Ever since the Dallara DW12 debuted for the 2012 IndyCar season, there has been nonstop talk about how ugly and ungainly the car is. The introduction of manufacturer-designed aerokits helped a little with the looks, but team owners and engine manufacturers alike were wary about the added expense of new bodywork for the cars.



For 2018, IndyCar goes back to being a series with an entirely spec chassis. But at least it does it with something that looks great.

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Let's make one thing clear: The 2018 IndyCar is not new. Underneath, this is still a Dallara DW12. The radical redesign has been accomplished through a totally new bodykit, one that makes it look more like a 1990s/2000s ChampCar than the, ummm, appearance-challenged cars Indy has used for years.

The redesign without a new chassis was key for a few reasons. First, it saves team owners from the expense of having to buy an all-new chassis, which should keep car counts high. Second, it puts the $10 - 15 million spent on developing the aerokits back in Honda and Chevy's pockets. Most importantly, third, it lowers the threshold for a third or fourth engine manufacturer to enter the series. Instead of having to develop an aerokit and an engine, they are just on the hook for an engine.

That's a big help.

IndyCar

So what does the new car change? The engine intake moves from above the driver's head to the sidepods, with a lower engine cover an a reintroduction of the roll hoop that was always seen in Champ Car until that series's demise. Downforce is generated less by the wings and more underneath the car, which cuts the 'dirty air' to the car behind and should allow for more passing than the series already has.



There are larger sidepods which sponsors will love, especially because the current sidepods can barely fit a name and other aero bits can cover up logos. The LEDs to display position and push-to-pass data are more advanced and there are on-board cameras built-in all over the car.

IndyCar

It's supposed to be even safer than before, with fewer pieces that can scatter in an incident. It's also ready to accept a windscreen or some sort of cockpit protection. The aerokit is also made of fewer parts, which should help the bottom line of the team owners.



Honda and Chevy will still supply engines to the restyled cars, and the hope is that another supplier joins sooner than later.

Just hope it isn't Lotus...

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