One of the more oddball creations at the recent Goodwood FoS was this, the Covini C3A, a six-wheeled supercar with an 1150kg kerb weight, a 500bhp 4.2-litre Audi V8 and a 190mph top speed.
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).
When you put it that way, why don't all cars have six wheels, Gianluca?
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."
In all honesty, then, we're not entirely convinced of the benefits of six wheels, but it does afford us the opportunity to post a link to
this fabulous video of a wide-lapelled fellow interviewing Panther boss Bob Jankel
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...
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