The DG in the car's name was a reference to the team's major sponsor, Data General.

The DG016 was raced in two different championships: for 1987 only there was the Colin Chapman Trophy for constructors of cars equipped with naturally aspirated engines.

Tyrrell were the only team to run two cars in this category for the entire season and thus easily won this championship, finishing over 100 points ahead of Larrousse-Calmels in second, while Palmer and Streiff finished first and second respectively in the equivalent championship for drivers, the Jim Clark Cup.

The DG016's airbox/engine cover, which connected the top of the roll hoop to the rear end of the bodywork in a continuous curve, was a contrasting design to those of the other naturally-aspirated engine teams of 1987.

AGS initially mounted a large air scoop on top of their car's engine cover before replacing it with a smaller inlet, while March and Larrousse simply removed their engine covers entirely.