The Tyrrell P34 by Yuji Watahiki – 2020
Yuji Watahiki was born in 1966, he is the son of a coachbuilder, boss of the company "Custom Build & Restore WATAHIKI Ȉ Migawa, northeast of Tokyo, that he had created in 1964. Today he took over the family business. He repairs and customizes local classic cars, but he especially likes working on Porsches (he rolls in 911 (996) Convertible and owned 2 other Porsche) and on other Supercars.
He says he's shy but he's definitely a smart man, hardworking and humorous, and above all a true bodybuilder artist.
Before starting the subject that interests us, you should know that Yuji has already created some works, he hand-designed a fully aluminum Lamborghini Jota. The Jota was in its time a unique racing model created by Lamborghini on the basis of the Miura P400 which was unfortunately destroyed in an accident. The only copy that remains today is that of Yuji Watahiki, and it is exhibited at the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum in Italy.
Earlier, he also created a Dino Ferrari which he exhibits regularly in Japan.
The tone is set, the artist did not stay long in front of a blank sheet, the idea quickly germinated in his mind, that of creating a Formula 1, la Tyrrell P34 à 6 wheels.
Yuji is a very hip man, registered on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (I didn't find him on Twitter). For those who know me and follow me on Facebook, I am on the lookout for 6 wheels and as soon as Yuji posted in a group about his Tyrrell, I hastened to invite him to sixmania.garage and ask him as a friend!
His Tyrrell adventure has garnered him several thousand YouTube subscriptions.
Yuji is also a collector of scale models and he has in his collection a model of Tyrrell P34 which he had built when he was younger., that's what made him decide to choose her. Since he has no plan, it will start to create the real one from the model at 1:24, and he will use a paper pattern. It describes this procedure as follows : "If you have the original car, paste the paper and trace it with a pencil. In the case of the aluminum Jota, I put a piece of paper on the real Lamborghini Miura and measured it. »
Each new idea was first drawn freehand, then thought about it more maturely, listed then created.
There is almost worse in this beautiful story, in the age of advanced 3D programs such as Catia from Dassault System and digital design machines, Yuji imagines his models in his mind, then he uses a hammer, (of course there are several models, sharp, round, flat or strong) and he also has a cart (a kind of metal wedge which is placed below the plate to be hammered). The only material Yuji uses is aluminum foil.
When he started in the business, he couldn't afford a punching machine called Craft Former, he therefore had to do it manually and since then he continues to work manually as a sculptor. His thread of 24 she also helps her in her work, he walks in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
Yuji's Tyrrell is not a faithful replica of the original, while still respecting the design of the time, it will cover the engine cause it won't be a Ford Cosworth, but a Suzuki Hayabusa because it is light and has the advantage of being easy to assemble.
So the rear suspensions come from Suzuki GXS-S1000, the differential is a Suzuki Cappuccino, and the driveshaft and rear hub are derived from the Lancia Delta Integrale. Mazda cars such as the Eunos Roadster (type NA) were compatible, So he decided to buy NA parts such as brake discs. The steering box comes from a Porsche 911, he bought a spacer from F3000 which is fixed with a central lock of the rear wheels. The list is not exhaustive but helps to understand how this car was designed, around a body.
The Tyrrell should weigh between 300 and 400 kg for an engine of 200 ch.
The car has 2 faces, her pilot is Peterson when she has her bodywork, and when it is removed, it is that of Depailler which is inscribed on the chassis, what to lose!
The total creation time will be approximately one year and the car will be presented in an exhibition of vintage cars and Supercars., the Sambre Festa (in the city of Ota, Gunma prefecture) in June 2021 as Yuji had planned.
At the location of the event, she was not only exposed, but the spectators were also able to touch it and take a seat at the controls. The car was painted in the colors of the Tyrrell P34, but did not yet have its engine.
In September 2021 the Tyrrell P34 will be exhibited in a Japanese gallery, in front of a Louis Vuitton store.
For the humorous note, Yuji has a faithful companion who responds to the name of Dino!
I invite you to watch cbrwatahiki's YouTube videos, this will allow you to see how he works metal with his hammer, it allows us to touch the mind of Yuji Watahiki.
https://www.youtube.com/user/cbrwatahiki
If you need his services, he can be reached here:
Address : 3-528-2 Migawa, Mito City, Ibaraki 310-0912
Tel / Fax 029-243-0133
URL : http://cbr-watahiki.com
Information : http://cbr-watahiki.com/mail.html
Huge thanks to Toru Matsumura for his articles, from which I was inspired to write this article – https://www.gaisha-oh.com/soken/watahiki-tyrrell-p34-ep1/
All photos in this article are from Yuji Watahiki, and his videos and Toru Matsumura.
