Cars that prove six wheels are better than four… from huge £300k Hennessey VelociRaptor to £40k suave Panther 6

SIX-WHEEL cars have been been appearing on the road for decades - from Formula 1 cars to fire engines.

Most six-wheelers are off-roaders designed for tricky tasks - but luxury brands and race car engineers have also tried their hand at adding an extra pair.

While some six-wheel motors excelled on the road, some never made it off the test track.

Here are ten cars which prove that six wheels are better than four.

Foers Ibex 6x6

Based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Foex makes purpose-built off-road motors for fire services, foresters and farmers.

Its six-wheel Ibex model is often used by firefighters stationed at airports.

Panther 6

This suave two-seat open-top cruiser was launched in 1977 at the London Motorfair - but only two were ever made.

Priced at £39,950 - nearly £200,000 in today's money - it was more expensive than a Ferrari 512BB.

Hustler

This strange cuboid motor gave drivers a 360-degree view of their surroundings with its transparent doors.

Designer William Towns teamed up with British car maker Jensen Motors to make the motor, which was sold as an assembly kit from his home in Gloucestershire.

Drivers got into the car by opening its sliding windows and stepping in.

Williams FW07D

This six-wheel Formula 1 car raced ahead of its rivals during testing - before bosses banned it from the track.

F1 bosses decided that the four-wheel drive race car's ability to accelerate without wheelspin from a standing start gave it an unfair advantage.

They also feared that slotting dry tyres on its rearmost axle would give it an edge in wet weather.

Tyrrell P34

Another six-wheel Formula 1 car, the Tyrell P34 raced in the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix with two front axles.

Designed in top-secret conditions by Derek Gardner, it used special 10-inch Goodyear tyres.

The model won a one-two win by the time of its fourth race, but was retired the following season.

Citroën CX Loadrunner

Citroën made this elongated motor to deliver newspapers overnight at high speeds.

Faster than an HGV, it was popular in France and Belgium during the 1970s.

Kahn Defender Flying Huntsman

Priced at £250,000, this Land Rover-powered motor is built by British custom car maker Kahn Design.