In 1987, FISA (at the time the sporting branch of the FIA), based on the safety exemptions of the "Concorde Agreement" and without consulting the teams, decided to progressively eliminate turbocharged engines by introducing increasingly strict limitations over the following two years. At the same time, new regulations were introduced for naturally aspirated engines, such as increasing the maximum displacement to 3500cc, in an effort to bring their performance closer to that of the 1500cc turbocharged engines. The small Tyrrell team immediately seized the opportunity to abandon the customer-spec Renault V6 turbo engines, which were much less competitive than the top turbocharged units in Formula 1, and switched to using the new Ford Cosworth DFZ V8 with a 3498cc displacement.
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| TYRRELL DG016, Philippe Streiff Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1987 |
The new Cosworth engine was directly derived from the older DFY, but with its displacement increased to the new 3500cc limit set by the regulations. It featured a new cooling system and the use of new materials. In this updated configuration, the DFZ V8 produced 585 horsepower. The arrival of a new sponsor, Courtaulds (a British textile company producing synthetic fibers), provided the small British team with a financial boost. Combined with the computing expertise of main sponsor Data General, this allowed Tyrrell to build the new DG016 chassis.
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| TYRRELL DG016, Jonathan Palmer Monza, Italian GP 1987 |
For the first time in Tyrrell's history, the new car was entirely designed using computer technology provided by Data General, whose initials were used to name the car DG016. This marked a scaling back, or even a complete departure, from Tyrrell's traditional hand-crafted approach. The car’s designers were the long-standing Maurice Philippe, acting as technical director, and project leader Brian Lisles. This was the last time they used the classic aluminum/carbon composite chassis, a design approach dating back to the 1983 model 012.
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| TYRRELL DG016, Jonathan Palmer Detroit, United States GP 1987 |
Around this classic chassis, the two engineers developed a very traditional car, consistent with Tyrrell’s design philosophy at the time, featuring a wheelbase of 2717 mm and a weight of just 500 kg. The car used push-rod suspension with double wishbones, and the gearbox paired with the new DFZ engine was the familiar Hewland 5-speed unit developed by Tyrrell’s engineers and previously used with the turbocharged V6. Aesthetically, after years of turbo engines, the Airbox above the driver's head reappeared, necessary to channel as much air as possible into the intake manifolds positioned above the Ford V8.
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| TYRRELL DG016, Philippe Streiff Jerez, Spanish GP 1987 |
The drivers for the 1987 season were Briton Jonathan Palmer and Frenchman Philippe Streiff. Thanks to the introduction of the new “Jim Clark” and “Colin Chapman” trophies, awarded respectively to drivers and cars using naturally aspirated engines, they had an easy time securing both titles, achieving as many as 11 class victories, also due to the limited competition. Overall, the DG016 was a good car, offering decent performance but above all great reliability. Over the course of the championship, the DG016 retired only 8 times in 32 starts and scored 11 points in the overall standings, allowing Tyrrell to finish sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, beating even turbo-powered teams like Arrows, Brabham, and Ligier, as well as smaller outfits such as Zakspeed, Osella, and Minardi.
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