► The wildest wings and aero: a gallery
► Celebrating downforce in all shapes and sizes
► Our guide to the biggest car aero mods
If you’re feeling the pressure as the world’s on coronavirus lockdown, take a moment to enjoy Wing Wednesday, as we celebrate some of the most outrageous spoilers, wings, ducktails and other aero addenda.
From the original Ferrari F40 (above) and its homologation-grade rear wing, designed to keep the car stable as it became the first supercar to break the 200mph barrier, to the even wilder rally and supercar confections below, we’ve compiled some of our favourite spoiler alerts from recent years. Be sure to tell us in the comments below which you rate the most.
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth whaletail
Utter the word ‘whaletail’ and it’s hard not to think of the 1980s/90s Cosworth hooligans from Ford. The Sierra RS Cosworth (above) transformed the workaday family car of its day into a touring car-spec street racer that redefined the everyday performance hero for a generation. The bespoilered rear was bred for the track and generated genuine downforce. But let’s face it: for most, the giant Cossie wing was as much a visual boost as a technical one.
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Fiesta WRC car
Amazing the difference some aggressive aero can make to even a humble supermini like the Fiesta. This enormous wing helps to squish ex-Toyota and Citroen driver Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen in contact with the ground as they compete in the World Rally Championship.
With victory in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in its sights, the 2018 Vantage needed all the aero it could get. And if you needed any cheese slicing, just check out that rear diffuser…
Possibly among the most striking wings – especially from this angle – is bolted to Liberty Walk’s GT-R. With many owners of tuned R35s boasting over 2000bhp from their boosted engines, more downforce will probably come in quite handy.
A concept styled by Italians with Hong Kong-led engineering, the H2 Speed was originally launched as a concept back at the 2016 Geneva show. This time around it’s confirmed as a limited-run 12-unit production model, retaining its electric fuel cell powertrain. It’s here, however, because of its LMP1 looks and in particular that terrific wing.
This new electric touring car concept arrives just as the Cupra brand is trying to distance itself from the rest of the Seat range. It might look a bit like a Leon, but it’s actually rear-wheel drive, which is probably why it needs a rear wing of such startling proportions. Spoilsports…
It’s fair to say this was one of the biggest splashes at the Geneva show, and not just because of its huge wing. The return of the Supra badge means much to many car fans who’ve been deprived a frenetic GT Toyota since the Mk4’s production ended in Japan in 2002. The firm’s people have stated a road car will follow. Big wings await…
The GT3 RS is back again, and its back sports this double-decker wing in case you were in any doubt as to its on-track talents. We’re also very pleased to note that wonderful motor’s redline is a heady 9000rpm: it’ll sound as mad as it looks. Especially in this devil’s green…
This radical rear wing is a fascinating piece of engineering because it can move in two axes, acting as an airbrake but also able to improve the distribution of downforce across both back wheels when cornering. They’ve applied for a patent on this new technology – we can’t wait to try it out for size.
Liberty Walk’s second entry is this extreme Lambo, which has aero addenda plastered everywhere. It’s not clear whether all – or any – of this additional bodywork has any meaningful affect on aerodynamics, though. At a guess, we’d be surprised…
A single-seat racing evolution of the three-perch road car we saw 12 months ago. Power comes from your choice of one or two turbines feeding electric generators, making the RS ever less conventional. Just remember you might need a separate parking space (or pitlane garage) to accommodate that HUGE rear wing.
Laptimes ‘to rival recent F1 cars’. That’s quite a statement, but with the package of engine and aero upgrades this circuit-only Valkyrie has over the standard road car, it isn’t unbelievable. It even wears smaller 18-inch Le Mans-spec wheels. And the mother of all wings, obvs.
This 75-unit special edition of the already-bonkers Senna isn’t even road-legal. We’re promised more grip, downforce and power – but that’s academic since they’re all sold anyway. You could slice your Sunday veg with that rear diffuser…
Pal-V Liberty
The Pal-V sort of had to win this, given it’s an ACTUAL flying car. Sure, it uses a rotor rather than fixed wings, but we still reckon this vehicle has capacity to disrupt more air than almost anything else at Geneva.
More from the 2018 Geneva motor show
