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10 Cars With the Coolest Racing Inspired Features

BY: Alex Perrone
Cars driving on a highway

Many of the biggest innovations in the world of automobiles come from motorsports. Modern cars are now more than ever influenced by the performance upgrades once relegated to the track. The keyword of the day is: Aerodynamics. Now we’ve talked about different racing circuits and adjusting the aero kits they use, but we haven’t yet gone over the ones we found on street-legal cars.

That spoiler and body kit is more than just decoration: here are the 10 best racing-inspired features on cars:

Ferrari 488 GTB Active Diffuser Flaps

At the time of its creation, the Ferrari F50 was known as the last Ferrari to offer a decklid wing. It’s a shame because that is some truly clever aerodynamics.  Ferrari is known for developing many, sometimes hidden solutions that end up moving the air around the car, In the case of the 488 GTB and Spider, Ferrari comes equipped with active flaps in the diffuser which open at high speeds in order to reduce drag.

Ford GT Flying Buttresses

Flying buttresses were all the rage in Gothic architecture, but they actually work wonders on cars. The Ford GT uses them extensively. With these structures, the car can channel air through the bodywork, right alongside the passenger compartment and through the rear wing, to generate downforce, and it’s active even when the rear wing is lowered.

Dodge Viper ACR Extreme Aero Package

The Dodge has a big wing, a huge front splitter, and dive planes. They may seem to be a little much in terms of aerodynamics, but they are undoubtedly effective. Also known as an “Extreme Aero Package,” this kit can generate racecar levels of downforce, which is to the point where it can reduce your MPG even when being towed

McLaren Airbrake

An airbrake is just a fancy term for a fancy spoiler. In this case, the McLaren has equipped one on the Super Series cars (12C, 650S, 675LT), and it can raise up to 69 degrees to generate stopping power during heavy braking maneuvers. We even admire the accentuation from the small hydraulic cylinder that raises the airfoil partway, while air pressure does the rest.

Koenigsegg One:1 Top-Mount Wing

The Koenigsegg One:1 is a car right out of a sci-fi comic book. The wing comes top-mounted and is always active. What this does is reduce in-vehicle turbulence, thus providing one of the smoothest drives ever.

Aston Martin DB11 Aeroblade

The brand that Bond prefers, and as is the case for every other high-end performance car, the Aston Martin DB11’s body is all about generating plenty of downforce…but since it’s technically a luxury Grand Tourer, it can’t be too accented. So in that regard, Aston has come up with a remarkably elegant solution– they have designed the car to channel the air inward through an open bodywork in the C-pillar and out through a tiny opening on the rear decklid. It’s a discreet take on the Ford GT’s flying buttresses.

McLaren P1 Manual DRS

These days, F1 are equipped with what is called a Drag Reduction System (DRS, for short). What this does is help to reduce drag by laying the spoilers down into a more aerodynamically efficient position. The McLaren P1 has a big button on the steering wheel so the driver can do it manually, just like the racecars.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS Front Wheel Air Outlet

The 911 GT3 RS may come with a distinctly big rear wing but it is more notable for subtle air outlets made out of carbon fiber. They are specifically designed to reduce lift caused by the high air pressure generated by the spinning wheels. No other streetcar has this

Pagani Huayra BC

We may be oversimplifying the matter, but typically, there are two main ways to approach aerodynamics used in modern street cars. There are hidden, active aerodynamics (like the Ferrari 488) and brutal, and old-school passive aero (Dodge Viper ACR). The Pagani Huayra BC uses both, combining a huge rear wing and dive planes, and also a bunch of active flaps on the front and back of the car.

Ferrari 458 Italia Deformable Front Winglets

Ferrari may not make these anymore, and we wonder why. The deformable front winglets on the 458 are a work of genius. Those gray hockey-stick-shaped features in the front bumper air inlet are made of a rubbery material that actively deforms as the car speeds up to reduce drag.

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