How We Choose Materials, Panel by Panel

It's tempting to assume every performance vehicle should be built entirely from carbon fiber. In practice, material selection is a panel-by-panel decision, weighing stiffness, repairability, cost, and manufacturing complexity.

The monocoque, splitter, diffuser, and seat shells all carry structural or aerodynamic load directly, which is where carbon fiber's stiffness-to-weight advantage matters most.

Suspension arms and subframes see repeated fatigue cycling rather than a single peak load. Forged aluminum's fatigue behavior and repairability make it the better choice there, despite carbon's lighter theoretical weight.