One of the strangest sights ever seen in a Grand Prix was the six-wheeled Tyrrell Project 34, which competed in 1976 and 1977. Its four 10in (25.4cm) front wheels were designed to reduce drag and give improved cornering and braking due to the larger tyre ‘contact patch’. In the hands of Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler, this motoring oddity proved surprisingly effective in its first season, its finest hour being at the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
The brainchild of Tyrrell designer Derek Gardner, the P34 was not definitely earmarked for a Formula One future until the prototype showed such promise in testing against the standard car that race versions were hurriedly built. The car made its debut at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, but it was in Sweden that it came of age.
Scheckter, a winner at Anderstorp in 1974, caused a sensation by putting the Tyrrell on pole, but hopes of a famous victory were dashed when Mario Andretti made a flying start. Andretti proceeded to gain half a second per lap on the South African and it looked as though the Tyrrell was destined to finish no higher than runner-up. By lap 28 Andretti was leading by a comfortable nine seconds, but then it was announced that he had received a one-minute penalty for jumping the start. The penalty pushed him back to eleventh and although he fought his way up to sixth, he retired on lap 46 with an oil leak. Andretti’s punishment left Scheckter in command and he drove a steady race ahead of his team-mate. Depailler was pressed for a while by Chris Amon until the New Zealander went off in front of the stands. From fifth on the grid, the Ferrari of reigning champion Niki Lauda was unable to make any impression on the two Tyrrells and had to settle for third place, 12 seconds behind Depailler and 31 seconds behind winner Scheckter. Jacques Lafitte was fourth in a Ligier with James Hunt fifth in a McLaren.
Following this magnificent one-two, the Tyrrells continued to perform admirably throughout the season, Scheckter and Depailler finishing third and fourth respectively in the World Championship. Tyrrell continued with the experiment in 1977, when Ronnie Peterson replaced Scheckter, but the car was no longer as competitive, partly because tyre development for the smaller wheels was not as advanced as for conventional wheels. Consequently the concept was abandoned. March and Williams later tested cars with tandem rear wheels but neither actually raced, although the March did take part in hill climbs. Anyway in 1982 regulations restricted Formula One cars to four wheels. The six-wheeled revolution was over.