Giampaolo Dallara spent his career developing chassis for Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, and a range of single-seater racing series including Formula 1, Formula 3, and IndyCar. The desire to build a car bearing his own name had been halted six times as funds earned from client projects were redirected elsewhere. The project finally advanced when sufficient capital was accumulated, with CEO Andrea Pontremoli overseeing development beginning in 2015. Design work was contracted to Granstudio, a Turin-based Italian design consultancy, while chassis development was handled by former racing driver Loris Bicocchi. The first car was delivered to Dallara himself on the occasion of his 81st birthday at the company's headquarters in Varano de' Melegari, Italy.
The Stradale is a barchetta in its base form — open-topped with no doors — but can be configured into four distinct body styles through interchangeable bolt-on components: barchetta, roadster, targa top, and berlinetta. Entry is made by climbing over the side regardless of body configuration. The removable windscreen is made from motorsport-grade polycarbonate and features a shape and central wiper reminiscent of 1990s Group C race cars.
The chassis is a hollow carbon-fibre tub with aluminium sub-structures front and rear. Sidepod channeling directs air from one side to the engine and from the other to the air-to-air intercooler. A flat floor with front splitter and rear diffuser generates significant downforce even without the optional rear wing; reverse Gurney flaps are fitted to maintain aerodynamic balance in this configuration.
Power comes from a 2.3-litre turbocharged Ford EcoBoost inline-four engine, shared with the Ford Focus RS and reworked by Bosch to produce 400 PS (395 hp) at 6,200 rpm and 500 Nm of torque between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm. Transmission options are a six-speed manual or a six-speed automated manual with steering-column paddle shifters, both mated to a Quaife limited-slip differential. Braking is handled by Brembo calipers on steel discs; the engineers elected against carbon-ceramic brakes on the grounds of equivalent performance without added cost and complexity.
At 855 kg dry, the Stradale accelerates from 0 to 97 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 280 km/h. In base barchetta trim it generates 400 kg of downforce at 241 km/h; fitted with the optional rear wing in berlinetta configuration, that figure rises to 820 kg. Suspension is an active racing system by Tractive that lowers ride height by approximately 20 mm in track mode. The car rides on Pirelli Trofeo R tyres.
The interior is largely carbon fibre, with fixed carbon-shell seats padded with foam. Primary controls are integrated into the steering wheel, and speed and engine data are displayed on a motorsport-style dash screen. Luggage space consists of two compartments behind the engine and two further compartments in the seats intended to store a pair of race helmets.
Dallara planned to produce no more than 600 units over five years, releasing a limited number annually. In 2018 the price was €191,000 before taxes.
In July 2021 Dallara introduced the EXP, a track-only derivative. It retains the same carbon-fibre monocoque but features revised carbon bodywork for improved aerodynamics, a large rear spoiler, front dive planes, and no roof or windshield. Power from the Bosch-modified 2.3-litre EcoBoost is raised to 500 PS and 700 Nm, and the only transmission option is a six-speed sequential gearbox with a Quaife limited-slip differential. Dry weight is 890 kg. The EXP generates 1,250 kg of downforce at its top speed of 286 km/h and matches the road car's 0–100 km/h time of 3.2 seconds.
The Stradale occupies a rare position in Italian automotive history as the personal signature car of an engineer whose career was defined entirely by other people's projects. Its modular body philosophy, extreme downforce figures relative to displacement, and adherence to Chapman-era weight discipline made it a reference point for how a chassis specialist could translate competition knowledge directly into a road car without compromise.