Active aero flaps are nothing new in the fast-paced world of cars, and guess who started it all, Porsche, of course! The Porsche 959 was the first production supercar with automatically adjusting aero, and now, in 2025, they will perfect it on the canvas that is the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.
We surmise that most people, even car enthusiasts, fully understand how much the flow of air makes a difference to the performance and efficiency of a vehicle. All you have to do is remember how forcefully the wind pushes back on your hand when you stick it out a car window going 100 km/h. Now, imagine your hand is the size of a rhinoceros, weighs just as much as one, and has four wheels attached to it. Suddenly, that pesky task of propelling a car forward becomes a lot more complicated.
Usually, our answer to that is: “More power!”, and that would be the correct answer in most American states, but for the rest of the world, and specifically for Porsche, the answer isn’t brute force but sound logic and raw passion, a balance difficult to achieve, but Porsche has been doing quite well for 77 years. I guess it’s not that difficult, right, Mr Enzo?
So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that no one was shocked by active aero incorporated into the Carrera GTS models, especially when the technology made its way into Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S in 2019, already.
However, a quote by Dr Thomas Wiegand, former Head of Aerodynamics Development at Porsche, might shed some light on why this is only now: “We aerodynamic engineers are normally faced with a dilemma: a low drag coefficient is desirable to achieve a higher top speed and lower fuel consumption, while a high amount of downforce is advantageous for driving dynamics. However, the two characteristics contradict each other.”
Active aero is the answer to that, just create a car that changes its personality to whatever situation demands.
PERSONALITY CHECK
It’s a hot day on the track. You’re demanding all 398 kW from the Carrera’s 3.6-litre electric turbo engine, and on top of that, the 41 kW of power coming from the electrical motor. You suddenly have a lot of things to keep cool, so those five vertical slats open and a rush of wind cools your brakes and critical components along with the front end diffuser that extends to create more downforce, along with two hidden flaps between the front apron slats.
Effective cooling. Now on your way home, cruising down the highway, the entire car closes up, becomes a bullet slicing through the air for optimal fuel efficiency,
You see, it’s just that, the best of both worlds, the 911 Carrera models have always offered that, but now, with power figures like these, and with the incorporation of hybrid technology, we will begin to see things like active aero on a lot more “normal” cars, not just for performance, but for fuel efficiency targets and cooling needs!
Yes, active aero isn’t necessarily new, but now it’s been perfected, created to adapt to all situations and to show us what’s possible when we don’t simply exclude certain technologies but find a way to incorporate the best from each of them.
META RAY-BAN SMART DISPLAY
A Glimpse of the Future, or Gimmick?
Just ten months ago, the idea of “advanced AI smart glasses” felt like science fiction. Early attempts, including Meta’s own clunky first release, were dismissed as bulky, buggy, and barely usable. But Meta’s latest effort (officially called the META Ray-Ban Smart Display) is a very different story. Sleeker, smarter, and packed with real-world functionality, these glasses are less gimmick and more everyday companion.
At their core is a bright 600×600-pixel in-lens micro heads-up display that sits neatly in the right lens. It’s not full AR, but it delivers glanceable, practical information: live captions, real-time translation, navigation, and instant search results powered by Meta AI’s assistant. It even doubles as a live viewfinder for the dual 12-megapixel POV cameras, which can shoot 1080p photos, record video, or stream directly to Instagram and Facebook.
As always, “being social” is META’s aim, so the glasses support two-way video calling, feature a six-microphone array for brilliant audio pickup, and include open-ear speakers for music and calls. Add to that 32GB of storage, automatically dimming photochromatic lenses, and you’ve got a wearable that’s starting to walk the talk in true Ray-Ban style.
Battery life is approximately six hours of mixed use, but the brilliantly beautiful folding charging case extends total use up to around 30 hours, teetering on the edge of total practicality. Launched internationally last month, the Ray-Ban Smart Display may be the moment when smart glasses finally stop being a joke and start offering a genuine glimpse into the future.
Report by RUBEN VON STEEN | Images © PORSCHE AG
