Unique Cars, One-Offs, and Ill-fated Designs
- Thread starter KekeTheKing
- Start date
Incubus
Champion Elect
Enzo Ferrari in the 1985-86 period ordered ordered Gustav Brunner to design a car built to the CART series specififications and the result was the creation of the 637 Turbo-charged V8.
Although the car bears a strong resemblance to the F1/87 and its creation was commissioned as a result of Enzo's unhappiness at what was then due to become future engine regulations, Alboreto did test at Fiorano and it did appear that the Commendatore seriously thought of entering the Indy 500.
Although the car bears a strong resemblance to the F1/87 and its creation was commissioned as a result of Enzo's unhappiness at what was then due to become future engine regulations, Alboreto did test at Fiorano and it did appear that the Commendatore seriously thought of entering the Indy 500.
Does anyone other than me remember the ugly Cosworth F1 car that looked like a rolling door stop, had fuel in panniers, and had the driver's head sticking up high enough to be hit by all and sundry?
FB,
Yes, that's the eyesore.
Yes, that's the eyesore.
The way those wheels are lined up in the Ferrari photo one set of them can't have any axles.
Looking back at these pictures makes you wonder what could have happened if 6 wheels became the norm. Would that have trickled down into roadcar use? I bet Goodyear could be kicking themselves, missing out on the option to sell the car owner 6 tyres instead of 4.
On the road car 6 wheeler thing, it would have been funny to see all manner of 4 and 5 wheel configurations after the inevitable road hazards did in one or more of the tires before the driver bothers to bring it in for repairs.
Blog Zbod
Podium Finisher
The P34 was the immediate inspiration for the Panther 6:
The designer reckoned the majority of all supercar crashes were due to the driver running out of talent and square into "irretrievable oversteer." The quad front wheels/brakes were supposed to correct that.
It was built around a twin-turbo Cadillac-sourced 8.2L V8, and featured an aircon so powerful, Its designer reckoned an Arab sheik could drive it across the desert with the top down and still remain frosty. And it was symmetrical everywhere possible, even under the bonnet. Front and rear wheels were different diameters, so one of each was stored spanning the car's centreline, so's not to unbalance the symmetry.
The Covini C6W has been on-again, off-again (mostly off) since the days of the P34, and still is a gleam in Ferruccio Covini's eye.
My guess is neither has found an abundance of market interest.
EDIT:
And let us not forget that there are places on earth where a 6-wheeled "dualie" is a more prestigious ride than a Bentley.
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rufus_mcdufus
Champion Elect
Oh my god I'd forgotten about the Panther 6. That probably won a few Top Trump rounds somewhere.
Blog Zbod
Podium Finisher
Williams designer Robin Herd looked over the Tyrrell 34 and decided the whole idea was daft because the rear wheels contributed significantly more to the car's total drag profile, as much as 40%. Plus, he thought the extra grip would be more beneficial at the rear, and running four front wheels at the rear would spare them the tyre development problems of the Tyrrell design. So Herd sketched out a design with tandem rear wheels and pitched it to his partner, Max Mosley. He sold Mad Max on the idea, in no small part because Max already had seen how much attention the P34 had brought to Tyrrell, and he was counting on a 6-wheeled March to bring in more sponsorship. So Max gave the go-ahead. But when they began cobbling together the car, and realised how expensive its execution would be, they began making cost-cutting compromises. Those compromises led to reliability and performance problems, which prevented it being ready for prime time before 6-wheelers altogether were banned. It did get one session in the wet, and the driver reported it had incredible traction because the leading rear tyre effectively swept the tarmac clear of water, giving the trailing rear tyre a near dry surface.
But as in most things, F1 didn't "invent" the 6-wheeled race car. In 1938, Englishman George Eyston contested the world land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 6-wheeled car named Thunderbolt. And the 6-wheeled Pat Clancy Special was run at Indianapolis in 1948&49.
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Olivier
Race Winner
Williams FW15C CVT
Co-developed by Williams and Renault, the mighty FW15C was mated to a VDT transmission. D. Coulthard set some spectacular times at Silverstone. Williams was King of the Hill in the early 90's and this car would have given them an extra edge coming the 94' season. Hearing the sound of the engine was an out-of-this-world experience as its v10 was screaming all over the place. FIA quickly banned the concept.
It seems Renault is always at the forefront of engine development ...
Co-developed by Williams and Renault, the mighty FW15C was mated to a VDT transmission. D. Coulthard set some spectacular times at Silverstone. Williams was King of the Hill in the early 90's and this car would have given them an extra edge coming the 94' season. Hearing the sound of the engine was an out-of-this-world experience as its v10 was screaming all over the place. FIA quickly banned the concept.
It seems Renault is always at the forefront of engine development ...
That Williams if it had been allowed to run as designed would have destroyed everything, possibly even have set lap records that still wouldn't have been broken today. The engine and box coupled with the active suspension could possibly be the finest piece of F1 engineering ever!
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