Tesla Roadster Demonstrates Fan Downforce, but It Isn't the First

In the demonstration, the Roadster drove up a C-shaped ramp and stopped in the middle of the section perpendicular to the ground, according to Engadget. It drove slowly enough and stopped long enough to look as if it were hanging upside down. The car then jumped off the ramp, flipped upright, floated briefly and landed safely. On its website, Tesla said the Roadster uses a multi-mode fan and ground-sealing system that acts as a 'downforce generator.' It pulls air from underneath the vehicle and provides the suction needed to hold the car upside down at any speed, Tesla said. The automaker said those powered fans, along with the vehicle's retractable rear wing, provide the necessary downforce.

McMurtry Automotive responded to the Roadster unveiling on Instagram with the message 'Welcome to the club' and a video of its Spéirling hanging upside down from a platform. McMurtry's suction technology, called Downforce-on-Demand, uses two fans that suck air out from under the car. Even before the Spéirling, other vehicles had used fans for downforce.

In 1970, American racing drivers Jim Hall and Hap Sharp entered the Can-Am Championship series with the Chaparral 2J, a prototype that looked like a box with wheels and was powered by a modified 7.6-liter Chevrolet V8 engine. According to Revs Institute Automedia, the vehicle's suction technology began as the 'Suspension Test Vehicle' project at Chevrolet until Hall asked its developer, Don Gates, to join his team. The Chaparral 2J's suction system had two fans adapted from a military tank engine. A skirt made from transparent polycarbonate sheets created an enclosed area underneath the car, allowing the fans to generate 1.25 g to 1.5 g of suction as they pulled air from that space. Tesla says the Roadster is capable of generating up to 2 gs of downforce.

The Brabham BT46, also known as the 'Fan Car,' was an F1 racing car designed by South African-British racer Gordon Murray for the 1978 season. Its designers installed a fan and claimed it was mainly for cooling to satisfy F1 regulations, but they took inspiration from the Chaparral 2J and the Tyrrell 008, another F1 car with a fan that ultimately did not work out. The BT46 had a series of clutches connected to a large single fan at the rear. It had skirts, like the Chaparral 2J, that covered the gaps between the bottom of the car and the ground, allowing the fan to extract air from beneath the car and create suction. In the BT46's case, the faster the vehicle, the stronger the suction effect. The Brabham BT46 raced only once, at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, and won the event.

McMurtry's Spéirling is an electric sports car the automaker unveiled in 2025. The company demonstrated it at McMurtry headquarters in England, where the vehicle clung upside down to a rotating platform completely unsupported. McMurtry Automotive unveiled the final production version of the Spéirling Pure in July 2026. Like the Roadster, the Spéirling's technology can generate enough downforce to cling to a surface at any speed, even at a standstill, according to the company. McMurtry says the vehicle can corner at more than 3 g. The company plans to produce only 100 of the vehicles, with prices starting at $132,300, and first customer deliveries are expected before the end of this year. Elon Musk said the Roadster is going into production in 2028, with reservations now open. The base Roadster requires a $50,000 reservation payment, while the 'Thrust' trim level with the suction system and acceleration thrusters requires $250,000 to reserve.