On the whole braking issue.
First, the 787-B was in an era BEFORE carbod disks. It would have been using a ceramic disk, with carbon metalic pads. WHich generate EXTREME amounts of heat. Far more then carbon brakes at present do.
Also, those are most definatly cooling disks. They have been used in Group-C and Group-B racing for quite some time. From the mid 70's on up to the early 90's untill carbon pads, and direct brake ducting became more common.
The biggest thing to realize is that aerodynamics back in the 80's where nothing like what they are today. And teh design modes are complete different. Not to mention the diggerence in rules, and what was allowed to be run, and what was needed to run. For example, you wouldent see an older Group-C car, or a Can-Am car running a 20" wheel like we see on the Bently LMP's or Audi RS8's. Plus back then they didnt think about the ducting working with the aerodynamics of the car. The idea was to make the car as slipper through teh air as possible, and present the air with the smoothest, cleanest face possible. Putting an air-vent on the car wont make it have a slippery profile to the air. And adding a NACA duct ont eh side of the car wouldent work, as around the nose a low pressure area would form preventing the NACA duct from pulling air in. So, they used the "aero wheels" to suck the air in through the cooling veins, to keep the ceramic disks cool and prevent them from glassing over.
Once rules changed, and the emphasis was not as much on flat out top speed, as it was on low drag coefficient, and high cornering and braking, then putting duct work in the front was no problem.
Its all about inovating for what you need.
