Covini's six wheeled sportscar

WHY SIX WHEELS?

The arguments for four front wheels are many - Tyrrell's aim with the P34 front-end layout was intended to '... minimize induced drag by reducing lift at the front and to turn that gain into the ability to enter and leave corners faster.'

In a roadgoing sense, the passive safety afforded by two front wheels at each corner means a front tyre puncture will not cause the vehicle to lose control (thanks to the other wheel next to it).

Then there's the additional stopping power afforded by four front discs and four tyre footprints to transmit the force - although the individual area of each tyre footprint is smaller than that of a traditional tyre, the total area is greater.

The designers also claim there is less risk of aquaplaning because the two foremost wheels clear the water for the ones behind them and allow better road adhesion.

Comfort is another consideration - less unsprung weight at each wheel allows the suspension to control wheel movement better and the overall ride benefits from more evenly distributed reaction forces in the suspension.

The drop in the individual unsprung weight of each wheel also offers much better grip and better directional stability - with a well-matched set of tyres, a six-wheeler can be expected to have higher cornering speeds than a four wheeler.

In the case of Formula 1, where aerodynamic efficiency is critical, the lower profile of the front wheels offers a theoretical advantage but whether that advantage was ever demonstrated with the Tyrrell P34 is arguable. Aerodynamic focus has shifted in recent decades to how a car leaves the air it passes through rather than the initial penetration of the air it is pushing out of the way. The high profile of the rear wheels of a Formula One car simply shifted the aerodynamic problems of the P34 rather than reducing them and the high-creativity and low-budget Tyrrell concern did not have the development resources available to work through all the new issues its design raised. Covini's collaborators in the project include DAEWOO (technological research on prototypes), BOSCH (electronic and braking system), BREMBO (brake system), MOMO (airbag and new technology), PIRELLI (special tyres and research), ANTERA (special ultra-light alloy wheels) and POLITECNICO DI MILANO (optimization of the chassis set-up).

...continued