Last week we learned of the passing away of Derek Gardner, one of the leading Formula 1 designers of the 1970s. During his spell as chief engineer at Tyrrell, he designed the cars that brought Sir Jackie Stewart the final two of his three World Championships. His most famous design is, however, the Tyrrell P34 Cosworth first shown to the public late in 1976. To date this is the only six-wheeled Formula 1 car to have ever won a Grand Prix. This achievement did not come easy as the unusual layout required some getting used to for both the engineers and drivers. Unfortunately the success was short-lived as the program suffered from the lack of development of the bespoke 10-inch front tyres. After two years the P34 was abandoned and Tyrrell switched back to a more conventional machine with just four wheels. Disappointed, Gardner left Tyrrell and Formula 1 altogether to work as a director for the Borg-Warner company. In recent years, the legacy of the P34 has been further buffed up by the historic racing exploits of especially Martin Stretton. After Avon had been convinced to produce tyres for the six-wheeled Tyrrell, he became a regular winner in the P34. Several other examples have since then returned to the track.
To honour the memory of Derek Gardner, we have completely overhauled our P34 article.The completely revised model history is illustrated by a spectacular 42-shot gallery of five different P34s. They are pictured in action at Monaco, Silverstone, Goodwood and Laguna Seca.

Enjoy the links:

1976 - 1977 Tyrrell P34 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information