John Tojeiro
John Tojeiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 December 1923 |
| Died | 16 March 2005 (aged 81) |
| Occupations | Engineer, Racing car designer |
| Employer(s) | Shelvoke and Drury, Dax Cars |
John Tojeiro (3 December 1923, Estoril, Portugal – 16 March 2005, Cambridge, England), affectionately known as Toj, was an engineer and racing car designer whose innovations helped to revolutionise car design in the 1950s and 1960s.[1]
Born in Estoril, Portugal, the son of a Portuguese father and English mother, the young John was brought to England in 1924 after the death of his father.[2] Following service as an engineer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II, he made his name in automotive engineering. Best known as a chassis engineer, he produced a long line of successful racing cars, most famously in conjunction with the Ecurie Ecosse team, using engines supplied by Jaguar, Buick, Bristol, Scirocco-Powell and Climax, among many.
The Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro EE used the (front) mid-engine layout to enhance handling and traction. Perhaps his lasting legacy was in producing a design which AC Cars developed into the AC Ace. From the Ace, Carroll Shelby in turn developed the AC Cobra, marrying a thunderous American V8 engine with the lightweight British chassis.[2][3][4]
In 1962, Tojeiro pioneered the use of a big US (Buick) V8 engine mounted Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout in a tiny sportscar.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Magazine Issue Archive". Motor Sport Magazine. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- 1 2 ML (May 1985). "Tojeiro". Motor Sport. 61 (5): 474–479.
- ↑ "Tojeiro". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ↑ "Bonhams Cars : 1962-63 Tojeiro EE-Buick Endurance Racing Coupe Registration no. TSU 719". cars.bonhams.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Gauld, Graham (2005). Toj: John Tojeiro and His Cars. Havelock Publishing. ISBN 0954916719.
External links
[edit]- Foster, Ed (2 October 2017). "No small feat: The John Tojeiro story". goodwood.com. Goodwood Estate.
- Lawrence, Mike (13 April 2005). "John Tojeiro (1924 - 2005)". pitpass.com.
 | This automobile biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
 | This article about an engineer, inventor or industrial designer from the United Kingdom or its predecessor states is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |