Performance

A series in serious need of revival is what one could have described the Champ Car Atlantic Championship as just a few months ago. The engine supplier that had paced the series for many years left for other motorsports pastures, and the cars that competed within the program were getting old.

A Swift Rescue
Then, in July 2005, Swift Engineering bid aggressively to earn the contract to design and build a new race chassis for the historic race series, and therefore started the domino effect that has led to the presently new Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda.


The chassis in question is called the 016.a, which replaces Swift's 014.a, that had been the exclusive racecar for the Atlantic series (the "a" in the chassis number belies its purpose). Swift engineers and designers knew they had a tight timeframe in which to produce this new chassis, and they challenged themselves immediately by deciding that the 016.a racer would not simply be an evolutionary model. Rather, it would be a whole new racecar.


And just like that, the 016.a went from a blank sheet of paper to finished chassis in just 204 days. It was unveiled at the 2006 Champ Car launch party February 14th at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Just 22 days later, the largest delivery of racecar chassis at one time in U.S. motorsports history took place at Swift's San Clemente, CA headquarters. Forty chassis were delivered on that chilly March 8th, it was an important day not only in Swift's history, but for American motorsports in general too, as this was a considerable achievement.


Swift Engineering had just gone 0-40 in a mere 226 days and sold all 40 chassis at the very reasonable price of $79,500, almost $30,000 less than its predecessor. The company was able to cut costs using techniques it calls "Lean Manufacturing" and a little bit of motorsports magic, referred to as "Swift Thinking."

Continued on Page 2

Copyright autoMedia.com 2000-2009



 
Related Photos More Photos...

Ed "Big Dadd...

1953 Ferrari...

Roth began p...



CSX2000, the...



Related Articles
The Flying Gaylords
Marty Robbins: NASCAR Star, Country Music Legend
The Original Rat Fink
In Memory of John DeLorean
Future Racing Stars


autoMedia Car Blog
Nissan Back on Track with 2010 Lineup
In the late ‘90s, Nissan brought a handful of automotive journalists into its California headquarters. The company was struggling, and it seemed as ... more...

autoMedia CARnival 11-06-09: This week in Auto Blogs
It's the week ending November 6, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each.SEMA is not quite ov ... more...

Pricing: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi sedan
Suzuki is coming out swinging with its all-new Kizashi sedan, striking at the vital midsized sedan segment. Each Kizashi features all-wheel drive and ... more...


Forum Highlights
Re: Aluminum wheels and a flat tire
I am sure you have your tire changed by now, but this is a common problem when using aluminum wheels.  Once you realize you have a problem, hitti ... more...

Re: Chevy 3.8L Engine cutout
 I would call it in intermediate job.  You will need some special tools to do it, but if you have some experience doing repairs, and not jus ... more...

Re: The correct Voltage/Amps for Horn??
I'm not sure I have ever seen an actual horn go bad.  When they do stop working, it is usually an electrical issue.  You want to make sure i ... more...


Car Buying Guide

QUICK SEARCH:


Specs, prices, photos & more
SEARCH BY BODY STYLE:
FREE New Car Price Quote
Get the best price - it's easy!
Zip Code

Used Car Buying Guide


2000-2009 autoMedia.com Inc. All Rights Reserved.