2014 Camaro Z/28 Has a “Flying Car” Mode

Well, now that we’ve lured you in with that hyperbolic headline, we’re sorry to tell you that the Camaro doesn’t actually sprout wings or jet engines. However, Chevrolet has built in a rather cool traction management feature for its latest Z/28 which helps performance if and when your car does leave the pavement, which can occur at high speeds when coming over hills on a race track.

Normally, when a car goes airborne, modern traction control systems kick in since they detect wheel spin. This ends up dramatically decreasing torque on landing, slowing down the car for a split second. However, Chevy has devised a system which uses ride height sensors to detect that the car has left the ground, and momentarily disables traction control. This allows the car to retain maximum torque when the tires once again make contact with the road. Of course, you could just turn off traction control altogether, but it does provide some benefits in difficult cornering scenarios.

Flying Car Mode is a neat feature that can definitely improve times on the track, but we still want cars that drive like the ones in The Fifth Element or Blade Runner.