He was born in Warwick, and joined Formula One while employed by Harry Ferguson Research, developing four-wheel drive systems for Matra in 1969.

The first chassis, the Tyrrell 001, was built in his garage at home and was raced in the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix.

[2] Jackie Stewart qualified the car on pole on its debut and led until an axle failed on lap 34.

The car was further developed into the Tyrrell 002 and 003 and drivers Jackie Stewart and François Cevert achieved seven wins between them in 1971.

Along with the Brabham BT46B "fancar" developed in 1978, the six-wheeled Tyrrell was one of the most radical entries ever to succeed in F1 competition, and has been called the most recognizable design in the history of world motorsports.