There is another 90-degree gear connection on the rear axle, which transfers the torque from the short longitudinal driveshaft to the latitudinal rear axle. However, this is not an ordinary gear connection; this is a special type of mechanism called a differential:

What does a differential do? First, it is important to understand one of the fundamental issues of the car-style drive system. When a car steers, it makes a wide, arcing turn, in which the outside wheels travel more distance than the inside wheels. Therefore, the outside wheels must drive faster to compensate for the increased distance they travel. If the drive wheels are connected by a solid axle, the engine will supply both wheels with the same amount of torque at all times. This means that both drive wheels will always rotate at the same speed, which is an issue because the car will resist turning.

The differential solves this problem by allowing the two drive wheels to spin at different speeds while the motors power them. A pinion gear (in this case, the sand-colored 20-tooth bevel gear) transfers power to the large ring gear on the grey differential housing. This type of 90-degree setup is called a ring-and-pinion gear set.

There are three small sand-colored conical gears inside the differential housing. Each of the rear wheels is connected to its own half of the rear axle; the two halves are semi-independent of one another, but linked together through the gear mesh between these three gears.  The right conical gear is directly connected to the right half of the rear axle, the left conical gear is connected to the left half, and the center conical gear is mounted directly on the differential housing. The center gear is able to rotate freely while moving with the differential housing, which is what allows the differential to change the rotation speed of each half of the rear axle to meet the speeds necessary to make the turn.

There are different types of differentials. The type used here is called an open differential because it allows the two halves of the axle to rotate and change speed freely. This is the simplest type of differential, but the disadvantage is that if one wheel gets stuck or lifts off the ground, the torque will always take the path of least resistance and the car will become stranded. A limited-slip differential solves this issue, but is more complicated. Because the Falcon typically keeps all of its wheels planted firmly on the ground at all times, an open differential is sufficient.

The differential is an excellent piece of smart hardware that is used in real-world cars because it adds a passive intelligence to the drivetrain by varying the torque sent to each wheel to allow for smooth turning. After the differential, the torque makes it to each of the rear wheels through their respective halves of the rear axle, allowing the Falcon to drive.