Odd and Interesting Vehicles: 2012 DeltaWing race car

Some innovations in the racing world are more extreme than others, and the DeltaWing was radically different than any of the rivals with which it shared a racetrack. The DeltaWing was shaped like a dart, with closely spaced tires up front and wide track at the rear.

In many ways, it was a showcase of efficiency as much as speed. It used half the fuel of conventional Le Mans rivals, according to early program partner Nissan. Engineers predicted that its lightweight and ultra-aerodynamic design would allow it to be as fast as the competition with only half the engine power, while consuming half the numbers of tires as rivals. It didn’t win any races, but its fuel-saving design did reduce the number of times it had to stop.