The Sleek New 2018 IndyCars Look Properly Bad Ass

Here are the concept images for the car IndyCar intends to use in 2018 and onwards, and I have to admit: they look bad ass. Gone are the blocky pieces behind the rear wheels and in is a full length of beautifully curved, flowing shapes.

Technically, this is just one big body kit designed to fit right onto the existing Dallara IR-12 chassis that the series currently uses, not unlike the Chevrolet- and Honda-supplied aero kits in use now.

From 2018 onwards, though, everyone is moving to a universal aero kit, and while some are sure to bemoan the further spec-ifying of IndyCar, it looks lovely. Competitors will still choose between Chevrolet and Honda engines next year, but those powertrains will be under one of two configurations of the universal body kit next year: one for superspeedways, and another for road courses and short ovals.

The supplier for the new sleeker, curvier IndyCar bodies has yet to be finalized, so some changes may still happen before they go into production. Either way, I like where they're headed based on these concept images.

Here's the superspeedway version, with its cool, almost minimalist-looking wings. Check out the sleek piece they've got for a rear wing in particular—it's completely supported by the thin bars in the middle with no big supports on each end.

Here's the road course/short oval cars, where the aerodynamic elements look a bit meatier for increased downforce:

The extra drag from all those big wings doesn't matter as much on shorter, twistier tracks without a Fast Friday solely dedicated to insane speeds.

Either way, we can't wait to see next year's gorgeous cars in action.