For years now IndyCar has competed with a spec car that looks like it’s wearing bloomers, a too-big, low-fi, Playmobil version of what an open wheeler should look like. I have tried to care about it. I have failed. But hey, for the first time in years, there’s an IndyCar that actually looks good.

This is , something I can say because IndyCar runs a spec chassis like NASCAR, DTM, Aussie Supercars, Formula E and a number of other series I have a hard time getting excited about. Did you know there are no engine regulations in Formula Drift? Like, none. Two cars are running thousand-horsepower engines that came out of minivans. You can do whatever you want. It’s neat.

In any case, IndyCar deserves this, as it actually holds some of the most fundamentally exciting and close racing in any series in the world. Speeds are absurdly high, passing is frequent, TV coverage is well-done with lots of onboard shots, and at-the-race experiences are good with lots of access and a good atmosphere.

But again, for years now the cars’ designs looked like they were penned by toddlers. That’s changing for 2018 and I could not be happier for IndyCar.

Let’s look at these Chevy (blue) and Honda (not blue) bodykits for a minute and appreciate that these look not greatly dissimilar from the design peak of winged rear-engine open wheelers in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

The only thing that’s odd is there are no full views of these cars from the rear 3/4. What’s IndyCar hiding?