Ferrari Sigma

Information

The Ferrari Sigma F1 concept was built by Pininfarina and Revue Automobile, with support from Fiat, Mercedes, and Enzo Ferrari himself, to display safety technologies. It was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 13, 1969, to showcase the safety improvements that were being talked about at the time. The name was inspired by the experimental safety vehicle built by Pininfarina, the 1963 PF Sigma, which had a similar objective, of showing innovations in safety. For the Ferrari Sigma, it was built from 312/66 chassis 011, winner of the 1966 Italian Grand Prix, and was designed by Paolo Martin.

The Ferrari Sigma was revealed at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show as a 'Future Car'. It is powered by a 3L V12 that creates 432 hp, put through a 5-speed transmission, and has a curb weight of only 590 kg (1301 lbs). As a 'Future Car', it was meant to be a demonstration of safety features, so it came as a stark contrast to the Ferrari 312/66, with its cigar shape it was based on. These safety innovations are standard today with things like a driver safety cell, multilayer fuel tanks, built-in fire extinguisher, plastic fuel tanks, 7-point seat belt, a wing that doubles as a roll bar, and sidepods built to stop wheels from catching each other. These safety features were all seen as important ways to curb the high death toll, which plagued F1 at the time. Not all of these safety features have moved into modern F1 cars, but this was a huge step forward in the push for safer racing. The Ferrari Sigma was last shown at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and is still owned by Pininfarina.