Lower, wider, more powerful

In 1976, the Pirelli house organ Fatti e Notizie tells employees about the invention of low-profile tyres, of which the P7 is the most spectacular example: “The continuous and constant increase in the specific power of engines has always influenced the development and evolution of car tyres. The problem of ensuring maximum road holding in all conditions, with the same tyre life, can be solved in only one way: by changing the tyre profile and pattern to increase the size of the footprint area. This can be achieved in two ways. It can be extended, but this would mean raising the side of the tyre and thus also the centre of gravity of the car, or it can be widened. This latter solution is the best way for achieving the goal of greater grip.”