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In car design, ground effect is a series of effects ... fan cars' with almost immediate effect. ... about depending on the car's speed, attitude, and ground clearance ...
The "B" variant of the car, also known as the "fan car", was introduced at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix as a counter to the dominant ground effect Lotus 79. The BT46B generated an immense amount of downforce utilizing a fan, claimed to be for increased cooling, but which also extracted air from beneath the car.
A distinctive feature of the GMA T.50 is the 8.5 kW 40 cm aerodynamic fan integrated into the rear of the car, powered by a 48 volt electrical motor. Inspired by the Brabham BT46B Formula One car, it is purpose-built to significantly improve the ground effect of the T.50.
The Chaparral 2J is a sports prototype race car, designed and developed by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp, and built by American manufacturer Chaparral. It conformed to Group 7 regulations and competed in the 1970 Can-Am Championship series. [5] [6] It is an early example of a ground effect racing car. [7] The 2J was the most unusual Chaparral.
Jim Hall was a leader in the innovation and design of spoilers, wings, and ground effects. A high point was the 1966 2E Can-Am car. The 2J Can-Am "sucker car" was the first "ground-effect" car. [citation needed] The development of the Chaparral chronicles the key changes in race cars in the 1960s and 1970s in both aerodynamics and tires.
By 1981 the ground effect cars were so efficient and so fast that the drivers were suffering from the tremendous g-forces involved in cornering and braking. The FIA banned the moveable skirts fitted to the bottom of the cars' sidepods that were vital for achieving consistent ground effect and regulated a mandatory ground clearance of 6 cm, in the interests of driver safety.
The car was now so efficient in creating downforce from its ground effect design that the front wings were unnecessary. At the 1980 French Grand Prix, Alan Jones used for the first time (in a race) a specially prepared John Judd developed Cosworth DFV. Previously Williams had used "development" DFVs allocated by Cosworth to constructors who ...
This ground effect had the great advantage of being a low drag solution unlike conventional wings, meaning that the increased cornering ability was not compromised by a decrease in straight-line speed. If anything, because of the decreased air resistance, the top speed of the car also increased accordingly. [7]