Tyrrell P34 - Continuation of a legend
01/25/2022
In 1976, one racing car attracted far more attention in Formula 1 than any other: the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Driven by Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler, the monoposto designed by Derek Gardner finished third in the manufacturers' standings. The race car achieved one victory, 14 podium finishes and one pole position in 30 races, around half of which were in its second year with a modified P34B variant.
Although driver Scheckter was not very enthusiastic about the six-wheel Tyrrell, as the racing car often broke down, the results were good overall for such a revolutionary design. The car ran better in the first year, when the tires were better suited to the chassis. As money was an issue, the cars that had not crashed in the first season were rebuilt for the second season.
When the American gentleman racer Jonathan Holtzman, who apparently has a soft spot for innovative Formula 1 cars, wanted to buy a 1976 P34, he had no luck. So, without further ado, he decided to rebuild the car.
Thanks to successful negotiations with the descendants of Ken Tyrrell, he was able to secure the rights to the replica, meaning that the two six-wheel racing cars, which took many thousands of hours to build, are now genuine "continuations" with chassis numbers 009 and 010.
And the car looks just as special and attractive as it did when it competed against Ferrari, McLaren and the like. It is definitely an asset at historic racing events.
If you want to see this for yourself, please refer to the collection of excellent photos by Stuart Adams .
