The Tyrrell P34 (Project 34), commonly known as the "six-wheeler", was a Formula One (F1) race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer.
The P34 was introduced in September 1975 and began racing in the 1976 season. It proved successful and led other teams to begin design of six-wheeled platforms of their own. Changes to the design made for the 1977 season made it uncompetitive, and the concept was abandoned for Tyrrell's 1978 season. The other six-wheeled designs ended development, and F1 rules later stipulated that cars must have four wheels in total. The cars later had some success in various "classics" race events, but today are museum pieces.
Race history
thumb|left|Ken Tyrrell inspecting the P34. Note the [[airbox on the top, which were banned for the 1976 season onwards.]]
thumb|left|The Tyrrell P34 being driven by [[Jody Scheckter at the 1976 German Grand Prix]]
thumb|left|A -spec. Tyrrell P34B at the [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone Classic event in 2008]]
1976
The stretched versions first ran in the Spanish GP in and proved to be very competitive. Both Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler produced good results with the car, but while Depailler praised the car continually, Scheckter was unimpressed.
1977
For 1977, Scheckter was replaced by Ronnie Peterson, and the P34 was redesigned for cleaner aerodynamics, and some redesign was done on Peterson's car to accommodate his height. The P34B was wider and heavier than before, and, although Peterson was able to string some promising results from the P34B, as was Depailler, it was clear the car was not as good as before. Tyrrell blamed the problems on the increased weight, now over the F1 minimum. This placed more strain on the brakes and made it struggle through the corners. held at Goodwood House, West Sussex and the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort at the Zandvoort circuit.
Other six-wheeled Formula One cars
While the Tyrrell P34 is the most widely known six-wheeled F1 car, it was not the only one. The March Engineering, Williams and Scuderia Ferrari teams also built experimental six-wheeled F1 chassis; however, all of these had four wheels at the back rather than at the front like the P34. The Williams FW07D and FW08B, and the March 2-4-0, had tandem rear wheels, which reduced drag by using the smaller front wheels and tyres in place of the typical larger rear wheels. The Ferrari 312T6 featured the four rear wheels on a single axle. This was similar to how Auto Union increased traction with its Type-D Grand Prix cars in the 1930s. Despite extensive testing, neither the March, Williams, nor the Ferrari, were ever raced. In 1983, the FIA prohibited cars with four<!-- please do not change this to six; four is correct - see talk page --> driven wheels from competing. Later, the Formula 1 regulations required four as the maximum number of wheels allowed.
<gallery mode="packed">
Image:Tamiya TyrrellP34.JPG|Tyrrell P34 at Tamiya's headquarters
Image:TyrrellP34ScheckterDepaillerExhSinsheim.JPG|The P34 on display
Image:Tyrrell P34 Detail Cockpit.JPG|The cockpit of the P34
Image:Ronnie Peterson Tyrrell P34 Paddock BH 77.jpg|Ronnie Peterson driving the P34 at the 1977 Race of Champions
</gallery>
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
|-
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! Tyres
! Drivers
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! Points
! WCC
|-
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"| Elf Team Tyrrell
|rowspan="3"| P34
|rowspan="3"| Cosworth DFV<br>V8 NA
|rowspan="3"|
||
|| BRA
|| RSA
|| USW
|| ESP
|| BEL
|| MON
|| SWE
|| FRA
|| GBR
|| GER
|| AUT
|| NED
|| ITA
|| CAN
|| USA
|| JPN
||
|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFDF9F;"|71*
|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFDF9F;"|3rd
|-
| Jody Scheckter
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#FBFFBF;"| 1
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
||
|-
| Patrick Depailler
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 7
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
||
|-
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"| Elf Team Tyrrell
|rowspan="3"| P34B
|rowspan="3"| Cosworth DFV<br>V8 NA
|rowspan="3"|
||
|| ARG
|| BRA
|| RSA
|| USW
|| ESP
|| MON
|| BEL
|| SWE
|| FRA
|| GBR
|| GER
|| AUT
|| NED
|| ITA
|| USA
|| CAN
|| JPN
|rowspan="3"|27
|rowspan="3"|5th
|-
| Ronnie Peterson
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 8
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 12
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 9
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 16
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|-
| Patrick Depailler
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 8
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 14
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> 13 points in scored using the Tyrrell 007
In media
The Tyrrell P34 was featured in the cartoon The Transformers as the vehicle converted into the Decepticon Stunticon known as Drag Strip. The car, shown sporting a yellow livery with red accents, was depicted as still being active in automotive races, despite the fact that the episode wherein it was stolen was produced and set in the mid-eighties.
The race car also made an appearance in the first episode of the 1993 anime series Moldiver and the 2013 film Rush.
Lupin is seen racing a version of the car in season 1 episode 11 of Lupin the Third Part II, "Bet on the Monaco Grand Prix (Who's Vroomin Who?)".
In season 4 of Phineas and Ferb, a car inspired by the Tyrell P34 is used in the episode "Live and Let Drive" by Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
In George Harrison's 1976 song "It's What You Value" from his album Thirty Three & 1/3, the lyrics mention "someone's driving a six wheeler," which is widely interpreted as a reference to the Tyrrell P34 Formula One car. This aligns with Harrison's known enthusiasm for motorsports.
Die-cast toys and model kits
Several die-cast and model kit manufacturers were made a replica of the P34:
- 1/64 scale die-cast models were made by Mini GT, Kyosho and Hot Wheels.
- A 1/43 scale model was made by Minichamps.
- 1/20 scale and larger 1/12 scale model kits based on the different specifications were made by Tamiya. A 1/10 scale remote-controlled model car is also available.
See also
- Ferrari 312T6
- March 2-4-0
- Williams FW07D
- Williams FW08B
References
External links
- Project 34 history website
- Article, Tech. Spec. gallery