March 2-4-0
The March 2-4-0 was a six - wheel prototype Formula 1 car built by March Engineering in Bicester . It was created in late 1976 and was tested in early 1977.
The car was an evolution of the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 , but the design principle behind the 2-4-0 was completely different.
The Tyrrell P34: four wheels in front
Main article: Tyrrell P34
The bare front wheels of a Formula 1 car provide increased aerodynamic drag. The idea behind the Tyrrell P34 was that drag could be reduced with smaller front wheels. Back then, the front wheels of F1 cars had a diameter of approx. 16 ″ (40 cm), Tyrrell wanted to use front wheels with a diameter of only 10 ″ (25 cm). The resulting reduced cornering force of the front wheels should be increased again by using 4 wheels at the front, so that the advantages of reduced air resistance and increased cornering force were combined. All four front wheels were steerable.
The P34 was quite successful; two of these cars finished 1st and 2nd in the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix. The Tyrrell team also finished 3rd and 4th in the overall championship standings. In 1977 the cars were less successful and the idea was dropped. Part of the reason for this was that, although Goodyear had supplied special tires for the P34, they hadn't developed them as well as ordinary racing tires. It also turned out that the front suspension, which was relatively complicated due to the four-wheel steering, significantly increased the weight of the car.
Another six-wheel concept for F1 cars: four rear wheels
At March Engineering in Bicester, designer Robin Herd observed the P34 experiment closely and in late 1976 came to the conclusion that the concept with the four front wheels led to a dead end. According to his calculations, the aerodynamic gain from the smaller front wheels was reversed by the 24 ″ (60 cm) rear wheels, as they were still responsible for 30–40% of the total drag of the car. He also thought that the additional grip on the drive wheels could be used even better.
With these ideas in mind, Herd designed a six-wheel Formula 1 racing car with four drive wheels at the rear and two steered wheels at the front, with all wheels having the same diameter of 16 ″. His theory was that if all six wheels were the same diameter as the regular Formula 1 front wheels, not only would the car be narrower than a normal F1 car, but the airflow over the wings would be much less turbulent. Four drive wheels also meant better traction and - unlike the Tyrrell - there would be no problems with developing special tires, as the usual front wheel size would be used.
Herd called his concept based on the designation in railway technology "2-4-0" - two wheels in front of the drive wheels, four drive wheels and no wheel behind the drive wheels.
construction and development
After the obvious technical advantages of the concept had been explained to him, Max Mosley , Herd's partner at March, approved the development of a prototype. Mosley had noticed that the P34 Tyrrell had gained a lot of additional publicity and thought that a six-wheeled March would not only offer technical advantages, but would also be an attractive proposition for potential sponsors.
The financial situation of the March team in 1976/1977 was quite tense and the development costs of a completely new six-wheel vehicle were very high. As a compromise, a 1976 Cosworth DFV-powered March 761 was rebuilt by team engineer Wayne Eckersley in a quiet corner of the Bicester factory. Existing parts from the usual production were used wherever possible.
A key technology on a four-wheel drive car is the transmission. A brilliant idea to reduce friction losses was required. The gearbox would also have to be stronger - and therefore heavier - than a normal gearbox in order to withstand the higher stresses of a four-wheel drive system with a small center distance.
Herd's original design of the gear housing was reinforced with ribs to compensate for the additional load. But then it was realized that this housing would have been very complex and expensive to manufacture. Some of the ribs were removed from the drawing to save costs.
The new gearbox actually consisted of a conventional Hewland F1 gearbox for the first drive axle, to which the additional housing and additional gears and shafts for the second drive axle were simply attached to the rear. It also meant that any 761 chassis would be quickly rebuilt if the system proved practical.
When the 2-4-0 was partially finished, the press was invited to the factory at the end of November 1976 to take a look at the hitherto "secret" project. This revelation aroused great interest and articles appeared in various motor magazines as well as a photo on the cover of Autosport magazine the following week (issue December 2, 1976).
At the same time, the company also announced that it would send the new car to Silverstone for a demonstration drive and further test drives in 14 days .
Testing
The first driving test at Silverstone was carried out in late 1976. On the first lap, the gear housing warped and the gears no longer meshed. Since no solution to the problem could be found at the moment, the drive for the second axis was removed and the tests were completed that day. In the end, the 2-4-0 became a racing car with only one driven axle. Fortunately for March, it was a rainy day on the circuit and driver Howden Ganley couldn't go too fast. The test was seen as a success in the media.
The problems on the first lap indicated that the car needed a stronger gearbox and serious development. However, since the company could not find the time or money necessary for this, the project was initially postponed.
In February 1977 the car - now with a stronger gearbox - was tested again in Silverstone. Ian Scheckter was the driver this time. Although it was a rainy day again, Scheckter chased the car up and down the hangar straight. All four wheels were driven this time and Scheckter stated that the traction was "incredible". In addition, the events of that day were mentioned again on the front page of Autosport (February 10, 1977 issue).
But that was the end of the history of the 2-4-0 development. When the 761 showed up at the Belgian Grand Prix in June, it was again a conventional four-wheel F1 car.
The myth of showing up at the Brazilian Grand Prix
In August 2002 an article appeared on the 8W website which, based on a misinterpreted photo, claimed that the 2-4-0 “could” have competed in the Brazilian Grand Prix at the end of January 1977. In fact, the photo shown showed a test drive of the car in Silverstone in February 1977 and based on contemporary reports from the Brazilian Grand Prix we know that the 2-4-0 was definitely not there. The website author has since corrected his article, but before that it has served as a resource for a number of other websites.
Hill climb
In 1979, the 2-4-0 concept was revived by British hillclimbing specialist Roy Lane . Lane had bought a March 771 chassis and, with Robin Herd's blessing, was provided with the improved 2-4-0 gear unit. The fact that the 2-4-0 was originally an inexpensive workshop conversion of a normal March F1 chassis made it easy for Lane to adapt it to his car.
Lane took advantage of the four-wheel drive and was able to win several hill climbs with the 771 / 2-4-0, especially the one in Wiscombe Park in May. However, the car proved to be insufficiently reliable in the season and Lane resorted to a car with four wheels.
legacy
Despite its limited success in short races, it was never proven that the 2-4-0 concept would not work. The 2-4-0 might have been successful in Formula 1 if it had been subjected to a weight reduction program (possibly with lighter and stronger materials) and the dubious handling had been improved. The concept could certainly have been adapted to the upcoming technology of increased downforce in Formula 1.
The Williams F1 team probably adopted Herd's theories as they built and tested a 2-4-0-style six-wheel vehicle called the FW08B in 1982 . However, any hopes of ever seeing a 2-4-0 in an official race were dashed when the FIA banned all four-wheel drive systems from Formula 1. The FW08B is on display at the Williams Factory Museum.
However, the March 2-4-0 story still had its good sides for the company that built it. As Max Mosley anticipated, the car was a huge publicity magnet. March also made good money selling the building rights to Scalextric , the manufacturer of the best-selling 1:32 toy racetracks.
