Carbon fibre monocoques — how they actually work (for non-engineers)

I work in composite materials engineering and I get asked constantly: why do supercars use carbon fibre tubs and what makes them special? Short version: a carbon fibre monocoque is a structural shell where the outer skin IS the chassis. Like an egg — enormously strong in compression relative to weight, light because you're not carrying a separate steel frame underneath. The McLaren F1's tub weighed 68kg. A comparable steel structure would weigh over 250kg. Modern examples like the Pagani Huayra use carbon-titanium composites — the titanium weave absorbs crash energy differently from pure carbon, improving safety in oblique impacts. What questions do you have? Happy to go deep on any aspect of this.