The continual evolution of Dallara Automobili

Dallara Automobili is an example of innovation and strategic consistency. The company began in 1972 in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna in what’s known as the Italian Motor Valley, where Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani and Ducati all have production facilities. Throughout its history, Dallara has demonstrated a unique ability to identify and implement innovative engineering solutions, and to successfully expand into adjacent markets. In realizing the growth strategy, the company has made a number of significant paradigm shifts: from B2B producer to provider of consulting services, ultimately establishing a B2C business unit. As we hear from Andrea Pontremoli, CEO of Dallara Automobili: “From the start, we’ve always focused on three main areas: design using composite materials with carbon fiber as well as metals; aerodynamics, and vehicle dynamics. When you design with carbon fiber like we do, you can use it to build not just race cars, but also road cars, airplanes, trains, submarines – there’s no limit to the possible applications.”

After earning a degree from Polytechnic University of Milan in aerospace engineering, Giampaolo Dallara embarked on his career in 1959 as an assistant Carlo Chiti, engineer and head of the race car division at Ferrari. In 1961, Dallara took up the same position at Maserati, and two years later transferred to Lamborghini, where he designed one of their most iconic automobiles: the Miura. Following his dream to work in a racing division, he then decided to move to De Tomaso, and finally in 1972 he founded Dallara Automobili da Competizione, headquartered in a small garage in his hometown, Varano de’ Melegari in the province of Parma. Fiat was one of his first big customers, with its X1-9, a lightweight race car entirely assembled at Dallara, followed by Lancia with the LC1 and LC2, the Beta Montecarlo Turbo, the Stratos, etc.

The turning point came with Dallara’s participation in the IMSA and IndyCar races, when Piero Ferrari (Enzo’s son) asked Dallara to collaborate on designing the Ferrari 333SP, which in later years would go on to win several IMSA races. In 1995 Tony George, an American driver and entrepreneur, established the Indy Racing League and went to Varano with a $3 million check as advanced payment for the chassis of ten racing cars. And so began Dallara’s adventure in the world of IndyCar. In 2020, the company’s key business areas were three: design and production of race cars, the Dallara Stradale project, and engineering consulting for other applications, in particular in the automotive, aerospace and defense industries.

Dallara Automobili designed, developed and manufactured race cars that competed in the biggest international competitions, iconic races such as the 24-hour Le Mans, the 24-hour Daytona, and the 12-hour Sebring. And often the company’s prototypes beat the competition. In 2008, Dellara was designated exclusive supplier of chassis and suspensions for IndyCar, and in 2020 its cars tallied 300 wins and 20 titles.

The common denominator in everything Dallara does is always safety first.

Dallara Stradale was Giampaolo Dallara’s pet project, realized with a specially-assigned team of engineers headed by Dallara personally. “We decided to produce a fun car, a car with high performance, very little weight, and one-of-a-kind aerodynamics.” The Dallara Stradale has no doors or windshield (but they are available as optionals), no power steering, and minimal electronics; the maximum speed is 175 mph. The car is analog, an exception in this digital world where cars are equipped with computers. The focus in this sector is on aerodynamics and light weight, rather than engine performance. As Andrea Pontremoli says: “First and foremost will always be the hardware: we’ll have to learn how to do things right and how to make things light - and economical. Second, it’s unlikely that cars will ever become completely driverless because there will always be people out there who want to drive their own car just for the pleasure. Maybe not on the highways, but on roads where they can really enjoy driving.”

In recent years, Dallara Automobili’s interest has also extended to other fields beyond racing, where the company may be able to tackle more of the future challenges of society, revolutionizing performance parameters with an eye to sustainability. One emblematic example of innovation is the Z Bike, developed for Alessandro Zanardi. Another is creation of the Dallara Academy, a reflection of a corporate priority: to train talented young people.

The mindset and the approach of Giampaolo Dallara have been disseminated throughout the organization. In fact, innovation and creativity are driven by the capacity to listen and learn, the humility to accept the fact that any brilliant idea today might become obsolete tomorrow. Another fundamental strength is the company’s focus on young talents.

The establishment of Dallara Academy represents Giampaolo Dallara’s personal investment. This was his way of thanking his local community without tapping into company resources. The labs at the Academy host groups of young people of all ages, from elementary school to high school, giving them the chance to participate in hands-on experiments, testing the laws of physics. The basic idea is to spark curiosity and instill the joy of learning. Students from MUNER (Motorvehicle University of Emilia Romagna) also attend the Dallara Academy. Sponsors are all leaders in Made in Italy motorsport, championing and supporting the project from an organizational perspective. Every year the Academy trains 150 students in six areas of specialization (advanced powertrain, high-performance car design, racing car design, noise vibration harshness, advanced motorcycle engineering, advanced sports car manufacturing). To sum up, in the words of Potremoli: “Instead of imagining the future, we have to try to create it. And we can start by training young people in the roles that fit the future.”