Very first DeltaWing coupe going up for sale for $375,000
The DeltaWing racecar features one of those designs that, despite being super capable, was slightly too weird and non-conformist. So much so that it alienated the group it was trying to impress. The DeltaWing made its debut back in 2010 as a potential new design for IndyCar starting in 2012. The odd shape and low-power engine were based around efficient aero, a unique front and rear track and an extremely low power-to-weight ratio. Despite the advanced design, it was passed over for a more traditional looking vehicle. Now, one of the very few cars ever built is going up for sale for a cool $375,000.
The car was originally designed by Ben Bowlby. Bowlby previously designed cars for Lola and Champ Cars for CART. He was backed by Chip Ganassi. After failing with IndyCar, the DeltaWing was reworked for LeMans. Thanks to Panoz, Nissan, All American Racers and Michelin, the car made its debut at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, but was literally knocked out by a wayward Nissan. It came back later that year for the American LeMans Series finale at Road Atlanta.
After that season, Panoz and Ganassi split from the rest of the group and continued development of the DeltaWing on its own. This split eventually led to a lawsuit against Bowlby and Nissan that ended with an undisclosed settlement. Nonetheless, the DeltaWing evolved into a closed cockpit car that has competed sporadically over the past few years. The car that's going up for sale is DeltaWing Coupe Chassis #001. It's one of two remaining coupes, as chassis #003 is part of the Panoz Museum Collection and chassis #002 was destroyed at the 2016 Daytona Rolex 24.
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Very first DeltaWing coupe going up for sale for $375,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:20:00 EST.
