The DeltaWing’s unusual shape provoked comparisons to the Batmobile when it first hit the motorsports scene. While its on-track record was plagued by bad luck, the company behind the car is taking it to the next level: a street-legal, four-passenger version. This is it.
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It’s a rendering of it, anyway. DeltaWing Technologies released the rendering today to demonstrate how the car’s unique layout and low-drag aerodynamics could translate to a street-driven application. Of course, Nissan did the same thing with the Bladeglider, and promptly got sued for it.
But DeltaWing Technologies won’t be building the car—though it may yet be built. The company “intends to partner with mass-market auto companies that share its vision rather than manufacture independently, thus offering cars with the DeltaWing architecture to a broad global audience and significantly expanding the design’s efficiency and environmental benefits.”
Those efficiency and environmental benefits have been proven on the race track. Weighing half of its competitors, with half the power, it also uses about half the fuel. If that same formula can translate to the street, overcoming all of the crash safety regulations and other hurdles of production car reality, it might just be the shape of things to come.
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That could be a very good thing. DeltaWing’s current performance targets are for a vehicle capable of 0-60 mph in about six seconds, a top speed of 130 mph, and up to 70 mpg. Quick (even if not blazingly), light, and fun-to-drive, while still returning better-than-hybrid gas mileage? Yes, please.
Let’s just hope they do a little more work on the final design.
