Driving the INFAMOUS 6-WHEELED F1 car! | Tyrrell P34 I Formula 1 | Ben Collins I 4K

A few weeks back I was given this amazing opportunity to experience a childhood dream of mine and drive the Tyrrell P34 at Donington Park!
This was an absolute blast and a real pinch yourself moment!
Follow me:
/ bencollinsstig
Produced by OneZero7even Media:
/ onezero7even
#tyrrell #f1 #racing #motorsport
Huge thanks to James Hanson for the connection, to www.frontrowracing.co.uk for the opportunity and to speedmastercars.com for letting me loose in their baby 👊🙏👍💎

[@BenCollinsDrives]

LOVED driving this beast. What sort of racecar should I drive next? 👇

[@KAlpha09]

Brabham BT46B

[@wilkowilkins363]

Sauber C9 or C11 .. to my ears the best sounding cars ever. And what a monster 😮

[@JeanPierreVael]

Something like the audi 200 trans am.

[@sirdave6165]

mazda 787b 😇

[@gmanthebman9310]

Ferrari 312T

[@SRFriso94]

I love how absolutely miniscule these cares used to be. Today's F1 cars are aircraft carriers by comparison, and while I know that they are much, much safer than they were in the '70s partially because of their size (definitely a good thing) I do kind of wish that they would start shrinking again for more on-track action.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Agree the moderns are too big - cant see the logic

[@capnrob97]

@@BenCollinsDrives I read it is due to no refueling anymore in F1, they need to be bigger to hold more fuel.

[@ThePentosin]

Not really. there is plenty of space to shrink the cars.

[@Appletank8]

There is space to shrink the cars, however teams generally push the size up to regulation limits because more car = more aero. Now weight would be a bit harder

[@patrickr4762]

Next regs on 2026 they are making the car smaller, not as small as the old F1 cars but def. smaller than the current ones. All the drivers are complaining as well and its harder to drive in Monaco these days w/ that size.

[@bowebevonius]

Being a kid in Sweden in the 70’s and thus having Ronnie Peterson as a favourite driver, the amazing P34 has a special place in my heart.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

The legend - you needed a wild streak to make the most of the Tyrreel

[@Retro_Rich]

Peterson went long before his time. His stones were that big they could be seen from geostationary orbit. Love and respect from the UK.

[@bowebevonius]

@@Retro_Rich 45 years today

[@antonywalker8837]

Funny thing but, nearly all the photos of Ronnie Peterson (one of the greatest). Showed him in the p34 in opposite lock. I know that was his style but boy could he drive. I loved those sad but changing times.

[@bowebevonius]

@@antonywalker8837 A great driver with a unique driving style 😎

[@JLR_Steve]

Loved watching Schecter in the Tyrrell and built the Tamiya 1/20 scale model of his P34. We are all living vicariously through you, Ben. 👍

[@TheVillageIdiotUk]

I was going to comment but quite frankly you’ve summarised my own thoughts perfectly. (Does this qualify as a comment ?)

[@mwinner101]

I still have my 1977 Tomica of this car. Sits right next to my JPS Lotus 78.

[@BOABModels]

The Tamiya kits are great. I've made the '76 and '77 versions and will hopefully get a 1/12 version one of these days.

[@douglasbooth6836]

Had the scalextric car.👍🏻

[@aerotube7291]

Oh yeah, so what's that like then? Are they battery or gas powered? As a kid the grasshopper and hornet models were popular in the offroafing model range but not sure they were kits...was it 380 and 540 motor interchangeability?.....anyways genuine question...

[@chicobicalho5621]

The crazy 1970s, when hippies ran wild, drugs were ubiquitous, fashion was sketchy, and music was psychodelic. Of course F1 couldn't be left out of this festivity. And then there was Lord Hesketh!

[@audiohertz2341]

How is it different today ... :)

[@michaellavery4899]

We have psychedelics these days. The old scene was more dangerous and unpredictable.

[@timschuh6524]

SUCH an iconic car. Tyrell was always willing to go places in design that no other team ever did.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

They pushed the boundaries that's for sure.

[@samuelloughridge6092]

Umm ... Lotus.

[@chrisvielle6629]

The 1998 season they had the Xwing design banned also. Talk about pushing the boundaries.

[@Ffish69]

The difference in size between the Leyton House and the Tyrrell on track was extraordinary! I had no idea the Tyrrell was so small

[@vaclav_fejt]

All 70's cars were small. Cars only got bigger with safety standards and additional components.

[@AthanImmortal]

3:08 "So I can get my legs underneath the roll bar so I can use the brakes and the throttle which is... an important part of using a Formula One car" - He set us up expertly, thinking we were going to hear some nugget of inside baseball, and hit us with the deadpan delivery. I'm so glad Ben has this channel, it's fantastic!

[@hermand]

I enjoyed that. he's got a great style

[@PhantomMark]

The DFV never gets tiring to listen to, that's a blast Ben, awesome mate.

[@tiadaid]

Honestly if they can get the current F1 engine to sound like the DFV, I'll be more than happy. I much prefer the DFV's sound over the V10 & the V6 sounds, really.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

An iconic engine.

[@terrystevens5261]

First F1 car i heard was the Matra MS120B at Silverstone in 1971, now that V12 sounded awsome, had less power than the DFV though.@@tiadaid

[@NormanStansfield1]

@@BenCollinsDrives Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin. It is amazing that the Cosworth V8 was still holding it's own against V10s in 1993 and 1994. Ben mentioned having to manhandle the P34. I remember as kid watching on TV, as Scheckter and Depailler wrestled this beautiful blue beast along the streets of Monaco. In qualifying at Monaco in 1976, Depailler was 4th on the grid and Jody 5th. Jody finished 2nd and Patrick 3rd. Ken Tyrrell and his team - what memories.

[@russcattell955i]

I wonder if a DFV ever made it into a road car. Perhaps a mad Capri ?

[@TrevorDent]

The F1 cars of the 60s to the 90s were moving works of art, driven by Gods, never again will we see or hear such beauty grace the race track. RIP Depailler.

[@EDMclassics]

When Ben asked "What classic F1 car should I drive next" in a few videos back, I never imagined he would listen to my suggestion. Thank you so much 👍😀♥️

[@BenCollinsDrives]

😉

[@willbeasy2898]

One thing that never gets mentioned, I read in an interview from Derek Gardner that the primary reason was the old crossply tires would “balloon” or grow significantly at high speeds, and by having tiny tires that don’t grow as much, you get much more stable aerodynamics at high speeds, but one set of 10” wheels wasn’t enough tire for lateral loads, so they put in two sets.

[@nimamojtahedzadeh1568]

What a legend! This is why I’ve subscribed to your channel! Not just because you used to be the STIG!

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

*FOR ALL WE KNOW* He's the Stig.

[@anitajerkin]

Nonsense, he IS and forever will be the Stig.

[@tbt311]

Some say he has 3 balls :))))

[@NativeTexMexican]

Once a Stig, Always a Stig.

[@andrewmeadows2596]

He is the Stig.

[@1969EType]

Back when F1 wasn't settled at qualification on Saturday and a race masquerading as a parade on Sunday...thank you so much for sharing this incredible car and your wonderfully spirited drive. I have loved this car since I was 7 years old and it made its debut.

[@Matiasv1968]

Such a privilege to drive that legendary F1 and such a privilege for us to see and enjoy this type of content. Thanks!🙌

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Bugatti024]

WHAT A CAR! You guys did an amazing job with the production, wow what an opportunity to drive and get a really close view of this car and Ben at work. Thank you!

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Czechbound]

That was great Ben & team : great script, camera angles, production quality. All first rate. Closing in on 100k subscribers. Fantastic achievement. Quality from start to finish. Come on sponsors, you know you want to !

[@BenCollinsDrives]

100k will be amazing!

[@marguskiis7711]

Yep, very good and pro TV show.

[@anydaynow01]

My second favorite F1 car, just behind the FW15!

[@milk-it]

This is such a treasured piece of F1 automotive history. Every time I saw a model of the Tyrell or it on TV I'd never take my eyes off of it! It's such a unique piece of engineering and a great example of someone thinking outside the box of rule makers. I loved the commentary, Ben. You really did it justice!

[@wareidav]

I`ve seen this thing up close and personal. The sound is just something else and watching it being muscled around a track is just a wonderful site.. Visceral experience. Great drive Ben... More please

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Nothing like a DFV!

[@mikeyhbev]

That’s what dreams are made of Ben! 😊. Phenomenal video. Loving your videos. Onwards and upwards. Well on your way to 100k subs 💪🏼

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Thank you and yes cant believe it - all the mad ideas i’ve been bottling up over the years could soon be within reach !!

[@mikeyhbev]

@@BenCollinsDrives cream always rises to the top buddy 😉👊🏼

[@soggybottom3463]

Loved it, great stuff!!👍👏👏👏

[@LiquidAudio]

Bloody awesome, and what a sound!

[@liamdoyle3572]

Always been blown away that this car actually worked, Ben you’re crushing it with these videos keep it up!

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Thanks!

[@markburgess4528]

Still a fantastic looking car after all these years. I remember as a kid how futuristic it looked. Sounds so good too, love hearing the manual shifting too.

[@alunsworth6792]

Brilliant!! Super episode thank you

[@richardgustafson5529]

This is arguably the coolest F1 car ever, and certainly my favorite! On the other hand, Jody Schekter has collected one of every F1 car he ever raced, except this one. A testament to what was like to actually race it, and how much he disliked the car.

[@ernestogasulla7763]

After Stewart's retirement and Cevert's death, Scheckter and Depailler got to seat in the reigning world champion car. So it's understandable he was disappointed in having to drive this failed (yes it failed) experiment. Upon moving to the rookie Wolf team in 1977 he became an instant world champion challenger, and ended up winning the WDC in 1979 for Ferrari.

[@Trendyflute]

that minute and 40 seconds from 11:55 onward...I could watch that on loop for a long time. What a beast of a machine!

[@jeffreymars3274]

Always loved that car, it was so darn unique. I heard the tiny front wheels were a limitation because the tire manufacturers never invested a lot of development time into them.

[@JEDIXXXXX]

Amazing, big respect

[@BD12]

With the babby four wheels at the front it looks like a go-kart next to the later cars. What an insane machine

[@Chalisque]

Those front wheels would be a nightmare for a modern pit stop.

[@SwaghettiYoloneses]

More of this please Mr Collins, great input and explanation of something many of us wont be able to experience.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Working on it!

[@TexasGore]

What a wonderful beast! Never tire of the DFV growl. Good stuff! 😀

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Couldn't agree more! 2nd DFV I've driven now.

[@bitkarek]

thanks for sharing this... it was extraordinary just to see this on track again.

[@shaunmccormack6980]

Pwooarh! That motor! So Sweet

[@DaniMacYo]

I love the classic F1 cars. Don’t get me wrong my favourite is the V10 modern era. But man 60’s to 90’s has some awesome machines. Particularly 60’s and 70’s for me. Scary things but beautiful as well. Great footage.

[@JeanPierreVael]

Hi Ben, so great to see you enjoy this machine. I really love and admire the radical thinking that went into designing this model. As I understood it made a few people very nervous with one of them being Mr Ferrari.

[@jimmy5353]

I can listen to and watch Ben all day long!!!

[@richardraby6266]

Great video I could sort of feel the power from that sweet sounding Cosworth, nice!

[@ZippyThePinhead]

I wasn't an F1 fan back during this era of racing, but I saw this car, and have always wondered how it handled with the four fronts. Thanks for for posting this, and also giving the history of why it was designed this way. Enjoyed this immensely. 👍

[@GBURGE55]

How could NOT have been a fan of 1970's F1 with those beautiful cars sliding all over the place with an excess of power over grip! Fabulous period.

[@ZippyThePinhead]

@@GBURGE55 I never was a fan of any sport growing up, my interests were music. I didn't become a fan of any sport till years later in life.

[@GBURGE55]

@@ZippyThePinhead Music is a love of mine too, but been watching F1 for 40 year's now. Still my number 1 sport. Have a good day👍

[@philmarsden9594]

seeing the front end turn in with/without heat was great! seeing it working, the theory is a very interesting one.

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Glad you liked it! It's definitely a car surrounded by incredible ideas.

[@mtrps_]

could watch this for hours!

[@DavidStanbridge-fx2yn]

Being 6 years old in 1976 and living in Woking and watching this car now is amazing

[@djtimodj]

Come on Ben this came out really well! Felt like we were with you in the car. Raw AF! ❤

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@clumsygarage1578]

Awesome video. I heard that one of Tyrell's drivers hated the car because at tracks with a lot of elevation changes, the wheelbase would effectively change, because some wheels wouldn't be touching the ground at the tops and bottoms of hills. I would say it's a shame you didn't get to experience that quirk of a 6 wheeler, but it's probably for the best lol.

[@OsellaSquadraCorse]

Scheckter said it - same thing with kerbs, and also that under braking, weight transfer made the 'middle' wheels easily lock up as the force kept travelling forward to the front two wheels, unloading the central set (and then also overloading the front, which then also locked!), making the braking performance wildly variable. This is why he said it was good at tracks like Anderstorp and the Osterreichring, where there were more long-radius corners; but hopeless at Long Beach. This was also why he then moved to Wolf for 1977! ;)

[@ernestogasulla7763]

They hated it because up to 1973 Tyrrell was a perennial title contender, so after Stewart's retirement and Cevert's death both Scheckter and Depailler expected to challenge for the title. Driving a conventional four wheeler, Jody indeed challenged for the 1974 title. But in 1976 this car only managed one win for Jody plus a number of #2 paces, while Lauda (Ferrari) won 5 despite his horrible accident, and Hunt (McLaren) won 6. That caused Scheckter to quit the team and became an instant contender with the unproven Wolf.

[@Chuck59ish]

The P34 has always been my favourite F1 car.

[@Baron-Ortega]

Absolute beast

[@AccordGTR]

Who makes tires for that anymore?

[@franciii18]

Avon makes tires for historic race cars, you can see the mark on the weels

[@thatdudeinorange5269]

Might be Dunlop as thats what is used in lots of historic racing, but it could be anyone who owns the moulds these days. Hoosier is another maker of 10" slicks. Edit: says Good Year all over it 😂

[@ernestogasulla7763]

@@thatdudeinorange5269 the car says Good Year because it carries the original paint, but the tires clearly say Avon.

[@Raymund-Swales]

Engine sounds awesome. Beautiful machine.

[@bestthinger]

The sound of it!!!

[@GabeRamirez15]

I was obsessed with this car when I was a kid!

[@PedroSantos_83]

❤ Fantastic!

[@josephkelly4893]

Amazing to watch

[@jonasamadeolucas1801]

Master class of driving.

[@TheHawgy]

Great video thanks for posting.

[@samdoyle9048]

Brilliant !!

[@neilreid2298]

Fantastic vid- thanks Ben! I remember these cars. Love your dialogue as you're experiencing these beasts.

[@jimhibbs2372]

Absolute work of art. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@dbrandon4528]

Absolutely incredible. Thanks for sharing

[@andrewprentice8857]

A real demonstration of what was absolutely "state of the art" in the mid-70's. My impression is that you had to "drive" these cars a lot more than nowadays. A stick-shift no less! No wheel-mounted paddles here! I guess it is not right to suppress technology, but the modern racecars have taken a lot of the sheer skill and (admittedly) bravery out of the sport.

[@dannyarcher6370]

4:06 - Ah, man. I love synthwave so much.

[@LightBranches]

Outstanding...

[@WilliFR]

F1 drivers back in those days were crazy people. I loved that

[@BenCollinsDrives]

They were!

[@pjccwest]

Class!

[@waynester71]

I had an RC 6 wheeler Tyrrell car as a kid in the late ‘70s.. Great memories. What a car..

[@joski9030]

The engineering in that is stunning

[@Wileylikethehawk]

Some say he has four wheels in the front and two in the back! Looks like quite a riot!!

[@juliandrake3159]

This may be the coolest thing I've ever seen.

[@patbai6331]

Such an awesome dream car😇

[@whiskeyyankee9432]

Loved how you explain the feeling driving this beast. Its like sitting next to you and driving with you. Thanks for letting us be a part of this experience.

[@moreheff]

What a joy to hear the old Ford Cosworth singing again. Beautiful

[@BenCollinsDrives]

DFV is amazing.

[@virgiljones4808]

This was awesome! I had an AFX version of this car in the 1970's - the cool thing is that vis video games many of us are. Used to donnington park so we were able to anticipate the turns etc! Keep these comming!

[@satanswolf]

That engine, what a sinphony!

[@BenCollinsDrives]

DFV!!

[@sailorjerry3720]

What a cool way to spend a day!

[@flatlanderfl]

What a brilliant exercise in engineering!! This was definitely the golden age of racing. Thanks for sharing your experience Ben!

[@leeholden8658]

The P34 was the car that got me hooked with F1 as a youngster. It was something never seen before on TV,a vehicle with 6 wheels was eye opening

[@jjay350]

Very cool, 70's was probably the most interesting era for F1, such an experimental era.

[@caprise-music6722]

Epic. This is one of the many reasons I love the 70’s

[@shanesmith6815]

Love the sound of the engine

[@jesvans]

those cars are AWESOME ! i remember when they hit the track, i was a kid, always loved them.

[@douglasernst9477]

Outstanding video. Exhilarating just to view. And the exquisite sound of that Ford beast behind you! And finally the explanation of the engineering of the 76” 6 wheel Tyrrell. A strange but beautiful masterpiece of race car art.

[@bytemyshinymetalass]

This was the iconic car that got me into watching F1. Such an amazing piece of engineering!

[@skipsmoyer4574]

Been watching F-1 since mid 1996, and have book on older F-1 cars but never had any idea why 4 front wheels, what a treat seeing this video

[@peterhill7846]

Remember being fascinated by this car back when it raced. Great to see it being driven again. And driven so well.

[@garethherring7261]

Another brilliant vlog! Come on The Stig! 👍

[@alfredorocca8958]

Meravigliosa! 👍✌️

[@bicyclist2]

Wow! Watching the Sting in my all time favorite F1 car is so cool. I wish that I was old enough to have watched this car race in period. I had no idea that the Stig was not much older than I am. Thank you.

[@woodyholland9865]

Wow that is amazing. Remember those back in the day and it looks just as stunning still.

[@nathangoshawk]

Although much smaller than I remember them, one of my favourite aspects of the P34 was those side windows, because they allowed just a glimpse of how hard the driver was working at the wheel. This was completely hidden until the arrival of the miniature cameras used today.

[@walterredaelli7507]

Remember this car when I was young... Once were heroes

[@mitchellsteindler]

Could listen to and watch this all day

[@yindyamarra]

I loved all of Ken Tyrell’s cars , he thought outside the square

[@chrisvielle6629]

Loved this car. Built so many models of it back in the days. Very nostalgic

[@alb3096]

I was 7 in 1976 and for my birthday I raced as model this blue 6 wheels F1, still got it in good shape, technical fascination.

[@mihalybognar6775]

I can't stop smiling looking on this car , i love it , it is brilliant , thanks !

[@stevochang]

Thank you for this, incredible piece of history!

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@johnthomas7517]

Thank you Mr Collins, that was awesome!!!

[@1Esteband]

I had the same Scalextric too and it was such an amazing toy. Thank you for the video I lived the dream vicariously through you.

[@chaddamp2894]

great era with drivers that were very brave with very little protection...thanks !