AMG Sponsored Project MonstAero Proves That Simplicity Is the Best Solution

It’s called the AMG MonstAero and is a design by Kai-Feng Chang, a Transportation Design student at Hochschule Pforzheim (Pforzheim University). As a thesis project by the rising designer, the MonstAero aims to explore what its name would imply, aerodynamics.

As an exploration into a vehicle meant to be an aerodynamic marvel, get ready for some interesting ideas, to say the least.

To get a better understanding of what’s going on with this design, let’s take a look at the overall styling and then explore how all this affects airflow and the way the vehicle maneuvers while on a track or road.

Right from the start, the one thing you can say about the MonstAero is that it’s hella sleek, with no sharp edges and a dropped front end clearly meant to throw air right over the car. The wheel wells follow the same sleek contour and shape as the rest of the car and are clearly designed to improve overall aerodynamics.

When you look at the design, you’ll see two massive channels in the vehicle's body, one at the front, right in front of the windshield, and another opening behind the cockpit. These two channels take incoming airflow and direct it over the car, pushing the vehicle against the ground like a rear spoiler works.

Like most vehicles meant to encounter high speeds, thus, high drag and lift, the MonstAero features a low and dropped hood, while a smooth, long, and tapered rear helps to ensure that air pushes the car into the ground, helping it grip even more.

One feature the designer included in the project allows the MonstAero to adjust its suspension to affect the path that air takes around the vehicle. As a result, when you’re driving on straight, the car is in “Inaktiv” mode. The moment you start to encounter a turn, the car enters “Aktiv” mode, and the rear drops, forcing air to smash into the body of the car. That way, the vehicle is slowed down with more than just braking power, while the rear air channel works its “spoiler” magic.

One thing this design shows is that the MonstAero manipulates aero with three major segments of its body; front and rear wheel wells and the space between said wheel wells. My only question regarding the in-between space is whether the doors or panels puff out slightly in Aktiv mod. If they do, it’s absolute genius, as it should create even more drag. However, if that’s true, and panels push too far outward, air would no longer hit the rear wheel well, and the drag effect would be lost.

As it stands, the MonstAero is not a single-occupant vehicle. You and one lucky passenger can fit inside this aerodynamic dream. A rough representation of the interior that Chang has in mind is among the supplied CGIs. Two red bucket seats, five-point harnesses for both you and your passenger, and a steering wheel are all you find inside. The dashboard has been taken out and replaced with a screen on the steering wheel meant to display necessary vehicle information.

Even though there seems to be a fuel intake on the rear of the car, it's highly likely that no fossil fuels will be used if this design ever becomes the real thing. After all, if AMG ever chooses to use this design in real life, the electric age will be in full swing by the time it hits the streets.

Sure, it may not be the most complicated and technologically advanced design you may have seen, but that’s really the secret; effectiveness through simplicity. That is what automakers want and the natural course of things.