The 1978 Formula 1 season was a transitional moment for Tyrrell, and the 008 was the car that proved the team could compete cleanly on four wheels again after the radical P34 six-wheeler experiment. Spark Model has issued a 1:43 scale model of the exact car — No. 4, Patrick Depailler — as it finished second at the Österreichring in Austria, one of the standout results of that campaign.
Designed by Maurice Phillippe, who took over from Derek Gardner, the Tyrrell 008 represented a deliberate step back from experimentation. Gone was the six-wheel P34; in its place was a conventional four-wheel ground-effect-era chassis powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0-litre V8, the engine that underpinned nearly every privateer F1 effort of the period. The 008 raced throughout the entire 1978 Formula 1 season, giving the team a competitive, if not championship-contending, platform.
Österreichring, 1978: Depailler on the Podium
Patrick Depailler carried race number 4 for Tyrrell throughout the 1978 season alongside Didier Pironi. At the Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Österreichring, he brought the 008 home in second place — a result that stood as one of the cleaner performances of that year. The race was won by Ronnie Peterson in the Lotus 79, but Depailler's finish demonstrated that the 008, in the right circumstances, could run at the very front of the midfield and beyond. Depailler, who died in a testing accident in 1980, remains one of the most respected French drivers of his generation, and race-specific models capturing his results carry genuine biographical weight for collectors.
Spark Model at 1:43 Scale
This 1:43 scale model is produced by Spark Model, a manufacturer whose Formula 1 catalogue at this scale is built on hand-assembled resin construction and high-fidelity livery reproduction. The model replicates the Elf-sponsored blue and white livery worn by the 008 during the 1978 season, with race number 4 clearly identified on the bodywork. Spark Model's 1:43 Formula 1 range has become the reference series for collectors working across the full breadth of grand prix history.
In the Display Cabinet
This model sits naturally alongside other late-1970s Formula 1 subjects — particularly the Lotus 79 of Ronnie Peterson, the race winner at the same Austrian Grand Prix, for anyone building a complete 1978 Österreichring podium scene. It also complements a Tyrrell-focused collection spanning the P34 six-wheeler era through to the 009. For collectors tracing Depailler's career, it pairs logically with his subsequent Ligier JS11 drive in 1979. The blue and white Elf livery reads well against the darker liveries typical of the period.
