Strake

Strake (pronounced streyk)

(1) In shipbuilding, a continuous course of planks or plates running from bow to stern on a ship forming a hull shell, deck, etc.

(2) An iron fitting of a medieval cart wheel (can be used to describe any metal plate in a rubber tyre but largely obsolete).

(3) In aviation and automotive design, a type of aerodynamic surface mounted to fine-tune the airflow.

(4) In engineering, a shaped piece of wood used to level a bed or contour the shape of a mould, as for a bell.

(5) A trough for washing broken ore, gravel, or sand; a launder.

(6) A streak (obsolete).

(7) The simple past tense of strike (obsolete).

1300–50; From the Middle English strecchen from the Old English strācian or streċċan (to stretch, hold out, extend, spread out, prostrate), thought derived from the Proto-Germanic straikōną & strakkijaną (to stretch, make taut or tight) and the Old High German streihhōn.  The primitive European root was streg or treg (stiff, rigid) from which also evolved the West Frisian strekke, Dutch strekken, the German strecken, the Danish strække, the Swedish sträcka, the Dutch strak and the Albanian shtriqem.

1984 Ferrari Testarossa Monospecchio.

Pininfarina’s use of strakes on the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa was a piece of functional engineering to (1) optimize airflow to the rear-mounted radiators and (2) comply with regulations in some countries which limited the size of openings in bodywork.  The rear radiators replaced the single front-mounted unit used on the Testarossa’s predecessors (the 365 & 512 BB ranges 1973-1984) and that both simplified the plumbing and reduced the heat-soak into the cabin.  Ferrari applied the strakes to subsequent models but public opinion was always divided and the trend didn’t persist although their aerodynamic properties ensured their continued use on racing cars.

1962 Ford Mustang V4 concept car (left) and the 1964½ production version (right).

Carrozzeria Pininfarina didn’t invent either the concept of strakes nor even the particular form in which they appeared on the Testarossa.  Used for decades on aircraft fuselages to direct airflow, side-mounted grills in various shapes and locations had become common on mid-engined racing and road cars since the 1960s and fake versions appeared too, the original Ford Mustang featuring an entirely non-functional pair in a nod to the 1962 concept car with a mid-mounted V4.  On the original they had actually ducted air and on the production version, racers did find the affectation handy, modifying it to assist with brake cooling.

Willy Koenig’s take on the Ferrari Boxer.

By comparison, the Testarossa’s strakes were a more dominant part of the coachwork and clearly exaggerated to the point where they became a motif.  The blame for this unfortunate style has been attributed to German publisher Willy König (b 1938 (and in the English-speaking world usually spelt Koenig)) who turned his hobby of racing cars into a business, modifying a variety of machines for those who sought either more performance or a more distinctive appearance than that which came from the factory.  The strakes were one of his first flourishes in fibreglass, appearing circa 1975 on his own Ferrari 365 GT4 BB and soon on customers’ cars too.  His strakes and other modifications were much emulated during the 1980s, proliferating curiously on front-engined cars and there was apparently a receptive market which endures to this day in a niche, well-preserved genuine Koenig cars now having a cult-following, sometimes referred to as "drug-dealer chic".  It's an unfortunate association and most unfair to Herr Koenig who deserves fondly to be remembered for the remarkable and extreme machines his operation produced over decades. 

Koenig-modified Ferrari Testarossa, sans strakes.

Later, Koenig would, presumably as an ironic touch, add his custom touch to the Testarossa, removing the strakes to leaving reveal two gaping apertures.

Fibreglass after-market strakes in the 1980s: Some were worse than others.

1995 Ford F-350 XLT (7.3 litre Power Stroke V8, Crew Cab "Dually") with strakes.  

Few lamented the passing of the 1980s fad for glued-on strakes on Jaguar XJSs, Mercedes-Benz SECs, Porsche 911s and such and probably nobody expected a revival on a Ford F-350 ("Dually"), a large pick-up truck even by US standards.  The incongruity of the Testarossa's signature feature appearing on such a thing will polarise opinion but, because it's fitted with Ford's not quite indestructible but legendarily durable 7.3 litre (444 cubic inch) Power Stroke diesel V8 (1993-2003), many will forgive anything.  Whether the choice to fit the strakes was intended to be something ironic isn't known but, given the elongation on such a long chassis, they probably work better than than the stunted units applied in the 1980s on so many unfortunate coupés.  At this scale, it's almost an art deco motif.

Lindsay Lohan, straked by sunlight & shadow.