The Stig Drives Tyrrell's Infamous Six-Wheel Formula 1 Car

The Tyrrell P34 is one of the most infamous Formula 1 cars of all time, and thanks to Ben Collins (the best-known Stig during the Clarkson Top Gear era), we now know what it was like to drive. These days, Collins spends his time driving racing icons, which is an even better gig.

If you're a younger Formula 1 fan, you might not know about the ridiculous six-wheeler, but it was built during the 1970s when the FIA's Formula 1 regulations book was more of a pamphlet with some loose guidelines. One of the new guidelines for the 1976 season was a smaller front wing. It could be no longer than 59 inches, which meant the front wheels would stick out, creating an aerodynamic nightmare.

So, Tyrrell's lead designer, Derek Gardner, studied the regulations carefully. He needed smaller tires to fit behind the smaller front wing, but these miniature tires wouldn't provide enough grip. So he put another axle on the front and created the six-wheeler.

These tires were a mere 10 inches in diameter, and to put that into perspective, the Lamborghini Urus has 17.3-inch brake discs. The P34 made its debut at the tail end of the '75 season. Like today, Formula 1 teams back then also started the development of the next season's cars about midway through the previous season.

Other F1 teams had a nice chuckle at Jody Scheckter, Patrick Depailler, and Ronnie Peterson but stopped laughing when Scheckter and Depailler scored a one-two at the Swedish Grand Prix. All in, the P34 raced 30 times and secured 14 podiums and three fastest laps. Several other manufacturers started developing six-wheelers, but the FIA changed the rules in '78, stating that all cars must have four wheels.

Such is life in Formula 1. As we mentioned before in an opinion piece, creative interpretation is one of the hallmarks of the sport. A brilliant engineer sees a gap, and the FIA closes it. The most recent example was Merc's brilliant DAS system, while the most notorious of all was the banning of the Brabham BT46 fan car. At least Gordon Murray eventually got his own back with the GMA T.50.

Getting a modern, experienced driver's take on an old Formula 1 car is fascinating. Remember, it was built at a time when a helmet was considered adequate protection against all incidents. Formula 1 only started taking driver safety seriously after Senna's death in 1994, many years later.

Out of interest, the P34 competed in the 1976 season in which the late Niki Lauda had a negative encounter with a fire at the Nurburgring, which gave James Hunt enough wiggling room to score his one and only championship by one point. If you watch Rush, you'll see the P34 in several shots.

We don't want to take away from how dangerous the sport still is, but the gladiators competing during this perilous era operated on an entirely different level, and the genius engineering behind creations like the P34 only engenders greater respect.