspensions, which will then be implemented in the car in the main stations.
Returning to the main production line, the most important station is the one where the technicians proceed with the set-up of the car. This is a fundamental phase from the production of the Dallara Stradale, as it will allow the excellent dynamic qualities of the car to be achieved on the road. To ensure a perfect set-up, the procedure is very similar to what is done for racing cars. This is a unique feature of the Dallara Stradale.
Once the assembly is complete, the car immediately leaves the factory for a shakedown. At this stage, a Dallara technician can check on the road whether the vehicle complies with Dallara’s quality standards. This happens both on track (thanks to the nearby Varano de Melegari racetrack) and on the road. After the shakedown, the car goes through quality control before final delivery. At the end of this process, the customer who has purchased a Dallara Stradale can have the pleasure of collecting his car directly from the factory.
This contributes to making the Dallara Stradale experience unique right from the time the car was picked up. Admiring the Dallara Stradale factory, we also had the pleasure of seeing the new arrival Dallara Stradale EXP, created exclusively for the track and therefore even more extreme. Being not homologated for the road, the EXP model has even more exaggerated aerodynamics, an even more extreme set-up and a more powerful engine, also thanks to the absence of components such as the anti-particulate filter, which is mandatory for the type-approval of the 6DTemp engine.
Thus ends our journey to discover Dallara and its dream car: the Dallara Stradale. In our journey we started from the history of the Dallara brand and its experience in motorsport, to then see how all their know-how has been transformed into Dallara Stradale, a car desired by Mr Dallara and which will represent for years the perfect embodiment of the pure fun on the road.
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