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Quinn has purchased a Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 car, as was campaigned in the 1976 season by Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler.
Famed for boasting six wheels, four at the front, the P34 in many ways epitomised the decade of F1 design and experimentation.
It ran a Ford Cosworth DFV with a Hewland gearbox, staples of the Garagista operations, as the UK-based teams were labelled by Enzo Ferrari at the time.
“I’ve been trying to buy one for several years,” Quinn told Speedcafe.
“I came close to buying Jody Scheckter’s vehicle but it fell through.”
Scheckter, the 1979 world champion for Ferrari, has recently parted with much of his own racing car collection, including a Tyrrell P34.
Of the eight chassis built in period, only six remain – chassis #3 and #4 were written off at the 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Two further cars have since been built, by Colin Bennett’s CGA in Warrington, one of which Quinn has acquired.
“This one came up through a contact and it’s one of two that were built brand new by an American chap,” he explained.
“It’s built from scratch, he got permission from the Tyrrell family to build two brand new cars as per the original specifications and drawings, which really appeals to me because with older cars there’s a lot of hidden costs when you come to restore them.”
It is the third F1 car in Quinn’s collection, joining a 1991 Benetton B191 driven by Michael Schumacher and an ex-David Brabham Simtek.
But while they’re both from the early 1990s, the Tyrrell is a purchase that speaks to a different era of F1 history.
“It was so unique in its day,” Quinn said.
“I was a boy at the time and I just loved it! I thought it was a massive leap in technology.
“And let’s not forget at the same time, Lady Penelope from the Thunderbirds used to be driven in a six-wheeler Rolls Royce by her chauffeur!”
Designed by Derek Gardner, the intent of the P34 was to use the front wing, which could be a maximum of 1.5m wide, to essentially enclose the front wheels.
However, to do so, the wheels needed to be reduced in size, which prompted Gardner to come up with the six-wheel approach.
It was moderately successful, though its fortunes faded as the tyres themselves didn’t receive the development needed given Tyrrell was the only team running such a design.
“The six-wheeler was unique, but it wasn’t the only one ever made,” Quinn said, demonstrating his own extensive knowledge and appreciation of motorsport history.
“March made a six-wheeler with four wheels at the back but it wasn’t as notable at the Tyrrell.
“Ken Tyrrell created the six-wheeler to theoretically overcome new restrictions that were imposed on dimensions on the front of the cars by FIA.”
March designed the 2-4-0 the same year as the P34 was first raced, though it was tested but never raced.
That sported four wheels at the rear, as did the Williams FW08B that was tested in the early 1980s.
Ferrari too had a crack at the concept with a 213T6, a 1977 test car that saw four smaller wheels on a single rear axle.
Quinn’s P34 will split its time between Australia and New Zealand, with intentions to run it in demonstration events and historic grands prix.
The car will make an appearance in the hands of Craig Lowndes at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival next March.
