Wow... finally a potentially a beautiful DP

[pitviper]

go to http://www.italiaspeed.com/ and click on the Picchio link...

Ciao,

pit

[SALEEN S7R]

Dont know if id call that beautiful exactly but it certainly is better than most of the other DP's I have seen.

[pitviper]

Well, everything in perspective of course ;-) it does raise the interesting question as to what other styles we might see on these chassis. DP's could be turning into "GTP", when you think of the literal meaning of the term!

pit

[Truckosaurus]

Are there any 'real' pictures of it? I can just find artist's impressions, which could hide a multitude of sins?

[Fogelhund]

Picchio had previously submitted upgrades to their approved chassis, and were rejected. We shall see if their new upgrades are more within what Grand Am are looking for/meet the rules/guidelines.

[broadrun96]

that will never fly with grandam, too much like a real car and might actually be faster than a riley. couldnt have that happening. but def would be the best looking car in the field, but are there any openings for new chassis? thought the field was sealed for new entries and would have to buy a current chassis and even then mods would be regulated

[Bob Riebe]

One has to give them credit for trying to work the rules.
Not likely to succeed, but a good try.
It looks like a big brother to the old Dino P266

If it flys, it will be the best looking P car around.

Bob

[Danske]

For 2008 every constructor gets to totally redesign (within the existing rules) their DP bodywork. Also introduced for next year is "engine-specific" bodywork, which allows each approved engine manufacturer to pair up with one DP constructor and produce unique bodywork for that engine/chassis combination. That's what the Picchio/Alfa concept is taking advantage of, and it would then be officially known as just the Alfa Romeo DP.

My concern with the "engine-specific" bodywork is that the auto manus will do a half-arsed job designing the bodywork, going for cosmetics over speed, and the cars will toodle around at the back for a year or two before funding is pulled.

[JAG]

If Grand Am insists on performance balancing, allowing manufactuers to put cosmetics over speed could be the way to go.

The DP regs give the freedom to produce a very nice GT like design, think '96 911 GT1 or Nissan R390 GT1, but if you intend to design the most efficient car, you'll end up with a slab sided wedge like the Riley.

I'd prefer to lose 10-15% aero efficiency in return for a classic GT1 look. I doubt speeds would drop with developments in other areas.

While GA are at it, give them another 50bhp and a larger rear wing.

I'd watch 'em.

[Flat12-Aircool]

I just hope the 2010 LMP1 regs don't look like this, cockpit is still far too big although the rear of the car looks more tidy than the LMP's stupid rear diffuser sidepod things.

[JAG]

The 2010 coupes are being introduced purely for cosmetic/marketing reasons, i.e. a bigger wow factor, think radical Maserati MC12/Mercedes CLR.

DP's suffer because they aren't allowed shrink wrap bodywork, which combined with small wheels and a cockpit that wouldn't be out of place on a BTCC car, gives the impression of a wedge of cheese!

[PorscheFanNo1]

Its interesting that Grand-Am will change for 2008 to attract more manufacturers, only 2 years before LMP1 changes towards the same concept. The drawings we've seen so far from the 2 set of regs, you cant really tell them apart. I cant stop thinking wich one will be most successful, maybe we will end up like in the 80s, with GroupC and IMSA GTP, 2 series with almost the same set of regulations and with slightly different cars, but different race format and equalizers and run in a complealty different way.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by PorscheFanNo1

Its interesting that Grand-Am will change for 2008 to attract more manufacturers, only 2 years before LMP1 changes towards the same concept. The drawings we've seen so far from the 2 set of regs, you cant really tell them apart. I cant stop thinking wich one will be most successful, maybe we will end up like in the 80s, with GroupC and IMSA GTP, 2 series with almost the same set of regulations and with slightly different cars, but different race format and equalizers and run in a complealty different way.

Unless GARRA caves, or the IMSA caves in, that is impossible, the cars are separated by over 100 hp.

[AU N EGL]

Who cares what it looks like as long as it is bloody fast.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Who cares what it looks like as long as it is bloody fast.

You can't argue with that. If the performace makes one go "oooh, aaaaah" the rest will fall in place.

[dj choc ice]

all i ask is for decently good looks, very loud nice noises, and a ton of speed and you have a happy chappy here .

imho i think it looks awful, it looks to fiddly and well just wrong.

the standard 8C is one of the most beautiful cars ever made in my eyes.

[Flat12-Aircool]

Originally Posted by AU N EGL

Who cares what it looks like as long as it is bloody fast.

I care, we need to be entertained with our eyes as well as our ears.

[Koulle]

It doesn't look bad to me, though it looks like it could be passed off as a GT car.

[Jeffrey-Lee]

Still looks like a disfunctional racecar design to me. But this is a decent looking thing as far as DP's are concerned, must say.

[class4v]

Well, looks as Picchio is for sale or looking for a new investor.

[EuropaBambaataa]

Originally Posted by Koulle

It doesn't look bad to me, though it looks like it could be passed off as a GT car.

Actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. If the DPs adopt more GT-looking bodies, then we could have more engine manufacturers, and the GT regs could abandon Prep 2 in favour of a more international rules system. I think FIA GT3 would mesh well with the GARRA concept, and stuff like the V8-powered Infiniti G35 and tri-rotor Mazda RX-8 could become DPs.

[Speed-King]

The original idea behind DP was iirc a more Porsche 911 GT1 less GTP-look. The Fabcar was the first DP and looks rather GT-ish, wereas the 2nd generation cars like the Crwaford and the Riley managed to built (slightly?) GTP-ish cars, despite GAs intention!

[Matra-simca]

Originally Posted by Flat12-Aircool

I care, we need to be entertained with our eyes as well as our ears.

Well, when it comes to ears, DPs won't entertain you - no matter how good the Emperor's clothing. Porsche's engine aside, it's impossible to distinquish the exhaust notes among the Lexus, Ford, Pontiac and BMW V-8 brigade; for all intents and purposes it could be the same power plant. Of course one could say the same for F1's screaming V-8 meanies, but the DPs powerplants could have been drawn from any number of Saturday night dirt tracks in America. It's OK if you like that sort of sound, but from a sportscar perspective it's all, as Pete Brock once put it when describing IRLs for the first time, "very agricultural". After a steady diet of in-line 6s, screaming V-12s and air-cooled flat-sixes and deep-bassed rumbling V-8s, they're not fitting what a sporting vehicle should sound like. It took a couple of seasons but after numerous complaints, IRL suggested running flat-plane crankshafts, which made all the difference in the world. They now sound like thoro-bred racing machines rather than some sort of farm implement.

I've attended Daytona 24 Hours a gazillion times, and the problem with the DP muffled V-8s is they produce a resonate frequency that's rather irritating and tiresome, providing no aural relief. Get a group of them together it seems like one constant drone, especially coming on to the banking, very unpleasant. Installing 180 degree headers would certainly cure the problem, and they've got plenty of space to fit them too.

Todd

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by class4v

Well, looks as Picchio is for sale or looking for a new investor.

How many Picchio's have actully raced? Synergy Sports raced on in GA for the first few years.

Any in Europe or other places ?

[Speed-King]

certainly not a DP in Europe... but they have a "LMP3"(or whatever)-proto over here. some of those might be racing in the italian prototype championship, but maybe the Italians here on the board should comment on this. Weren't there 2 DPs in GA?
I remember a yellow car with black spots or was this the Synergy car?