Covini C6W
Encyclopedia
C6W is an Italian
2-seat, 2-door sports coupé
with a removable roof section. Inspiration for the car was taken from the 1976 Tyrrell P34
, which had two pairs of smaller front wheels, a principle applied to the C6W. The project was started in 1974 but abandoned shortly after, and left dormant into the 1980s due to the lack of availability of low-profile tires at the time. In 2003 the project was revived and in 2004 the C6W was shown in prototype form. In 2005 a slightly revised version debuted at the Salon International de l'Auto, featuring new wheels, new roof structure and a refreshed interior, and went into limited production of 6-8 cars per year, as a result of a tie-up between PMI
and Covini Engineering
. The car features a rear, 4200 cc 8-cylinder engine and has a top speed of 186 mi/h.
Because there are four front tyres, there is less chance of loss of control due to one front tire deflating as well as less risk of aquaplaning due to the front axle set clearing the road for the following axle set. In addition, having six wheels instead of four produces better braking due to 100% more contact patch and braking components on front axles and better grip. The manufacturer claims the design produces less understeer
than conventional designs, and suspension produces less turbulence from potholes and bumps in the road because of the increased surface area. It is hypothesised the increased grip of each tyre may mean that the car can achieve greater cornering speeds.
However, having more wheels means more tyres, brake pads, rotors, wearable front suspension components to maintain, plus more time intensive front tire rotation procedure (dismount and remount four directional tires on opposite side, drive tires are not able to be rotated to front due to size difference).
Although the car is very light overall, at less than 1200 kg (2,646 lb), the added weight of additional wheels and steering effort result in less steering feedback to driver than a car of comparable performance using conventional design.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
2-seat, 2-door sports coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
with a removable roof section. Inspiration for the car was taken from the 1976 Tyrrell P34
Tyrrell P34
The Tyrrell P34 , otherwise known as the "six-wheeler", was a Formula One race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer....
, which had two pairs of smaller front wheels, a principle applied to the C6W. The project was started in 1974 but abandoned shortly after, and left dormant into the 1980s due to the lack of availability of low-profile tires at the time. In 2003 the project was revived and in 2004 the C6W was shown in prototype form. In 2005 a slightly revised version debuted at the Salon International de l'Auto, featuring new wheels, new roof structure and a refreshed interior, and went into limited production of 6-8 cars per year, as a result of a tie-up between PMI
PMI
-Computer science:* Portable Management Interface, a platform-dependent interface defined by Sun Microsystems used in network management* pmi , a command line utility for power management...
and Covini Engineering
Covini Engineering
Covini Engineering is an Italian car manufacturer that was formed in 1978 by Ferruccio Covini. The company is generally best known for the Covini C6W, a 6-wheeled sports car that has two axles in the front of the car....
. The car features a rear, 4200 cc 8-cylinder engine and has a top speed of 186 mi/h.
Advantages and disadvantages of six wheeled design
The C6W was built with safety, increased braking, and directional stability in mind.Because there are four front tyres, there is less chance of loss of control due to one front tire deflating as well as less risk of aquaplaning due to the front axle set clearing the road for the following axle set. In addition, having six wheels instead of four produces better braking due to 100% more contact patch and braking components on front axles and better grip. The manufacturer claims the design produces less understeer
Understeer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Simply put, oversteer is what occurs when a car turns by more than the amount commanded by the driver...
than conventional designs, and suspension produces less turbulence from potholes and bumps in the road because of the increased surface area. It is hypothesised the increased grip of each tyre may mean that the car can achieve greater cornering speeds.
However, having more wheels means more tyres, brake pads, rotors, wearable front suspension components to maintain, plus more time intensive front tire rotation procedure (dismount and remount four directional tires on opposite side, drive tires are not able to be rotated to front due to size difference).
Although the car is very light overall, at less than 1200 kg (2,646 lb), the added weight of additional wheels and steering effort result in less steering feedback to driver than a car of comparable performance using conventional design.
Construction
- Drive wheels: RWD
- Construction: FiberglassFiberglassGlass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
and carbon fiberCarbon fiberCarbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
body over tubular steel frameSteel frameSteel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame... - Front brakes: BremboBremboBrembo S.p.A. is a manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. It was established in Bergamo, Italy in 1961. Soon after the company was formed, it specialised in disc brakes, which were exclusively imported from the United Kingdom at the time...
disc brakes, with ABSAnti-lock braking systemAn anti-lock braking system is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore avoiding skidding.An ABS generally offers... - Fuel feed: Direct petrol injection
- Total displacement: 4.2 L (256.3 in³)
- Maximum power: 440 PS @ 6400 rpm
- Maximum torque: 470 newton metre @ 2700 rpm
- V8: built by Audi
See also
- Tyrrell P34Tyrrell P34The Tyrrell P34 , otherwise known as the "six-wheeler", was a Formula One race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer....
- Covini EngineeringCovini EngineeringCovini Engineering is an Italian car manufacturer that was formed in 1978 by Ferruccio Covini. The company is generally best known for the Covini C6W, a 6-wheeled sports car that has two axles in the front of the car....
- Covini B24 Turbocooler
- Covini T40
External links
- CoviniC6W.com - Future dedicated home for the C6W.
- Covini Engineering - official Covini website.
- Covini C6W - official microsite
- Gizmag article on the C6W
- Covini C6W - Seriouswheels.com
- Covini C6W information - Supercars.net
- http://www.pmi-spa.com/covini-pmi-c6w/index.htm - PMI SpA - Manufactured workshop