Like us you might have been a bit too distracted by the dramatic lines of Ferrari's newest mid-engine V8 sports car, the 458 Italia to catch one of the more fascinating tidbits of this the seventh in the line of Ferraris that began with the 1975 308.
So we'll go back over the pertinent passage in Ferrari's official press release. "...The nose also sports small aeroelastic winglets which generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and cut drag." That's right, the winglets seen tucked into the front air intakes are automatic active aerodynamic devices that require no electric motors or extending struts to get their air-directing business done.
If this all sounds somewhat familiar to you, then you are likely a Formula One Racing fan. For about a decade now, Formula One's governing body has battled to outlaw just such devices. Moveable aerodynamic devices are illegal in Formula One. Predictably this fact has only forced car builders to come it with more creative ways to circumvent the rule by using materials (wing elements or attachment points) that are deformed by airflow at high speed and pop back to their original shape when the vehicles slows. And the so-called flexi-wings have appeared as often on -guess who - Ferrari's racers as any other competitor's.
Ferrari's biggest flexi-wing controversy came at the 2006 running of the Malaysian Grand Prix, where other teams claimed Ferrari's upper-front wing element and its mount to the nose cone was a flexi-wing. Ferrari was never fined but come the next race in Melbourne, Australia, the a wing's attachment point was reinforced which would prevent it from moving. Coincidence?
Ferrari's not the only team to give it a run. Most recently Toyota was reprimanded by race officials at this year's Australian Grand Prix for rear wings with an excessive amount of flex.
We're just waiting for a set of those refrigerated tires Ferrari F1 cars were said to use in 2007.
fuhteng says:
01:54 PM, 07/28/09
Sweet. I wonder how long until that technology makes its way to something like the Genesis Coupe? 10 years? 20 years?
jederino says:
05:36 PM, 07/28/09
Beautiful lines on this car, with a generous greenhouse. In about 10-years after these go on sale, I should be able to purchase a used one. And hopefully I'll have a few years to enjoy it before the Genesis Coupe has the same features!
kyolml says:
10:35 PM, 07/28/09
Looks like Photoshop...
dlibby says:
07:40 AM, 07/29/09
Seriously, how much F1 technology is in the current Genesis Coupe? I don't understand the hype behind that car. I really doubt any future Genesis will be in the same league as a current top of the line Ferrari and be any where near capable of taking advantage of such technology. They are two completely different classes of car. One is a sporty coupe, the other a street legal race car.
fuhteng says:
08:13 AM, 07/29/09
I was kidding dlibby.
dlibby says:
10:08 AM, 07/29/09
:-) Thats good. All that aside, beautiful car. I wish i could ever afford one.
fuhteng says:
12:31 PM, 07/29/09
Actually, I was playing around late last night (thinking about Forza 3) and I did some checking online. 15+ year old Ferraris are actually not that expensive for a toy car. If you're in the market for a $50,000 car that seats two, is fun to look at but isn't all that practical (really a toy), why would someone get a Corvette when you can get a used Ferrari?
I think a 430 will be in my future in about 20 years. My kids can pay for their own college like I have, thanks.
dlibby says:
08:42 AM, 07/30/09
Good point. The only scary thing is maintenance. I like to drive... a lot. So i tend to where things out fast. I am learning very quickly how expensive car maintenance can be for a premium(ish) model. In two years i have put almost 70,0000 miles on my C230K, and i only live 1.5 miles from work. Thanks to the internet parts are cheaper than they could be but still not cheap. I can't imagine what it would cost to put a upper and lower control arms and an outer tie rod end on a 20 year old Ferrari like i just did the benz.