STORY OF THE DAY: Ferrari’s Six-Tyre Experiment

On 10 March 1977, Niki Lauda tested Ferrari’s experimental 312 T6 number 11 at Fiorano. It was a private development session, not a race, and formed part of Formula One’s brief fascination with unconventional wheel arrangements following the appearance of Tyrrell’s six-wheeled P34.

Unlike the Tyrrell, the Ferrari used four wheels carrying six tyres: conventional fronts and paired tyres on each side of a single rear axle. The concept sought to place the engine’s power through smaller rear tyres while controlling deformation, but testing revealed handling and suspension difficulties. The project was abandoned without racing.

The T6 was derived from the 312 T2 and retained Ferrari’s flat-12 engine and transverse transmission. Its defining feature was the unusually wide dual-tyre rear arrangement, which demanded specialized hubs, suspension geometry and bodywork. It remained an experimental branch rather than the basis of Ferrari’s next competition car.

Austrian driver Lauda combined exceptional speed with a methodical understanding of vehicle development. By 1977 he was a World Champion and Ferrari’s principal technical reference, making him the natural choice to evaluate an unconventional prototype. His comparative testing helped show that the established T2 offered the more effective route.