Ferrari Wants To Turn Taillights Into Active Aero

Ferrari’s patent depicts taillights that can extend outward to increase the car’s aerodynamic load.

Photo by: Ferrari

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Aug 25, at 12:30pm ET

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Ferrari has filed a patent for moveable taillights that alter a car’s aerodynamic profile.
The patent depicts taillights that can move to increase the car’s aerodynamic load.
The taillights work by extending outward and upward to extend a spoiler’s trailing edge.

Ferrari has come up with a clever new way to hide active aerodynamics: the taillights. A newly published patent describes a rear light assembly that can move relative to the rear wing or spoiler, changing the car’s aerodynamic load, and the included drawings depict a wild-looking supercar for one version of the proposed technology.

According to the filing (20260242013), first uncovered by CarBuzz, the lighting elements in the normal position work as you’d expect, illuminating the rear of the vehicle. They sit in what Ferrari describes as an aerodynamic challenge behind the cockpit below the rear spoiler and above a rear diffuser.

When needed, the light assembly moves into a second position. An actuator moves the light assembly rearward and upward, exiting the aerodynamic channel and extending upward to meet the wing's downstream flow.

The light housing effectively becomes another aerodynamic surface, increasing rear load generation. A third position is also available, designed to obstruct the aerodynamic channel. Two separate light housings allow Ferrari to manage airflow at the back of the car independently.

Ferrari aerodynamic taillights patent.

Photo by: Ferrari

Real-World Application

The filing also included another interpretation of the technology on a Purosangue that could become a reality. It’s a simpler setup, too.

It does not have an aerodynamic channel; it simply rotates the taillight assembly rearward and upward, protruding beyond the wing’s trailing edge. It would alter the airflow at the back of the vehicle without the need for fixed aerodynamic upgrades, giving Ferrari engineers more control over the car’s characteristics.

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While Ferrari has filed a patent, that doesn’t mean it has plans to put the new technology into production. If anything, we will see Ferrari implement the simpler version of the patent first before it produces anything as wild as the concept. That is just Ferrari showing off what’s possible.

Source: Ferrari

Motor1’s Take: Ferrari’s need for greater control over its cars’ aerodynamics is resulting in some wild innovations. Moveable taillights that can alter airflow would give the company an edge in creating high-performance supercars.