Whoa!

[Stephen]

We're all probably familiar with the Chapparal fan cars from Can-Am racing in the late 60's and early 70's (except @mbryson, too weird for him ) and how insanely quick they were. Well take that technology and fast forward about 55 years:

Whoa!

 

[I Lean]

Being in the 'not very familiar' group....this thing actively vacuums itself down to the track?

 

[1969honda]

Here's another new supercar in the works from the designer of the McLaren P1.

 

[Stephen]

Being in the 'not very familiar' group....this thing actively vacuums itself down to the track?

Thats correct. So the old Chapparal 2J was powered by a Chevy V8, but then had two fans in the back powered by a two stroke snowmobile engine that sucked the car to the ground. All around the lower edges of the car was a movable skirt that kept the air under the car from being disturbed and also meant that the car's aerodynamics weren't as affected by the speed of the car, so it had the essentially same amount of downforce at low speed or high speed. Obviously, this was a huge advantage over the competition and they dominated the races they completed. And that's the caveat, cutting edge technology it rarely reliable and the 2J was plagued mechanical issues. Even so, most of the other manufactures in Can-AM, most notably McLaren, complained bitterly and the FIA banned the 2J after only one season.

The McMurty does essentially the same thing, but its all electric. So combine all the downforce with instant torque. Insanity.

The GMA T.50 uses a fan, but not to suck the car to the ground in the exactly the same way. Its main purpose is to pull air at a greater rate over the rear diffuser and create more downforce that way. Which makes sense because it is designed to be driven on the street, and there is no way that a fully skirted sucker car would function on a public road very well.