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Four wheels good, six wheels better? One of the wildest racing cars in history could be yours.
One of the most iconic Formula One cars of all time – the six-wheel Tyrrell P34 race car of the late 1970s – will cross the auction block next month.
The unique design of the P34 was a creative solution to fit the front tyres within the span of the car’s front wing – lowering drag for a higher top speed on the straights, and ‘cleaning’ the airflow over the rear wing – while maintaining a large contact patch to grip and turn effectively.
Tyrrell designers fitted four small 10-inch wheels at the front, and regular wheels at the back.
The Tyrrell P34 was first raced by South African driver Jody Scheckter in 1976, taking one win and earning championship points in 10 of its 12 races – but it lost its competitive edge in 1977, and was scrapped for the 1978 season.
While unsuccessful in the six-wheeled Tyrrell – aside from his singular win at the 1977 Swedish Grand Prix – Scheckter went on to win the 1979 Formula One World Championship driving for Ferrari.
The car features a period-correct Ford-Cosworth V8 and Hewland six-speed manual transmission.
Despite no period competition under its wheels, the car has performed well at historic events, and is eligible for historic competition.
Just seven P34s were completed during the 1970s – this car has been dubbed chassis number eight – and with two destroyed, one of the remaining five completed cars was sold in 2012 through a UK specialist for £750,000 ($AU1.5 million).
This car is estimated to sell for €450,000 to €650,000 ($AU750,000 to $AU1.1 million), well shy of the €5.25 million to €6.5 million range ($AU8.7m-11m) range noted for Scheckter’s 1979 F1 World-Championship winning Ferrari 312 T4, to be auctioned at the same event.
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