Page 1 of 1 When Tyrrell arrived at the 1978 Argentinean Grand Prix with the all-new 008, it seemed that convention had returned at the team that had fielded a six-wheel Formula 1 car during the previous two seasons. This had certainly not been the intention as the original design for the 008 included floor mounted radiators with a rear-mounted fan to extract the heat. An added benefit was increased downforce but after the car overheated regularly during testing the idea was dropped.
Instead, Tyrrell showed up at the 1978 season opener with a straightforward Cosworth DFV powered Grand Prix car. The compact machine had been designed by Maurice Phlipppe, who had previously worked at Lotus. The definitive version of the 008 had the radiators mounted laterally on both sides of the engine. At the front, the coil springs and dampers were mounted in-board and actuated by push-rods. The driving duties of the Elf-backed 008 were shared by an all-French line-up of Didier Pironi and Patrick Depailler.
In qualifying the 008 was not immediately competitive but Depailler had a strong run to finish third. He scored three more podium finishes in the next four Grands Prix. In the fourth, at Monaco, Depailler scored his Grand Prix victory. He would only finish in the points three more times that year as the rival teams picked up the pace. Most notably the ground effect aerodynamics pioneered by Lotus raised the bar. Instead of using a fan as envisioned by Philippe and later Gordon Murray at Brabham, Lotus managed to generate a low pressure area under the car through the shape of the floor.
In addition to Depailler's seven points finishes, Pironi also managed to score on five occasions. This allowed Tyrrell to finish an impressive fourth in the World Constructor's Championship. For 1979, the 008 was replaced by the ground effect 009, which did not prove quite as competitive. Tyrrell built five examples of the 008 for the 1979 season. Page 1 of 1
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When Tyrrell arrived at the 1978 Argentinean Grand Prix with the all-new 008, it seemed that convention had returned at the team that had fielded a six-wheel Formula 1 car during the previous two seasons. This had certainly not been the intention as the original design for the 008 included floor mounted radiators with a rear-mounted fan to extract the heat. An added benefit was increased downforce but after the car overheated regularly during testing the idea was dropped.