A 1959, Tojeiro Jaguar, competing in the Stirling Moss Trophy for Pre'61 Sports Cars, at the Silverstone Classic 2015
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 '60s. 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 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 most lasting legacy was in producing a design which AC Cars developed into the AC Ace. From the Ace, Carroll Shelby in turn developed the iconic AC Cobra; marrying a thunderous American V8 engine with the lightweight British chassis. This particular 1959 variant was, and remains,unique. The environment within which it was built had seen the long dominance of the reliable, rapid but heavy D-Type Jaguar long since overturned by the lighter, simpler Lister-Jaguars, the little Lotus 15s and the rear-engined new Cooper Monacos. In 1958 the FIA governing body had introduced a 3-litre capacity limit upon their Sports Car World Championship competition, leaving the five-times Le Mans-winning Jaguar XK series of and 6-cylinder twin-cam engines high and dry. Diminished engine capacity limited available horsepower, and placed even greater emphasis upon reduced weight. The live rear-axled D-Type Jaguars had been superseded by faster, more nimble De Dion-axled designs from Ferrari, Maserati, Tojeiro.
Size: 3532px × 1953px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -type, 1959, 2015, car, cars, circuit, classic, historic, jaguar, moss, pre61, prototype, race, racing, silverstone, sports, stirling, tojeiro, trophy
