ONE STEP BEYOND

The Dallara EXP is an even quicker, track-only version of the Italian firm's delectable Stradale. In an exclusive test, we push it to its limits - and sample it back to back with the original Stradale

- JAMES TAYLOR

WAIT... WAIT... PAST THE POINT WHERE IN A SUPERCAR you'd already have been hard on the brakes. Every fibre of muscle in your foot is straining, desperate to go for the pedal. Mind over matter... wait a little longer... now! Mash the pedal with all the force your leg can muster, feel your body become a dead weight against the six-point harness, blend out of the brake and turn the wheel. The Dallara EXP's carbon splitter darts for the apex, the inside front slick kisses the kerb and you're away to the next corner. And all of the above took place in a few fractions of a second. It's the kind of braking and cornering performance that takes some mental adjustment, and the hallmark of a serious racing car.

But the Dallara EXP is not a racing car. Well... it is, and it isn't. You might remember the Dallara Stradale, driven by Jethro Bovingdon on track in evo 250 and on the road in issue 267. The one and until now only car to bear the name of 88-year-old Giampaolo Dallara - a man with a slightly more remarkable than average CV in automotive engineering, most famously including the Lamborghini Miura when he was aged just 28. His eponymous company currently makes the chassis for the entire IndyCar, Formula 2 and F3 grids, plus for BMW, Cadillac and, soon, McLaren's Le Mans cars. It also designed the current NASCAR Cup Series car. And has played a key role in numerous famous road cars for marques including Alfa Romeo, Bugatti and Maserati. And no doubt a few others it can't talk about.

The Stradale is a neatly compact, mid-engined sports car with artful carbonfibre construction and aerodynamic performance at its heart, beautiful details and a focus on track driving - though, as Jethro explored in evo 267, it's a uniquely thrilling experience on the road, too.