The Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 car will be launched/The Drive
There are a surprising number of ways to legally drive a six-wheeler. Mercedes-AMG's G63 6×6, Hennessey's Velociraptor 6×6 and many dual-wheel drive pickups will give you two more wheels than anyone else on the road. What about the track?
Well, if your pockets are deep enough, you can double the number of wheels with this legendary 1977 Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 car, which will be on display at RM Sotheby's auction in Monaco on May 10 and 11, ahead of the city's annual historic Grand Prix, writes The Drive.
However, this particular P34 was not built in the 70s and never took part in Formula 1 races. Instead, he was built in the 2000sfrom chassis #8, an unused 1977 P34 chassis. However, it has a period-correct Ford-Cosworth DFV engine and Hewland manual transmission, like all other P34s and most F1 cars of the era.
It also won the Monterey Historics and is eligible for other such events, so it is still an authentic piece of F1 history, even if it never competed in a Grand Prix. It is currently part of the collection of driver Jody Schecter.
The Tyrrell P34 is one of the most iconic cars in Formula 1, but not because of its characteristics, but because of its unusual design. Derek Gardner, one of Tyrrell's designers at the time, came up with the concept of a six-wheeler to reduce front-end lift.
Four tiny P34 tires stayed within the width of the body, but still provided the same size contact patch for traction. Technically, it worked and, according to Gardner, gave the car the equivalent of 40 extra horsepower.
However, in practice it was not as effective as in theory. Under ideal conditions, the six-wheel setup was excellent for traction and aerodynamics, but made braking a nightmare as the braking balance between the two front axles and one rear axle was incredibly difficult to calibrate.
< img class="aligncenter" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/97aa127ba7ec7b918ca26523e8b5bf3a.png" alt="One of Tyrrell's legendary six-wheeled Formula 1 P34 cars will be launched" />
According to Schecter, who drove the P34 to its only victory at the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix, it also lost traction in corners. The Tyrrell racers of that era had love/hate periods with the P34 and eventually the team had to stop the experiment after the 1977 season due to tire supply issues.
However, judge about the Tyrrell P34 based on its racing prowess isn't quite right. It was never a dominant car, and it was never very successful. Instead, it is the epitome of 1970s Formula 1 ingenuity and one of the most unique racing cars of all time.
One who can afford to become the winning bidder on this P34 will receive one of the coolest cars at every historic race meeting.