©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
"Nobody will see our car until Spring Training...."
 | Nobody will see it? Guess again, Roger! |
The nose of the new car looks a lot
like recent Formula One designs
By Peter Burke
Conditions during Monday's test when these photos were taken wereperfect, especially for taking photos of black cars. For the firsttime in our spying history at firebird, the harsh shadows of thedesert sun didn't hide the detail we all crave to see. Ramon Avilawas on the spot, nailing the first known photos of the new car to hitthe public eye. No testing times are available from this session, asUnser was out only for very short stints.
The most notable detail about the car is the new nose, which isclearly reminiscent of a Formula One design. Obviously, Penske hasfound a way to comply with the CART body shape rules, while stillgetting maximum wing surface to the front of the car. The design ofthe rear of the sidepods is very different from last year's Penske,wigwams a winglet attached to the top of the sidepod. This is alsosignificantly different from the new Reynard or last year's Swift.
Note the radically different aerodynamics
behind the water coolers