The Tyrrell Shed - formerly home to Ken Tyrrell’s World Championship-winning Formula 1 team - has been saved from demolition and is now located at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. It will be open for an exclusive preview at the 81st Members’ Meeting in April.

The 6m x 21m wooden building was, until 1976, home to Tyrrell Racing in Ockham, Surrey before the team moved assembly of its cars to a purpose-built factory next door. The shed then operated as a fabrication shop and then for storage before falling into disrepair.

Back in 1958, team founder Ken Tyrrell set up an ex-military issue shed in the yard of his family’s timber business to use while his team, featuring the likes of John Surtees and Jacky Ickx, competed in the lower ranks of motor racing. Tyrrell then entered Formula 1 in 1968 with Jackie Stewart as driver and narrowly missed out on the championship in their first year. However, the following season in 1969, Tyrrell Racing dominated the field using a Matra chassis and repeated that success in 1971 and 1973 using a chassis built in the Tyrrell Shed. The team won multiple races with drives from Francois Cevert, Jody Scheckter, Patrick Depailler and Michele Alboreto. It later launched the careers of Didier Pironi, Martin Brundle, Stefan Bellof and Jean Alesi.

The Tyrrell Shed also housed the manufacturing of innovative cars like the 1970 Tyrrell 001 and the legendary six-wheeled P34 with their existence kept a secret until time to unveil.

Originally intended to be a temporary structure, the shed stood for more than 70 years and faced potential demolition before Goodwood stepped in to save the day. The shed was meticulously dismantled and transported from Surrey to the Hurricane Lawn at the Goodwood Motor Circuit where it was then carefully rebuilt retaining as much originality as possible.

Ken Tyrrell sold his team in 1998, where it became BAR, then Honda, Brawn and finally Mercedes-AMG. It can certainly be claimed that Lewis Hamilton’s six championship wins with Mercedes are owed in part to the formation of Tyrrell Racing all of those decades ago.

A 1975 Tyrrell 007 and a 1977 Tyrrell P34 six wheeler are part of the 12-item Jody Scheckter Collection due to be auctioned in Monaco in May.

The 81st Members’ Meeting will take place on Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th April 2024.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Goodwood