Williams rolls out the six-wheeler

It's celebration day for Williams as the iconic British Grand Prix team commemorates its 40 years in Formula 1 with a day of festivities at Silverstone.

The team is wheeling out a huge number of cars and many Williams drivers, past and present, will be on hand to display and demonstrate the outfit's extraordinary heritage.

In 1982, Williams took a different approach to the six-wheel concept than had been pioneered by Tyrrell a few years earlier.

The added wheels at the rear of the FW08B - which was based on Williams' previous exercise on the theme, the FW07D - brought increased traction but also a huge amount of extra weight.

The six-wheel design also enjoyed another unexpected feature:  in wet conditions slick tyres could be used on the rearmost axle because the road those wheels were running on was swept sufficiently clear of water by the tyres in front!

Ultimately however, the FIA had the last word and banned the car for 1983.

Apparently, some very competitive times were set in testing with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg and Jonathan Palmer. Just how fast it would have been remains a mystery.