You see, the unstable airflow around the Supra causes a loud thumping, or that irritating helicopter sound, when the windows are down. This makes the car uncomfortable to drive at speeds above 40 miles per hour if you want to get some fresh air. You could imagine that it’s an even bigger problem in a hypercar as fast as P1, and maybe that’s why it was a bit more urgent to solve this problem for the McLaren team. The way they solved it was simple on paper and running. The sailfish, which can swim as fast as 70 miles per hour, has to handle much of the same turbulent flow that the P1 does around its windows, Stephenson noted.
As a result, the sailfish has small, aerodynamic surface protrusions on its body just ahead of its tail, helping to smooth out the turbulent flow of water. Stephenson modeled the P1s after these and placed them on the mirror support arm. The sailfish has just two bumps, but Stephenson added a few more just in case and, somewhat surprisingly, it worked.
Stephenson also used biomimetics in the car’s body, stretching the Macca’s outer surfaces as firmly as possible over its mechanical components. He says this is similar to creatures like the cheetah, where the animal’s skin is tightly stretched over all muscles and tendons.
But all this biomimetic talk aside, listening to the P1 designer explain the story behind the car is great to hear. Stephenson has more than a handful of notable designs to his name like the first-generation BMW X5, the new-generation MINI made by BMW, and the Ford Escort Cosworth.
That’s all well and good, but I still want a YouTube channel from PT Cruiser designer Brian Nesbit. Now that would be an interesting story.
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