One of many GMA T.50 supercar’s most distinctive options is a downforce-generating rear fan. In a pair of GMA-produced movies, founder Gordon Murray and improvement driver Dario Franchitti give the lowdown on this uncommon aerodynamic machine.

The fan references the Murray-designed Brabham BT46B “Fan Automotive” Method One racer of the Seventies. Exploiting a guidelines loophole, Murray used a rear-mounted fan to create a vacuum to suck the automobile down onto the observe, producing extra downforce with out the drag penalty of bigger spoilers. The setup labored so nicely that after coming into (and profitable) only one race—the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix—the Fan Automotive was preemptively withdrawn earlier than it may very well be banned.

Nonetheless, Murray claims the T.50’s fan had nothing to do with the BT46B. Within the first video, Murray claims the T.50 design is definitely nearer to a different one among his best hits—the McLaren F1. That supercar truly had two small followers that acted on a small space of its rear diffuser, Murray stated. The T.50 primarily takes that idea and supersizes it. 

The 15.7-inch carbon-fiber fan is pushed by a 48-volt electrical motor, spinning at as much as 7,000 rpm and performing on rear spoilers and a rear diffuser. The usual T.50 consists of six settings: Auto, Excessive Downforce, Streamline, Braking, Check, and V-Max Enhance.

That not solely permits for extra downforce with much less drag, but in addition generates for a constant quantity of downforce no matter velocity, Murray stated. An enormous rear wing, or the ground-effect bodywork utilized by many F1 groups within the late Seventies, is speed-dependent. It solely works for those who’re going quick sufficient.

In distinction, a T.50 driver can merely change on Excessive Downforce mode and get 50% extra downforce, Murray claims. Braking mode can add downforce underneath braking, shortening the stopping distance by 98 toes from 150 mph, in line with the automobile’s revealed specs. V-Max Enhance provides a ram-air operate, elevating the automobile’s output to 690 hp. 

Streamline mode truly limits downforce when it is not wanted. It creates what Murray calls a “digital longtail” impact by reducing the spoilers and stalling the diffuser, minimizing downforce to maintain the T.50 steady throughout high-speed straight-line runs. That reduces total drag by 12.5%, Murray claims.

As Murray explains partially two, this all works as a result of the fan can pull air out from underneath the automobile extra readily than a diffuser alone. A diffuser can solely be so giant, in any other case air stagnates and creates vortices, which disrupt downforce.

These movies cowl the usual T.50, however GMA can be constructing a track-focused model. Named T.50s Niki Lauda, in honor of the late triple F1 champion, it’ll skip all the fan modes besides excessive downforce. The fan will work with different aerodynamic units, together with a big rear wing and spinal fin, to generate what may very well be a staggering quantity of downforce.