Gasoline direct injection (GDI) looks somewhat like the 42 volts or stop-start systems sagas: even if these technologies show some obvious benefits, their production has been delayed for various reasons or has met some setbacks. However, gasoline direct injection is far from being a new concept since the first applications appeared in Germany in 1937 on aircraft engines and in 1952 on automotive engines.

After several attempts, this technology seems now quite mature enough for mass production, either on reliability, fuel economy, CO₂ and pollutants emissions or on range of operation standpoints. Up to now, the Volkswagen Group offers the most extensive choice of direct injection engines, but Lexus, BMW and Mercedes present rather more imaginative or advanced ways such as dual injectors or piezoelectric technologies. Due to the technical and thermodynamical reasons exposed below, it can be safely assumed that GDI is intrinsically an essential part of up to date and future downsized and turbocharged spark ignition engines. Although higher production costs hinder at the moment a broader marketing, almost all the OEMs have gasoline direct injection engines in development.

In high performance cars, such a Ferrari GT, aerodynamics plays a key role in achieving and improving performance. For this reason and to put its F1 racing experience to good use, Ferrari is particularly attentive to aerodynamics in the design and style development of its GT cars.

Until now, the aerodynamic engineers have concentrated on improving efficiency by increasing aerodynamic downforce, hence enhancing the tyres’ grip capabilities, without worsening drag, i.e. maximum speed performance. The goal for the future is to improve aerodynamic efficiency by greatly reducing drag while maintaining and wherever possible increasing downforce.