Like most of its major competitors (other than the Williams FW09), the car used an all carbon fibre chassis pioneered by the car's designer John Barnard with its predecessor, the MP4/1. The car was powered by a 1.5 Litre, 90° V6 TAG-Porsche turbo engine that produced in race set-up and up to in qualifying set-up i.e. with maximum turbo pressure. It was first used in the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix, at the insistence of veteran Niki Lauda, who felt that the new engine required race testing before a championship challenge could be mounted. The MP4/1, which until then had raced with the Cosworth DFY V8 engine, was modified to MP4/1E specs to take the new engine and in the final race of the 1983 season in South Africa, Lauda proved the car was competitive, running at the front of the field and challenging for the lead of the race. He was running second with only six laps remaining, but his race ended with electrical failure on lap 71 of the Kyalami circuit.