It’s the question many fans ask whenever images from the wind tunnel testing are published from the state-of-the-art Windshear facility at Concord, North Carolina.
The topic is addressed by Neil Crompton in a behind-the-scenes video filmed during the now-completed test that homologated the Toyota Supra, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro for 2026.
“We want to get the aero numbers on the car in their pure shape and form and understand what that looks like so you’re comparing apples and apples,” said Crompton.
“Then, following that process, what they’ll do is pluck the tape off and then go through a scanning process.”
That involves a high-end 3D scanner called a Creaform MetraScan, which was purchased by Supercars earlier this year and taken to the wind tunnel by the category.
The scanner is ordinarily a scrutineering tool for Supercars, but can also be used by teams to help ensure accurate body fit for performance purposes.
At Windshear, the scanner allows Supercars to get a definitive record of the body that was tested in the tunnel.
“[The cars] get fully scanned, then they take the tape off and understand what all those margins look like, then it’s up to the teams to quality control that through the year,” Crompton continued.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that every little gap, every little millimetre in terms of panel fit makes an enormous difference to the behaviour of the car.”
Check out the video below for a tour of the Windshear facility and more insight into the Supercars testing.
Discussion about this post