Ken Tyrrell began his racing operation in 1958, initially competing in Formula Three. After determining he was not suited for a career as a driver, he stepped down in 1959 to manage a Formula Junior team. This operation was based in the Tyrrell Brothers woodshed, which provided a modest but functional workshop for the team's early efforts. Throughout the 1960s, Tyrrell used this base to move through the lower formulas, providing early career opportunities for drivers such as John Surtees and Jacky Ickx.
The team's most significant partnership began in 1963 with Jackie Stewart. While Stewart was signed to BRM’s Formula One team between 1965 and 1967, Tyrrell managed the BRM Formula Two operation. The team later transitioned to running Matra chassis in F2, eventually making its World Championship Grand Prix debut at the 1966 German Grand Prix with F2-spec Matra MS5s.
In 1968, Tyrrell entered Formula One as "Matra International," a joint venture between his privateer team and the French manufacturer Matra. This partnership yielded immediate success, with Jackie Stewart winning the 1969 World Championship in the Cosworth-powered Matra MS80. However, the relationship fractured in 1970 when Matra, following a merger with Simca, insisted that Tyrrell use Matra V12 engines instead of the Ford Cosworth DFV.
Stewart tested the Matra V12 and found it inferior to the DFV. Because the team's funding was tied to Ford and the French petroleum company Elf—which had agreements precluding support for a Simca partner—Ken Tyrrell decided to build his own car. While using a March 701 as an interim solution during the 1970 season, the team officially changed its name to the Tyrrell Racing Organisation.
The first in-house car, the Tyrrell 001, was developed in secret at the Ockham woodshed by designer Derek Gardner. The 001 bore a strong resemblance to the Matra MS80 that had carried Stewart to his first title. It made its debut at the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix, where Stewart secured pole position, demonstrating the car's immediate pace. Although the 001 suffered mechanical failures in its only three race starts, it served as the blueprint for the Tyrrell 003.
In 1971, the 003 allowed Tyrrell to win both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. This success established Tyrrell as a premier constructor, though the team would never again reach the heights of the early 1970s after Stewart's retirement and the death of François Cevert in 1973.
The Tyrrell Racing Organisation continued to compete until 1998, famously introducing the six-wheeled P34 in 1976 and taking the final win for the Cosworth DFV engine in 1983. The team's lineage persists in modern Formula One; after being sold to British American Tobacco, the team evolved through BAR, Honda, and Brawn GP to become the current Mercedes-AMG F1 team.
The technical influence of the team's final years remains visible in the Minardi two-seater F1 cars, which are modified versions of the 1998 Tyrrell 026 design. These cars, recognizable by their distinctive nose shape, continue to appear in promotional demonstrations, such as those held at the Yas Marina Circuit.