Image: Russell Whitworth@flickr
The streets of Monte Carlo have seen every iteration of Formula 1 car over its illustrious history. From the cigar shaped racers of the fifties to the modern aerodynamic marvels of today, Monaco has pushed cars and their teams to the limit. Hit the jump for a brief look at one of the strangest cars to every grace the streets of the principality; the Tyrrell P34.
Formula 1 cars have always been at the cutting edge of automotive technology. Current F1 cars are marvels of modern computer design and extensive wind tunnel testing. As a result, modern F1 cars are quite similar in appearance to the casual observer and frequently the teams arrive at similar solutions in their attempts to increase the cars’ outright performance. This wasn’t always the case.
The disco and cocaine fueled decade of the 70s was probably the high point for dramatically innovative F1 cars, at least from a fan perspective. While the 80s and 90s saw incredible leaps forward in technology the appearance of the cars followed a more conservative evolutionary path. In contrast, the 70s saw numerous six wheeled prototypes and the Brabham BT46B “fan car”, which only managed on race before being outlawed.
The most successful of these unique cars was the Tyrrell P34.
In an attempt to increase front down force, provide a larger contact patch for the front tires and increase braking performance Tyrrell came up with an entirely unique design that stunned the Formula 1 world and became an instant fan favorite.
Tyrrell’s dramatic outside of the box thinking required that the car run specially designed 10″ diameter front tires. In it’s debut 1976 season the Tyrrell P34 was initially competitive but outright performance fell off later in the season as Goodyear simply didn’t want to spend the R&D money required improve the unique front tires.
Despite the lack of Goodyear support the Tyrrell P34 managed to finish second in the constructor’s championship, scoring a 1-2 finish at the Swedish Grand Prix and finishing second and third at Monaco, behind the Ferrari of Niki Lauda.
The lack of tires, as well as the increased weight and complexity of the four wheeled front end, ultimately doomed the Tyrrell P34, and the development of its six wheeled chassis ended in 1977.
I doubt that anyone would be able to argue that six wheeled cars were ever the future of Formula 1 but it is interesting to note that the Tyrrell P34 was good enough to take it’s drivers, Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler, to third and fourth in the driver’s championship in 1976. Let’s not forget 1976 was the year James Hunt and Niki Lauda had their epic duel so finishing behind those two and above the likes of Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi was no mean feat.
What did the Tyrrell P34 sound like when driven in anger?
1976 Monaco Grand Prix from Alex King on Vimeo.
This video really shows the front end of the Tyrrell P34 at work. It’s interesting that Depailler is driving without the cover over the cockpit, perhaps to show off the Tyrrell to best effect.
Monaco Grand Prix On-Board with the 1976 6-wheeled Tyrrell P34 from Alex King on Vimeo.
