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Swift reveals Indycar proposal

Swift has become the latest constructor to reveal its plan for the new generation IndyCar chassis.

The former Champ Car chassis supplier is vying with Dallara, Lola and the new Delta Wing group to win the contract to build the machine the IndyCar Series will use from 2012.

“Given Swift is the leading US race car design and manufacturing company and our 27-year history was founded in motorsport, it is only natural that we aspire to partner with the nation’s premier open-wheel formula, the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Swift president Jan Wesley Refsdal.

Swift has issues images of several variations of its Indycar design concept on its website. Its motorsport director Casper van der Schoot said the car had been given a deliberate ‘retro’ feeling in some of its styling, including exposing parts of the engine.

“Our goal is no less than for the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 to be run exclusively with Swift chassis,” he said.

“IndyCar fans love to see the engines and mechanical bits normally shielded behind bodywork. These concepts incorporate retro-styling cues that harkens to the 50s, 60s and 70s IndyCar eras.

“Our windtunnel tests have shown the engine cover has very little effect on aerodynamics compared to most other components on the car. We saw an opportunity to showcase the engine and other ‘jewelry’ while preserving efficiency with a much smaller fairing.”

Designer Chris Norris said Swift’s proposal would also solve the problems caused by aerodynamic turbulence when following other cars.

“Whatever our final IndyCar concept design Swift will incorporate its pioneering new technology to improve passing, which we’ve named ‘Mushroom Busters’ in reference to the mushroom shape of a car’s aerodynamic wake signature,” Norris explained. “The ‘busters’ sweep up the wake behind the leading car, thus improving the handling of the following car.

“We have already effectively utilised Mushroom Busters in our Formula Nippon car design, the 017.n and believe we can now take this technology much further on the Indycar.”

Swift’s design also includes a system it has named ‘SwiftLights’ which displays cars’ fuel loads and throttle and brake positions via lights on the bodywork.

Dallara released its Indycar proposal last Friday, while the Delta Wing project is set to be unveiled in Chicago this week. The Indy Racing League hopes to attract at least two engine manufacturers to supply power units for the revamped series.

Swift won on its Champ Car debut when it entered the series in 1997, but dropped out of the championship after 2000. It currently has projects in the automotive and aviation industries as well as being the exclusive chassis supplier for Formula Nippon and the Atlantic series.

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