All articles tagged with #aerodynamics
Ferrari unveils the Luce, its first four-door BEV designed with LoveFrom; the exterior polarizes but the cabin is stunning, featuring a pivoting infotainment screen and tactile aluminum trim. Powered by four motors for up to 1,035 hp from a 122 kWh 800V pack, with 350 kW charging and an estimated 330-mile WLTP range, plus advanced torque-vectoring and multiple drive modes; priced around €550,000 for Europe.
Porsche's Manthey Racing kit-equipped 2019 GT2 RS set a new production-car lap at Road Atlanta with a 1:22.649, narrowly beating the C8 Corvette ZR1 by two tenths. The package adds aero, suspension, brakes, and carbon components—and costs about $113,140 on top of the GT2 RS's base price—while keeping the 700 hp twin-turbo flat-six and Michelin Cup tires; driver Jörg Bergmeister credited the upgraded chassis and downforce for the win, signaling Porsche's bid to reclaim performance glory on rival turf.
NASA’s SkyFall project tested next‑gen Mars rotor designs in a Mars‑simulated chamber, pushing rotor-tip speeds to Mach 1.08 and showing a ~30% lift boost over Ingenuity, enabling heavier payloads. Ingenuity flew subsonically on Mars to gather data; Mars’ thin atmosphere lowers the effective Mach barrier. The 2028 SkyFall mission plans three helicopters to scout landing sites and map subsurface water ice.
An aero-forward endurance road bike that doesn’t compromise comfort, the Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 blends fast handling with long-distance compliance thanks to features like 38mm tyre clearance, a 1-piece PACE cockpit, and the VCLS aero post. At £4,299 / €4,499 it undercuts rivals while including Ultegra Di2, carbon wheels and a single-sided 4iiii power meter, plus practical down-tube storage. It’s fast, stable and forgiving on rough roads and descents, with Canyon’s build quality and customer support earning high marks; a minor Garmin insert issue was promptly resolved. A standout value for a modern aero endurance bike.
Lamborghini reveals the Fenomeno Roadster, a roofless, 15-unit edition of the Revuelto powered by the same 1,065-hp plug-in-hybrid V12 (three electric motors, 7.0-kWh battery). It preserves near‑coupe performance despite removing the roof: 0–62 mph in 2.4 seconds, 124 mph in 6.8 seconds, and a top speed above 211 mph, with a slight weight increase and redesigned aero/windscreen. Pure electric range is about 5 miles, and pricing is undisclosed as Lamborghini continues its few‑off lineage.
Manthey Racing has released an upgrade kit for the Taycan Turbo GT (Weissach-equipped) that adds aero, brakes, and a tuned powertrain, boosting downforce to 1,631 lbs at top speed, lifting nominal power to 804 hp (978 hp for 10 seconds in Attack mode) and shaving the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap to 6:55.553; 0–60 mph improves to 2.1 seconds. Pricing for the kit will be announced; the base Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach starts at $243,700.
NASA’s Flight Research Center used variants of the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II from 1965 to the mid-1980s for a range of research, including biomedical monitoring flights with instrumented pilots (and monkeys), sonic-boom experiments near Ely, Nevada, and later spanwise blowing studies on the F-4C to probe boundary-layer control and lift, illustrating the aircraft’s versatility before returning to the U.S. Air Force.
NASA used its LAVA CFD tool to model the Artemis II Space Launch System launch environment, showing how water-sound suppression interacts with exhaust plumes and can redirect water to create localized pressure increases; the insights helped refine plume pressures and adapt the launch platform for the crewed mission, with NASA planning to release LAVA to the aerospace community for broader innovation.
With a new short-track aero package delivering roughly 750 hp and less downforce, the Goodyear 400 at Darlington is expected to produce chaotic, high-horsepower racing on the abrasive 1.366-mile track. Tire management will be crucial, as teams have only 11 tire sets for the 293-lap race, and drivers like Denny Hamlin predict wild action. The field also includes a lineup change with Alex Bowman out due to vertigo and Justin Allgaier stepping in for him at Darlington, Martinsville and Bristol.
Giant’s Propel 2026 claims an 18+ watt aero gain over the 2025 model, but most of the improvement comes from under-the-hood tweaks and a new, narrower integrated cockpit plus updated Cadex wheels/tyres. The frameset is only modestly changed (about 45 g lighter) and tyre clearance increases to 32 mm, with overall system weight savings around 355 g. The piece argues these gains are largely due to cockpit and tyre choices rather than a revolutionary frameset, and it questions whether this truly constitutes a “new bike” given the industry’s three-year development cycles.
Xiaomi previewed the Vision Gran Turismo, a radical hypercar concept focused on extreme aerodynamics and a cocoon-shaped cockpit, featuring an unusual x-wing steering wheel and magnetically mounted wheel covers to cut drag. The company says it will show more at MWC Barcelona, but details on powertrain, speed, and feasibility are still unclear, with a home gaming cockpit version teased as well.
BMW expands the M2 lineup with the M Performance Track Kit, adding a manually adjustable front splitter and rear wing, plus a motorsport-grade four-way adjustable damper setup that lowers ride height for circuit use. The aero can be configured for road or track via Street and Race modes, and the kit—which includes wheel-arch diffusers and an oil-cooler scoop—costs €23,500 in Germany (before tax) plus installation with a July launch. An optional M2 CS exhaust (€8,343) is available, and BMW notes a future-focused trajectory toward more updates (potential CSL) as production continues into mid-2029, with the M2 Racing option serving as a dedicated track machine.
A Scientific American update ranks bicycles as the most energy-efficient form of transport on Earth, due to biomechanics that maximize propulsion while minimizing gravity and friction; advances like aero-focused designs and e-bike assistance could push efficiency even further (e.g., recumbent velomobiles).
This piece catalogs ten cars noted for notably poor aerodynamics, listing their drag coefficients (0.4–1.05 Cd) and explaining how design choices—ranging from early brick-like shapes to modern high-downforce track cars—made them wind-inefficient. Examples span the Ford Model T (0.79 Cd) and Mercedes Simplex (1.05 Cd) to the Plymouth Prowler (0.49 Cd), Citroën 2CV (0.52 Cd), VW Beetle variants (0.48–0.40 Cd), Dodge Viper ACR (0.541 Cd), Caterham Seven (0.60 Cd), and others, noting data limits and exclusions (no SUVs/trucks) and highlighting aero evolution toward contemporary efficiency.
Ford is pursuing a low-cost, high-efficiency electric-vehicle strategy by building a universal platform, retrimming parts, and adopting Formula 1–style aerodynamics. A California skunkworks team led by ex-Tesla engineer Alan Clarke is simplifying the vehicle, using two aluminum castings for the body, a compact in-house electrical architecture, and a Michigan-made LFP battery from CATL to cut cost and weight. Aerodynamic tweaks—such as teardrop rooflines and smoother underbody—are expected to add range and efficiency, with a $30,000 mid-size pickup due in 2027 as the first test of the approach to outcompete cheaper Chinese EVs. The project marks a major shift after Ford’s prior EV setbacks.