What happened IndyCar?

A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, Based on these concept images, Dallara was supposed to deliver an IndyCar that was to look along these lines. How is it that we instead ended up with the most hideous looking race car in the history of the sport with the 2012 car? Look at the new Formula Nippon car designed by Swift I think. Now that 'look' is what the new IndyCar should look like. Mike, Ohio

Dear Mike, Good question. IndyCar wanted to reduce the chance of two cars interlocking wheels thereby launching a car into the air, so they added bodywork both in front and behind the rear wheels and as a result created an abomination – not only does the car handle poorly, it's slow down the straight and looks bad. One step forward and two steps back.

Remember, Dallara also designed the 2010 HRT F1 car – the slowest car on the grid by a wide margin. Instead of giving the contract to an American company like Swift or Elan/Panoz, they gave the jobs away to Italy and to a firm that designed the outgoing 'crapwagon' (as everyone called it) and ended up creating the mess they now have. It was Brian Barnhart that lobbied hard to sole-source the new IndyCar to Dallara. Amazing isn't it? Mark C.