The car's radical layout was rooted in a specific aerodynamic problem. Formula One regulations of the mid-1970s limited front wing width to 1.5 metres, but standard front tyres were wide enough to protrude beyond the wing's edges, generating aerodynamic turbulence that degraded rear wing performance. Gardner's solution was to use tyres small enough — 10 inches in diameter — to fit entirely within the shadow of the front wing, reducing drag on the straights and delivering cleaner airflow to the rear.
Because a single 10-inch tyre on each side would have an insufficient contact patch for cornering, Gardner used four front wheels rather than two. Additional braking area came as a side benefit. The steering system connected only the forward pair of the four front wheels directly to the steering column; the rearward pair was linked via a bell crank. Drivers who tested the system noted that it was unusually light and precise, with one describing it as so gentle it could have been mistaken for power-assisted steering.
The car was unveiled at the Heathrow Hotel in late September 1975, kept under a hooped tarpaulin to disguise the configuration. When the cover was removed, several observers believed it was a publicity stunt. Track testing began at Silverstone on 8 October 1975, and Tyrrell built three examples — two with a stretched wheelbase for 1976 competition.
The longer-wheelbase P34 made its race debut at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix and immediately proved competitive. Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler drove for Tyrrell, with Depailler consistently enthusiastic about the car. The P34's defining moment came at the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, where Scheckter and Depailler finished first and second, giving Tyrrell a commanding one-two. Scheckter remains the only driver in history to win a Formula One race in a six-wheeled car.
The P34 showed particular strength on fast, smooth circuits with long corners — Anderstorp, Watkins Glen, Mosport Park, Fuji, and the Österreichring suited it well. Bumpy tracks such as Brands Hatch, Jarama, and the Nürburgring exposed a handling weakness: the variable contact between the four small front wheels and uneven road surfaces caused inconsistent grip. Scheckter, despite his Swedish win, was openly dismissive of the car, calling it a piece of junk by the end of the season before departing to Wolf.
For 1977, Ronnie Peterson replaced Scheckter, and the car underwent aerodynamic revision. The P34B was wider and heavier than its predecessor, approximately 86 kg over the 575 kg minimum weight limit. The extra mass placed greater strain on the brakes and hurt cornering performance. Goodyear also reduced development attention to the unique 10-inch front tyres, a decision widely cited as a key contributor to the car's decline. A late-season attempt to recover grip by widening the front track pushed the small tyres outside the aerodynamic envelope that had justified their existence in the first place, eliminating the original concept's principal advantage.
In November 1977, Tyrrell introduced a conventional four-wheeled car for 1978. He retained the winning chassis from Scheckter's Swedish victory and sold the others, noting that the six-wheeler would become a collector's piece.
The P34 returned to competition in historic racing after Avon agreed to manufacture bespoke 10-inch front tyres for chassis owner Simon Bull. Driven by Martin Stretton, the car won the FIA Thoroughbred Grand Prix series outright in 2000. A separate chassis repeated that result in 2008, driven by Mauro Pane. The P34 has appeared regularly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco, and the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort.
The P34's success prompted development programmes at March Engineering, Williams, and Ferrari, all of which placed the additional wheels at the rear rather than the front. The Williams FW07D, FW08B, March 2-4-0, and Ferrari 312T6 were all tested but never raced. The FIA banned cars with four driven wheels in 1983, and subsequently limited Formula One cars to four wheels total, closing off this line of development permanently.
The Tyrrell P34 stands as one of the most memorable technical experiments in Formula One history. It succeeded where almost no radical concept has — it actually won a race — before the complications of bespoke tyre development and weight growth eroded its competitive edge. Along with the Brabham BT46B fan car, it represents the peak of lateral engineering thinking in the pre-ground-effect era, and it remains instantly recognisable decades after its retirement.