Aerodynamic drag is the demon foe of every car designer.
Cutting the drag on a street car by just a fraction can raise the car's fuel mileage enough to prevent the gas-guzzler tax. A fractional reduction in drag on a race car can mean the difference between barely qualifying and winning. Normally used to increase the fuel mileage of cars and trucks we can buy, or to make them quieter driving down the Interstate, one recent Wednesday morning, the GM wind tunnel was used to research the body configurations on Bruce Sarver's NHRA Funny Car dragster. The extensive technological support provided by our engineers is something that you just can't buy. Combined with around 6,000 horsepower, the aerodynamics of a Funny Car allow it to travel a quarter mile in under five seconds with a terminal speed of over 320mph.