The Red, 1955, Tojeiro Bristol, of Simon Arscott and Graham Dodridge, qualifying for the MRL RAC Woodcote Trophy, at the 2021 Silverstone Classic
The name Cliff Davis and Tojeiro are synonymous with the early MG Tojeiro JOY500, then the famous Tojeiro Bristol LOY500. Club racer and London car dealer Cliff Davis commissioned John Tojeiro, to build another chassis, this time a bit longer to accommodate the longer Bristol as found in the later AC Ace. The car was an instant success, which didn’t go unnoticed. Cliff being ‘in the trade’ was soon approached by the Rolls brothers and a deal was done, LOY500 had a new owner. It is well documented that one of the Rolls brothers had a road accident and the car was badly damaged. Replacement parts, including a chassis, were supplied by Tojeiro to rebuild LOY500. The bodywork was also replaced. As a racing car LOY500 remains wholly original. 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. 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. 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 was one of the first sports racing cars to use a 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.
Size: 4555px × 3064px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -quarters, -seater, 1955, 1971cc, 2021, arscott, bristol, car, circuit, classic, cliff, cockpit, control, davis, dodridge, drivers, front, graham, grill, headlights, helmet, historic, john, lane, marshals, motorsport, mrl, national, pace, pit, pits, qualifying, rac, race, rare, red, session, silverstone, simon, sports, tojeiro, towcester, trophy, view, woodcote
