6 Super-Fast Cars That Define 'Function Over Form'

1. Gumpert Apollo

‘Gumpert’ is a clumsy-sounding name for a car, but then again, the Gumpert Apollo is a bit of a clumsy-looking brute. Company founder Roland Gumpert - former boss of Audi Sport - clearly wasn’t fussed about aesthetics. The Apollo is all about going fast, and to hell with the way it looks. It’s a mess of wings, splitters and gigantic vents, which all work together to generate ridiculous levels of downforce.

How ridiculous? 1500kg at 200mph. With the car weighing 1100kg, that’s theoretically enough for it to drive on the ceiling of a tunnel, something Mr Gumpert liked to point out while the car was still being produced. No one’s tested out this theory, funnily enough…

2. Audi Sport Quattro

On the subject of Audi, we have to consider the Sport Quattro. As a homologation car for the fire-breathing Group B rally version, it was always going to have a function-led design. And as a consequence, it looks a little odd with its shortened wheelbase, bulging arches and many vents. Can you call it pretty? Not really, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

3. Honda Civic Type R

Here’s a fun fact for you: the current Honda Civic Type R is the only car in its class to generate negative lift. And now here’s some opinion: it’s also the ugliest car in its class. These two things are intrinsically linked: the reason why the Type R is such an ungainly thing is because Honda’s engineers threw every thing at it in the aero department.

There’s that massive rear wing, the odd-looking cut-outs at the sides of the bumper to reduce turbulence around the front wheels, and vents to the rear of the front wheel arches which help hot air escape from the engine bay. It’s a bit of an assault on the eyes, and those beefy front wheel arches give it a particularly imbalanced look in the metal, almost as though the front track is wider (which it isn’t). Not one for shrinking violets, this.

4. Ferrari 458 Speciale

I wouldn’t call the 458 Speciale (convertible ‘Aperta’ version pictured) ugly, that would be silly. But I do think it’s a lot less attractive when the clean lines of the standard 458 are lost thanks to all manner of vents and aerodynamic addendum. There’s a lot going on for the eyes to take in, put it that way. Not that you should care, though, because the aero stuff is very clever indeed.

See that raised bit on the bottom of edge of the front bumper? This has a pair of vanes which air forced open by air pressure at 106mph, cutting the amount of airflow sent to the radiator and therefore lowering drag. This action also directs more air through the slats on the outer edges of the bumper, down the side of the car and to the vertical winglets found just behind the doors, giving lots of lovely downforce. That’s just a small part of the Speciale’s extensive aero package.

5. Ariel Atom

The Atom is a prime candidate for this list, because with pretty much nothing in the way of conventional bodywork, there’s not really any form at all. But, there is still some beauty in its simplicity and nakedness, so long as you’re looking at one of the Atoms which doesn’t sport a gigantic front and rear wing, like the V8 model above.

6. Caparo T1

The Caparo T1 is a peculiar looking thing, almost akin to a vision of a future Formula 1 car. That’s because not one bit of it is designed to make it look pretty: it’s all about aero. There’s a carefully sculpted body, a double element adjustable front wing, a huge adjustable rear wing and a ground effect-generating rear diffuser. There’s nothing in the way of creature comforts in the two-seater cabin, and the whole car weighs under 500kg.

The result? Around 800kg of downforce at 150mph. To put that into context, the non-road-legal McLaren P1 GTR, with its incredibly complex array of aero devices, manages 660kg at the same speed.