Over the last month we have been testing the new Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe model using two test cars, namely the latest factory-built car and the beta version owned by customer John George. John’s car was built to compete in the NASA ST2 class. The goal of our wind tunnel testing was to establish baseline aerodynamic data on the new Coupe body and determine optimized balanced downforce and then verify this on the track. With the cold weather and the tracks in the Northeast still closed for the winter, we headed south to North Carolina for a full day of wind tunnel testing in Mooresville, NC and then off to the North Carolina Center for Automotive Research to run the car on the test track.


We loaded up the Coupe on Saturday for the Monday test day at A2 Windtunnel


We arrived Mooresville, NC at A2 Windtunnel in the afternoon on Sunday. Day one of the testing started out with us unloading at the A2 wind tunnel in Mooresville, NC. This is the same tunnel we have used several times before and one of three we have used over the years. The crew at A2 always gives us their best and helps get the most data from the time spent.



Above & Below: The A2 Windtunnel is used by NASCAR teams and race professionals all year long.






Initial testing was with the stock vehicle at street ride height.



Overall we were able to run 37 different tests in the wind tunnel, starting from a baseline and then maximizing the downforce and measuring the effects of the individual pieces and how they balance the car out. One very important factor in this testing was that the car had already been tested on track at speed, which gave us a good setup starting point that we knew had a good aerodynamic balance front to rear going into the test, this allowed us to not just maximize the total downforce, but maximize the front and the rear in relation to what we knew was a working setup. As has been the case with every one of the previous four trips to the wind tunnel some of the results were as expected and some were more surprising.