CARS WITH OPTIONAL WINGS

01 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring

The wing atop the engine of Porsche’s hardcore 911 has been growing steadily bigger for two decades now. That was until the success of the limited run 911 R prompted Weissach to offer a version that ditched the fixed rear wing for just a hint of a retro ducktail.

04 Lamborghini Countach

And of course, Lamborghini has a history in to-wing-or-not-to-wing. Allegedly the factory preferred not to fit the giant aerofoil as it further limited rear visibility and didn’t actually produce any meaningful downforce, while making the car slower at v-max.

07 Subaru Impreza Spec D

In 2006, Subaru gave us this, the WRX Spec D – D for Discreet – boasting a grey only colour option and a shrunken aero kit. It tried to be subtle, but with gold brake callipers, a giant bonnet nostril and the classic flat-four lub-dub-bwaaarp soundtrack, it wasn’t fooling anyone.

02 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Touring

Jaguar liked Porsche’s idea so much, it shamelessly copied it – 15 of the planned 300 examples of its 600bhp supercharged Project 8 ditched the boot-mounted wing, but saw their 200mph top speed pegged back to 186mph as a safety measure due to reduced downforce.

05 McLaren F1 HDK

This is the McLaren F1 HDK, which stands for High Downforce Kit. The package added a fixed rear wing that prevented any F1 from reaching the 241mph top speed. Perhaps that’s why only two were ever sold with it added, despite it creating more downforce than an F1 LM.

08 Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series

Another of the lesser spotted wingless variety: a Black Series shorn of its flicks and tall rear wing. AMG’s 6.2-litre V8 bowed out in style in this wonderful rear-drive, wide-arched coupe, with most owners opting for the wing purely to rub the noses of standard C63 AMG coupes in it.

03 Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV

Little known fact: the hardcore run-out special Murciélago didn’t have to be specified with its famous rear wing. For those who wanted the ultimate top speed, Lamborghini would delete the wing and pop a little ducktail on the SV’s posterior that added 4mph to its v-max.

06 Honda Civic Type R Sport Line

The Civic Type R is a spectacularly capable hot hatch, but it’s not pretty. Honda has attempted to make its sublime front-wheel-drive hero a little easier on the eye with the Sport Line spec, which runs on smaller wheels and swaps the bookshelf tailgate wing for a smaller single-deck spoiler.

09 Koenigsegg Jesko

Would you like your Swedish hypercar as named after CvK’s father to be really good at lap times? Then sign up for one with the enormous top-mounted adaptive wing. If you’d prefer a targeted top speed of over 300mph, then opt for the wingless Jesko Absolut.