Covini C6W six-wheel supercar ready for production
What has an Audi V8 engine, a top speed of 300km/h, has been in development for the past three decades, and, oh, has six wheels? It’s the Covini C6W: the world’s first six-wheeled supercar.
Manufactured by Italian company Covini Engineering, the C6W was unveiled in production-ready form at the Racing Professional Motor Show in Bologna over the weekend.
The vehicle draws inspiration from the six-wheeled Tyrell P34 Formula 1 racing car, which made history when it finished first and second in the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix.
The C6W is powered by a rear-mounted 4.2-litre V8 with 325kW and 470Nm of torque.
The six-speed manual transmission transfers power to the 20in rear wheels. The four front wheels (all 15in) are responsible for the steering. All six wheels feature vented Brembo brake discs.
The body is made of lightweight fibreglass and carbon fibre, leading to an overall vehicle mass of 1150kg.
The vehicle’s head designer, company founder Ferruccio Covini, says the six-wheel configuration has a number of advantages, including reduced understeer, a reduced risk of front tyres deflating and a reduced risk of aquaplaning, as well as improved grip, braking, comfort and absorption of frontal impact.
Obvious disadvantages to the configuration include increased maintenance of tyres, brake pads, rotors and front suspension components. It is also said that the additional wheels and increased steering effort lead to reduced steering feedback.
Covini is yet to release availability and pricing details of the C6W, but the C6W will go into production on what is expected to be a small scale.
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