Covini C6W - Six-wheeled Supercar

Is this the future of all supercars?

There are many ultra exotics and supercars in the world, but this one is rather special, and the reasons are fairly obvious. No, you are not seeing double! This is the Covini C6W and it actually has six wheels - two at the back and four at the front. And no, its not some concept dreamed up by some mad car designer who has been cut off from the rest of the world, it is bona fide slated for production in the near future. 

The idea of having four wheels in the front steering the car isn't entirely new and dates back to the 60s. At the World Fair in 1963, Ford had showed off a landmark concept car called the Seattle-ite which featured the four wheels at the front and two at the back setup. The 70s saw the first fully functioning car with the same wheel setup in the form of the Tyrell P34 Formula One car. Covini's idea for a 6-wheeled supercar dates back to the same era, but thanks to advancements in modern technology has materialized just recently.

The advantages of having four wheels at the front are manifold. More wheels means more traction to go around corners faster and to brake deeper without the fear of the front end washing out. Also, 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 braking force to the road.

Ever seen a four wheels countersteering together?

The production-ready Covini C6W is almost identical to the original 2003 concept with regards to its external dimensions, which stand at 4180mm length, 1990mm width and 1080m height. In the middle of the car rests a 4.2-litre V8 engine from Audi which sends 440PS of power and 469 Nm of torque going to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. That coupled with a tubular steel spaceframe chassis and a carbon fibre body, both weighing in at just 1150kg, it's not hard to imagine that the C6W will have some serious oomph when you put your foot down.

The car has finally made its transition from concept to production thanks to Covini's new collaboration with PMI SpA and there is already talk of several new projects in the near future. As for how much the C6W will cost, no pricing has been announced yet, but don't expect it to be cheap by any means with prices rumoured to be around 400,000 US Dollars (approx Rs. 1.8crore). Is that too much to ask for from one of the world's most exclusive cars? Well, I think I'll just stick to the scale model.