COVINI C36: the first Italian Diesel supercar to top 300 km/h!

Long before the VAG Group brought diesel sportiness to the fore with the Audi R8 TDI, Covini prototypes from the 80s and 90s were all powered by powerful diesel engines produced by VM Motori, the Italian diesel specialist.

After building a few prototypes for pleasure, Ferruccio Covini founded the company in 1978. Covini Engineeringa small company dedicated to building prototypes that favor experimentation and innovation over mass production.

B24 and T40, the pioneers

Covini began with the B24 Turbocooler, or Sirio, unveiled to the public in January 1981 at the Geneva Motor Show. Thanks to its composite body and steel frame, the car weighed just 1050 kg, and had a top speed of 205 km/h. It was designed to test new technologies, such as the air-liquid exchanger. The B24 was powered by a VM Motori I4 2.4-liter turbodiesel engine, developing 130 HP at 4,300 rpm. The B24 was produced in limited quantities for the American market, with around nine examples (including some BT424 models equipped with Lancia Gamma gasoline engines). It was the first diesel road vehicle to exceed 200 km/h, with a top speed of 205 km/h.

The Covini T40 Overboost followed in 1988 with a VM Motori 5-cylinder 3.5 L turbodiesel engine that produced 221 hp at 4,300 rpm and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds, for a top speed of 235 km/h.

C36 Turbotronic

Finally, in 1998, Covini presented the C36 Turbotronic at the Turin Motor Show. The car was quite visually appealing, with a sleek profile, faux Lotus-like front end and a rear end dominated by two pairs of three rounded headlights, somewhere between a Corvette and a Nissan GT R35.

The outer panels were made of carbon fiber, and the hard frame was steel. Brakes were fitted with Brembo 4-piston calipers and 305-mm discs on the front axle. The C36 is powered by a mid-mounted VM 3.8 turbodiesel 6-cylinder in-line engine with fuel injection.

Turbotronic referred to the technology unveiled by VM Motori in Milan in 1990. In addition to supercharging, their system used electronics to control combustion. It was used on many of the FIAT Group's diesel engines. The engine produced 313 hp at 4,200 rpm, with maximum thrust of 500 Nm at 2,100 rpm. The coupé was the first diesel car to break the 300 km/h barrier. Unfortunately, the C36 Turbotronic remained a prototype, with Covini then embarking on a new project. his strange six-wheeled C6W.