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Thursday
Mar042010

Automobiliac Video of the Week: Tyrrell 6 Wheeler at Monaco

I seem to have a habit of posting onboard racing footage.  I'll try to get away from that, but in the mean time here is some more!  I particularly love this video because it is shot from a truly unique angle that I have never seen replicated anywhere else.  Not only is the camera looking down on the car, the upper portion of the bodywork is removed so you can watch Patrick Depailler as he manhandles the bizarre yet surprisingly competitive Tyrrell through the streets of Monaco in 1976.  For those of you unfamiliar with this car, yes it really had 6 wheels.  There were 4 small wheels in front that steered as well as braked.  This both increased the surface area of tire adhesion while drastically reducing frontal area and drag.  But it never caught on, thankfully, despite winning a race, and finishing well in a few others.  What did the car in, ultimately, was the reluctance of Goodyear to develop custom 10" tires for the car.  If only today's F1 rules allowed such interesting experimentation.

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