The amount of money invested in racetrack technology is significant, particularly when it comes to Formula One Racing. With multi-million dollar contracts in jeopardy, manufacturers are constantly under pressure to develop new innovations that will help their drivers shave critical fractions of a second off lap times, and secure a crucial victory. As well as battling against aerodynamics, car manufacturers can achieve this by employing high-quality, advanced materials in the construction of their race cars.

The good news is everyday drivers like you or me also benefit from these investments. As car manufacturers employ new materials in race cars, very often those materials start to appear in production cars, making our ride safer and more efficient.

One such material is aluminum. Aluminum is a lightweight, but strong, material that has been used for some time in race cars. This started in the engine block, which was previously one of the heaviest components in a car. Identifying an alternative material as strong and durable as traditional materials, but which also reduced the weight, was the perfect solution and aluminum was soon used extensively across the race circuit. This shift soon made its way into the production car market too, and aluminum engine blocks have been in use there for some time now.

A logical progression from this was to look at how aluminum could be used in other parts of production car designs. According to AudiWorld, the German manufacturer Audi has been researching the concept since the early part of the twentieth century. The Audi Quattro Spyder, introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991, was a hit with critics partly due to its revolutionary aluminum body design. Many other manufacturers have also invested in aluminum bodywork as well as other aluminum derivatives. Popular Mechanics reported in April 2012 that car manufacturers were starting to consider aluminum foam. This substance is suitable for certain applications, including the suspension, and Audi, Bentley and Ferrari are already showing interest.

Another substance that has partly made the shift from the racetrack to the highway is carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is a high-tech material, which is extremely light and extremely strong. It’s perfect for Formula 1 cars, and the bodies of these speed machines are manufactured almost entirely from this groundbreaking material. The massive difference in weight between metal and carbon fiber could see an enormous reduction in fuel efficiency on production cars. There’s only problem – cost. Carbon fiber technology has always been seen as prohibitively expensive and would simply put a production car out of the price range of most buyers.

Some of the leading manufacturers are keen to find lower-cost versions, however. Ford announced a major new partnership in April 2012, which aims to help shed up to 750 pounds per car. They could have a race on their hands, however, as BMW announced similar plans a year earlier, and intends to have carbon fiber in production cars within two years. Technology once deemed unthinkable outside the racetrack could therefore be commonplace within five or ten years.