Aerodynamics

No props, no jets, no rockets – Spencer Lisenby just broke the world speed record for remote controlled aircraft, going transonic using nothing but the wind, and an incredible degree of skill in a highly dangerous technique called dynamic soaring.

The man behind the magnificent McLaren F1 is starting up a new company to produce something even more lightweight and extreme than his most famous creation. The 980-kg Gordon Murray Motors T.50 will begin deliveries in 2020 at a price around US$2.2 million.

Is it a snow plow? Did it just crash into the back of two other cars stacked on top of one another? No, it's a specially prepared hillclimb racer that makes so much power that every bit of downforce counts. Meet Franco Scribante Racing's ridiculous-looking Nissan GT-R.

Capable of swimming at speeds of up to 74 km/h (46 mph), the shortfin mako is the world's fastest species of shark. Scientists now have a new understanding of how it's able to reach such speeds, and they believe that their findings could be applied to improving human technology.

Powered by the front half of a Tuono 1100 V4, the Aprilia Concept RS660 unveiled at EICMA is a lightweight parallel twin supersport bike with comfy ergonomics for the road and a frontal aerodynamic profile that changes angle to adjust the balance between drag and downforce.

If you need any further convincing on the impact of wind drag on vehicle efficiency, try this for size: a British fellow just hopped on a pushbike and went 149 mph while slipstreaming a Porsche. Neil "Soupy" Campbell now holds the European bicycle speed record, but not the world one – yet.

​Although aerodynamics play a part in the design of all road bikes, triathlon bikes tend to be particularly aero-focused. Ceepo's 2019 Shadow-R really takes things to an extreme, by doing away with the traditional wind-catching vertical front fork.

Remember back when cyclists had to travel to a wind tunnel or velodrome if they wanted to get their aerodynamic drag measured? Actually, that time is now. It might not be for much longer, however, if the handlebar-mounted AeroPod reaches production.

The shape of future sports motorcycles evolved considerably over the last few days as the world's leading sportsbike manufacturers and MotoGP contenders evaluated new aerodynamic fairings at the second last test of the MotoGP pre-season at the Chang International Circuit at Buriram, Thailand.

With fuel accounting for a significant proportion of truck running costs these days, the quest for fuel efficiency has been attracting increasing attention.​ XStream Trucking's approach is to literally close the gap between the cab and the trailer at highway speeds.​

The future of commercial aircraft will probably include long, thin, flexible wings that reduce weight and drag for extra efficiency and ride comfort. NASA and Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division have been flight testing an experimental X-56A airframe with active flutter vibration suppression.

No matter how large the pile of money you're sitting on, Ferrari is always willing to relieve you of it, with a series of road cars for the casual user that extends upwards to ultra-exclusives like this. The FXX-K Evo is a "laboratory on wheels" that took a whole year in the wind tunnel to tune up.