The aerodynamic feature immortalized on track by racing great Dan Gurney in the Seventies was originally patented four decades earlier by Edward Zaparka as a means of boosting aircraft wings’ lifting power. Airplanes had been using hinged flaps at the back of their primary flight surfaces, but Zaparka’s design swapped out the complexity of a moving version for a fixed lip protruding at a sharp angle. Zaparka’s version differed from the one that the massively successful racing champ would popularize in one significant way: It was attached to the bottom of the wing, not the top. Planes need lift; race cars need downforce. Tap the link in our bio for the full story! #Gurneyflap #aerodynamics #motorsports #racing #racecars #carsofinstagram #cargram #roadandtrack Photos by jeremycliff