10 Cool Cars with Wings

2016 Porsche 911 GT 3 RS rear ・ Photo by Porsche Cars North America

A large wing tacked to the decklid of a bold-looking car will turn some heads. It’s a polarizing choice—whether you love the look or hate it, some people just want their cars to get noticed, and these 10 cool cars with wings show that an enormous wing will usually accomplish that goal.

That said, wings actually do serve a purpose on high-horsepower cars, and contrary to popular belief, wings and spoilers accomplish slightly different effects. A spoiler manipulates the airflow around the car, reducing wind resistance. On the other hand, a large, flat wing also manipulates airflow, but it’s supposed to increase the wind resistance over a specific part of the car—generally, it’s to improve the back wheels’ traction. Let’s take a look at some powerful production cars that were designed to take advantage of a prominent rear wing.

2017 Ford GT

The 2017 Ford GT, the Blue Oval’s upcoming hypercar and one of our favorite 10 cool cars with wings, is projected to make more than 600 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V6 engine. (Sharp-eyed readers will note that the 3.5-liter V6 is common throughout much of Ford’s current lineup—yep, it’s an EcoBoost.) Here, it’s in the mid-engine position in the Ford GT’s lightweight carbon fiber monocoque, which means that this car will be exceptionally well balanced. The only downside to that? There isn’t much weight to keep the rear wheels planted on the pavement, and that’s a problem for a high-powered rear-wheel drive car. So, the Ford GT features a retractable rear wing. When not in use, it blends neatly with the car’s decklid. The 2017 Ford GT is available by preorder only, and as of this publication, the waitlist is already longer than Ford can handle.

2016 Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce

There’s nothing subtle about a Lamborghini—any Lamborghini—and the 2016 Aventador Superveloce takes the brand’s brashness to the extreme, landing a spot on our list of 10 cool cars with wings. This car is an eye-catcher from nose to tail, topped off with a giant carbon fiber wing that creates a shadow over the wide rear wheels and the four oval exhaust tips integrated into the rear fascia. Carbon fiber appears liberally throughout the Aventador Superveloce, giving shape to air intakes and trim panels as well as the wing. The light weight is all the better to make the most of the Superveloce’s 6.5-liter V12, which produces 740 horsepower and 509 lb.-ft of torque. Considering the craftsmanship involved, the price tag of a half-million bucks seems almost reasonable. But Lamborghini’s only producing 600 of these, so good luck—you might not ever even see one, let alone drive it or own it.

Photo by Lamborghini

2016 Nissan GT-R NISMO

The NISMO version of the 2016 Nissan GT-R is limited edition, ridiculously quick, and carries a 6-figure price tag, but at least it’s a car that’s within reach of the masses and easily earns a spot amongst the 10 cool cars with wings. The GT-R’s twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V6 engine, which normally produces a generous 545 horsepower and 463 lb.-ft of torque, still needed a bit of tweaking to be worthy of the NISMO badge. So, here it’s been retuned for an output of 600 horsepower and 481 lb.-ft of torque. Standard all-wheel drive helps the GT-R NISMO maintain traction, but the car features exclusive carbon fiber front and rear fascias, side sills, and a large carbon fiber wing replaces the base GT-R’s relatively modest rear spoiler.

Photo by Nissan USA

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer

The dearly departed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution actually had a pretty awesome wing for an affordable mass-market car, but unfortunately, after years of neglect, Mitsubishi put its little rally sedan to rest. The last 2015 Lancer Evos have probably been snatched up by now, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out. The Lancer GT, still one of the coolest cars with wings, carries on for the 2016 model year with a comparatively modest wing that complements the car’s lines and creases, although it’s questionable whether or not the car actually needs it. Mitsubishi equips the 2016 Lancer GT with a basic 2.4-liter inline-4, making 168 horsepower and paired with front-wheel drive. For what it’s worth, Mitsubishi refers to its trunk adornment as a “rear wing spoiler,” so whatever value it adds beyond aesthetics, the bases are covered.

Photo by Mitsubishi

2016 Porsche 911 GT-3 RS

The 2016 Porsche 911 comes in a dizzying array of configurations and trims, and for the most part, they look an awful lot alike. One of the rare exceptions would be the 911 GT3 RS, which features a massive wing suspended over the car’s shapely rear end. The GT3 RS trim is new for this model year, building on the old GT3 and bringing real track-worthy performance to a car that already had it, easily earning a spot amongst our favorite 10 cool cars with wings. This Porsche features a 3.8-liter 6-cylinder engine that makes 500 horsepower and 338 lb.-ft of torque, so despite the GT3 RS’ finely-tuned suspension and handling systems, it could definitely use extra downforce to keep those rear wheels in contact with the pavement.

Photo by Porsche Cars North America

2016 Lotus Exige Sport 350

First things first: Americans who want a 2016 Lotus Exige Sport 350 can actually have one. That said, it’s a thoroughly and especially impractical choice (as if a Lotus ever would be practical) because the Exige Sport 350 can’t be legally registered and driven on US roads. It’s a special-order track toy… and one that has to be trailered there, to boot. There’s nothing to stop us from admiring this Lotus from afar, at least. It’s low to the ground and lithe, thanks to extensive use of aluminum in its construction. And of course, the rear hatch area is topped with a large, rather angular swing that’s visually balanced out by color-contrasting body panels and the Lotus’ four circular taillights. The Lotus Exige Sport 350 yields 345 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque from its 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine, which here is simply functional.

Photo by Lotus

2016 Subaru WRX STI

Compared to some of the cars featured here, the 2016 Subaru WRX STI is relatively low in power. And, like Nissan’s GT-R NISMO, it features standard all-wheel drive. So, the actual need for that wing over the STI’s trunk might raise some questions in some circles. However, no complaints on our end -- it's still one of our favorite cool cars with wings. The wing is one of the main visual cues that helps differentiate the rally-ready WRX STI from the base model WRX (which is still great, it should be noted) and wings are a very common, if not compulsory, feature of rally cars anyway. This 4-door sedan comes powered by a turbocharged, 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, and makes 305 horsepower and 290 lb.-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission comes standard with the Subaru WRX STI, as well as Subaru’s aforementioned all-wheel drive system, which is awesome.

Photo by Subaru

2016 Volkswagen Beetle Dune

Limited editions are a tried-and-true way to spice up the Volkswagen Beetle, and the buggy-inspired Dune, complete with wing, is the latest in the lineup. The rear wing, which is mounted just below the Beetle’s hatch window, is the finishing touch on an exclusive styling package that features a unique Sandstorm Yellow paint, a new grille, a new taillight design, exclusive color-coordinated wheels, painted interior trim panels, and color-contrast upholstery. Volkswagen also gave the Beetle Dune a little more ground clearance and widened the wheel track for extra stability. The 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Dune Edition is available in a variety of trim levels and with several different engines—granted, none of them really need a rear wing to keep the car planted, but the Beetle’s always been a fun car to accessorize and this special edition is one of our favorite 10 cars with wings.

Photo by Volkswagen

2016 Alfa Romeo 4C

There’s nothing subtle about the 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C. This 2-seater, available as a coupe and a roadster, features brash Italian styling and power to match. So it’s a bit of a puzzler why it would be the only car on the list that requires extra effort to get a wing. That’s right, the 4C doesn’t come with a rear wing as standard equipment, although the trunk lid incorporates a subtle rear spoiler. Hard to say how much that’ll help out, considering the Alfa makes 237 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft of torque from its turbocharged, 1.7-liter inline-4. Alfa Romeo understands that some 4C buyers might crave a little extra downforce for this rear-wheel drive sports car, so the available Track Package includes a carbon fiber rear spoiler, coordinating carbon fiber exterior mirrors, and a race-ready high performance suspension, landing it on our list of 10 cool cars with wings.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

2015 Aston Martin Vantage GT12

Want one? Too bad. Aston Martin limited the run of the 2015 Vantage GT12 to just 100 examples. This version of the Vantage (which Aston Martin repeatedly calls “track-inspired,” as if that wasn’t obvious) comes powered by a 5.9-liter V12 tuned for output of 592 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque. In short, the Aston Martin Vantage V12 needs every bit of downforce provided by that wild wing — and then some, which is why the car also wears an eye-catching aerodynamic body kit.

Photo by Aston Martin