Reintroduced in F1 this year, experimental moveable wings have been at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since the infancy of aerodynamics. We look back on three major episodes.

The rationale is simple. The more a wing is deflected, the more downforce it generates but also more drag and consequent reduction in speed. The possibility of moving the angle of a wing while the car is on track means that compromises in settings are not necessary.

Mercedes 300 SLR – 1955. Mercedes, who feared the effectiveness of disc brakes on the Jaguars, developed an amazing airbrake powered by a hydraulic cylinder controlled by the driver. Stirling Moss discovered an added utility: half deployed, the flap improved adhesion of the rear wheels ... The moveable wing was born.

Chaparral 2F – 1967. 
The front flap and the impressive rear wing were controlled by the driver. He pressed a pedal on the straights and released it in the corners to incline the wing. In aerodynamics, the car was ahead of the competition as explained Phil Hill at the Nurburgring: "Where others take off on the bumps, we only have little hops. "

Porsche 917 – 1969. Mobile vanes were directly controlled by the suspension and not by the driver. Moreover, it was not a stabiliser but to improve the balance of the car at high speed. Alas, it did not prevent John Woolfe from losing control of his prototype in a fatal accident at Maison Blanche. The moveable flaps disappeared at the end of '69 and were replaced by a fixed wing.