Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Here are our CFD links and discussions about aerodynamics, suspension, driver safety and tyres. Please stick to F1 on this forum.
johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

This may have been adjusted for photos , but bludy hell :
Kaye Don and the Sunbeam Silver Bullet 1929
Image

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

Norman Graham Hill (GBR) (Gold Leaf Team Lotus), Lotus 49B - Ford-Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 (RET)
Joseph "Jo" Siffert (SUI) (Rob Walker/Jack Durlacher Racing Team), Lotus 49 - Ford-Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 (finished 11th)

No. 16: John Surtees (GBR) (Honda Racing), Honda RA301 - Honda RA301E 3.0 V12 (finished 2nd)

Graham to Jo siffert after he parked his Lotus 49B on the side of the road to retire due to a halfshaft problem.

1968 French Grand Prix, Rouen-Les-Essartes Circuit
Image

Just_a_fan
591
Joined: 31 Jan 2010, 20:37

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

johnny comelately wrote:
28 Feb 2018, 15:58
This may have been adjusted for photos , but bludy hell :
Kaye Don and the Sunbeam Silver Bullet 1929
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcaSY2wqBAM/U ... Bullet.jpg
I would think that's an air brake rather than a downforce device. The panel has a cut out in it that allows it to be rotated to the vertical. That would give a large drag force to both slow and stabilise the car. They didn't have great brakes back then...
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.

User avatar
strad
117
Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 01:57

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

Unless they are referring to the wing like fenders I don't see them...
Image
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

strad wrote:
11 Mar 2018, 02:32
Unless they are referring to the wing like fenders I don't see them...
http://www.stradsplace.com/photos/Voisins.jpg
Yes, that's exactly the reference.
Early days of experimenting (outside the box) with all ideas, something that is lacking these days with convergence, parity and regulations wound up so tight ......
With Hill's car having the rear wing and the others the front 'winglet', something I had never seen before, but downforce nonetheless.

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

Just_a_fan wrote:
10 Mar 2018, 16:36
johnny comelately wrote:
28 Feb 2018, 15:58
This may have been adjusted for photos , but bludy hell :
Kaye Don and the Sunbeam Silver Bullet 1929
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcaSY2wqBAM/U ... Bullet.jpg
I would think that's an air brake rather than a downforce device. The panel has a cut out in it that allows it to be rotated to the vertical. That would give a large drag force to both slow and stabilise the car. They didn't have great brakes back then...
Could be both of course, but I cannot make out any mechanism to tilt on the run.

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

Jack Brabham ponders wing settings on his Brabham BT26 Repco during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend at Mont Tremblant, 22 September 1968 - CHECK THE MOUNTS
Image

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

From a tremendous article - https://primotipo.com/2016/08/19/angle-on-the-dangle/
spot the difference
Image

J.A.W.
109
Joined: 01 Sep 2014, 05:10
Location: Altair IV.

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

This topic relevant article may also be of interest: http://www.allpar.com/model/superbird.html

Back in early 1965, a windtunnel test program was carried out, & aerodynamicist Jim Amick duly noted:

"The divergence speed for a given combination of spring rates can be increased indefinitely by the installation
of a horizontal airfoil at the rear of the vehicle."

Jim Hall received a copy of this report, & so had a scientific evidence base - for his empirical wing use.
"Well, we knocked the bastard off!"

Ed Hilary on being 1st to top Mt Everest,
(& 1st to do a surface traverse across Antarctica,
in good Kiwi style - riding a Massey Ferguson farm
tractor - with a few extemporised mod's to hack the task).

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

J.A.W. wrote:
20 Mar 2018, 01:49
This topic relevant article may also be of interest: http://www.allpar.com/model/superbird.html

Back in early 1965, a windtunnel test program was carried out, & aerodynamicist Jim Amick duly noted:

"The divergence speed for a given combination of spring rates can be increased indefinitely by the installation
of a horizontal airfoil at the rear of the vehicle."

Jim Hall received a copy of this report, & so had a scientific evidence base - for his empirical wing use.
very interesting article, thank you

g70
g70
-2
Joined: 27 Feb 2017, 17:11
Location: Catania - Sicily - Italy

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

on 23 Feb 2018, 11:15 i wrote:
"<Si, fu la Chaparral nel Campionato Mondiale Prototipi. L'anno successivo l'ing. Mauro Forghieri, progettista delle Ferrari (F1 e Prototipi), introdusse per primo l'alettone nella F1. Il concetto poi fu esasperato da Chapman con la Lotus.>
Yes, It was the Chaparral in the WC prototypes. The following year ing Forghieri (Ferrari) introduced it in Formula 1."


These are my memories. I saw the Chaparral at the Targa Florio (1966? or 1967?). The wing was mobile, commanded by the pilot that during braking and acceleration made him assume a high incidence and then in speed brought him back to normal position (the same effect as the current DRS)

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

JUST wondering if anyone noticed the whole wing has been ripped off !

g70
g70
-2
Joined: 27 Feb 2017, 17:11
Location: Catania - Sicily - Italy

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

https://youtu.be/ig--MOms4iU
You can see Ferrari (P3?) and Chaparral at Targa Florio 1967. I was here!!

johnny comelately
110
Joined: 10 Apr 2015, 00:55
Location: Australia

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

g70 wrote:
20 Mar 2018, 11:04
https://youtu.be/ig--MOms4iU
You can see Ferrari (P3?) and Chaparral at Targa Florio 1967. I was here!!
That is a thrill. :)
Good camera and helicopter work for 1967

Tommy Cookers
617
Joined: 17 Feb 2012, 16:55

Re: Who was the first to put a downforce wing on a racecar?

Post

according to Doug Nye .....
the first F1 car with a (rear) wing was Jim Clark's Lotus 49 in the Tasman winter 67-8 series
JC's wanted to try such so mechanics Leo Wybrott, Dale and Roger Porteous strut-mounted a length of helicopter rotor blade
it appeared in practice for 3 events but was not raced as JC didn't want to upset ACBC back home
it was repeatedly photographed by Gianni Marelli of the Ferrari (Amon's) team
(Michael May of winged May 1955 Porsche notoriety was of course a consultant for Ferrari eg for the F1 DI)
front DF devices on fast circuits were established in F1 in 1967

btw
spoiler (on a car) is a meaningless buzzword
no car ever had a rear spoiler - a spoiler spoils lifting flow by being in the middle of a lifting surface (not at the end)
spoilers appeared with jet airliners - coincidentally just the time car people started their aero interest