Six-Wheeled Covini - What's That About Then?
Italian supercar creator wants more than four wheels on his wagon...
Apparently the car, which has been a pet project of creator Ferrucio Covini since 1974 and is now being developed by his son Gianluca, offers several advantages over cars with a mere four wheels.
Not least among these is the assertion that "four front wheels offer the ability to get around a racetrack faster than ever before as better traction offers higher cornering speeds and deeper braking, particularly when the pavement is slippery or less than ideal".
There is also the increased stopping power of an extra set of discs, four tyre treads, and the increased passive safety afforded by two front wheels at each corner (which means a front tyre puncture will not cause the vehicle to lose control).
Perhaps part of the answer to that one is that six-wheeled cars have often been the creation of - how shall we put this politely? - somewhat eccentric folk.
As editor of Classic and Sports Jacket (and chum of PH) Alastair Clements succinctly puts it:"The biggest problem for Covini will be persuading enthusiasts that it is a serious proposition, not just a gimmick: history is peppered with six-wheeled laughing stocks, from the twin-turbo Caddy V8-powered Panther Six (see above) - good for 200mph (yeah, right) - to William Towns' delightfully unhinged Mini-based, plywood-bodied Hustler (with its four wheels at the back).
"There must be some technical merit to the layout, however, or various Formula 1 teams wouldn't have experimented with it, most memorably with the Tyrrell P34. But then in that case designer Derek Gardner was using smaller wheels to reduce drag, something that isn't an issue with a fully enclosed supercar."
Our favourite bits? Jankel's confident assertion that the Six would be "in production in the early part of next year". Or possibly the presenter's explanation of the advantages of a car having six wheels: "Under heavy braking on a wet road the front wheels lock up, leaving a dry track for the next set of wheels to grip". Ermmm... right...
ks! 
apparently?
apparently?
interesting to see the tyrell six wheeler's main advantage being stated as low drag again, derek gardner had admitted a few times that was a complete myth-from the begining they were chasing increased front end grip improved braking power though apparently the lower front end did contribute to less lift on the front end.
However, i am guessing this weighs quite a bit more than a conventional set up so in theory it can generate more lateral grip from its greater contact area but in my opinion that heigher levels of grip could be generated by increasing front end downforce on a convential set up which would be simpler, lighter and cheaper.
Im shooting a bit from the hip here as that is only my idea on the theory but in my opinion its a gimick and an ugly one at that.
Still, it is probably just a prototype at this stage - it certainly only looked up to prototype standard when I saw it in the supercar paddock. The interior was of especially poor quality. I doubt they would have gotten much in their order book that weekend.
It does work. See my vehicle below...
http://tbg.150m.com/otherval70.html
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