It took longer than anybody would’ve expected or wanted – 34 years in fact – but the Covini C6W is finally taking shape and was in fact unveiled earlier this week. You have to say that those guys over at Covini don’t lack in patience and determination.
With so many delays that would put Gran Turismo 5 to shame, the six-wheeled supercar is gearing up for its close up after its last supposed release back in 2008 which was scuttled due to technical problems. The car had originally made an appearance at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. In fact, the Covini C6W project was first brought to light as early as 1974, but because of one problem or another – chief among them was the technology, or lack thereof at that time – the C6W never got off the ground.
However, thanks to a joint venture between Covini Engineering and PMI SpA, Ferruccio Covini’s brainchild of a supercar is finally ready for its close-up. It might have aged quite a bit through all those delays, but in the auto industry – as in life – there’s an adage that we always say that the C6W can proudly hold on to: better late than never.
Details after the jump.
Exterior and Interior
This much we can tell you: there’s nothing contemporary-looking about the C6W six-wheeled supercar. Measuring 4180mm x 1990mm x 1080 mm, the C6W looks like a mutated vehicle that spent a little too much time getting stretched. Despite it’s large build, the car weighs - surprisingly - less than 1,200 kg.
Another thing going for the 2+2 interior seater is that it has bodywork made from glass and carbon fiber. Then again, we’re used to seeing cars of this length with luxury limousines, but even those cars don’t come with six wheels. Speaking of wheels, the C6W comes with four 15” wheels with 205/45-15 tires on the front and 20” wheels with 345/25-20 tires on the rear. All six wheels come with vented Brembo brake discs with a Bosch servo and electronic brake distribution. According to Covini, the four front wheels allows the car to have increase braking, comfort, and directional stability. As for the interior, Covini used a two-color leather finish with aluminum insertions.
The cockpit’s ambiance is like no other. It’s a simple mix between simplicity and refinement. The visual impact is so strong to the usage of a two color leather and the aluminum insertions.
Performance
The six-wheeled machine is powered by a 4.2-liter Audi-sourced V8 engine that produces about 434hp and 346 lb/ft of torque and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. The car also comes with a steel tubular chassis with carbon fiber reinforcements and structural parts, as well as an independent front and rear wishbone suspension. All told, for a six-wheeler, the C6W is surprisingly light on its feet, capable of producing a top speed of well over 185 mph. Impressive to say the least.
Pricing
Covini has yet to reveal a price tag for their unique – and that’s putting it lightly – supercar, although if we’re going to venture a guess based on the materials used and the powertrain it comes in. We’ll take a stab and say that it should have a sticker price of somewhere around $75,000 or more.
Competition
To be honest, we really tried to think of a vehicle that can compete with the C6W. That is until we realized that there aren’t a lot of cars – the exotic kind, no less – that have six wheels on them. So yeah, chalk up the Covini C6W as a supercar unique to its own. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, well, we’re going to let you folks decide on that.
this Covini is so impressive and noticeable on its exterior appearance and good thing also that it has a very efficient engine.
Posted on
02.28.2012 @ 05:21