The Role of Aerodynamic Drag in Top Speed

It is the kind of technology most drivers benefit from every day without ever thinking about it. Pop the bonnet on how it works, though, and there is some genuinely elegant engineering to appreciate.

How it works

What makes it work is the marriage of clever hardware and smarter software. Neither would be enough alone, but together they achieve a level of control that would have seemed impossible a generation ago.

Why it matters

Ultimately it expands what is possible. Problems that once forced hard compromises can now be managed intelligently, and that is why the technology has become so widespread.

Great engineering is invisible until you understand it — then it is everywhere.

The bottom line

It is a reminder that much of a modern car’s character comes from engineering you never see. The next time you experience it at work, you will know exactly what is happening beneath you.