The Six Wheeled Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Car

I remember seeing this car on "Wide World of Sports" as a kid, in fact to this day, when I see this car I swear I can hear Jackie Stewart's voice.   Designed by Derek Gardiner in 1975, the theory behind the six wheels is pretty simple, braking and aerodynamics.  The ten inch front tires punch through the air much easier than a single pair of larger tires, and four fronts should offer more grip for better braking and handling.  Indeed, the car scored a one two finish at the Swedish Grand Prix, and posted good results it's first season.  Unfortunately, because nobody else was using these unique tires, development suffered and Tyrrell was forced to use uncompetitive tires which limited the cars success's.  In historic racing against it's contemporaries however it has been vindicated, having achieved excellent results.  To me as a kid, such an exotic looking car festooned with the huge words ELF, could not have been cooler.  I suspect I am not alone as the f34 is one of the most popular vintage racing cars around, and always gets an enthusiastic response.

Fun extra, Jackie Stewart Testing the P34 back in the day, very cool footage, check out Jackie's hot 70's lady Linky Link Link