1954 Tojeiro Bristol Sports Racer

John Tojeiro was born in Portugal to a Portuguese father and an English mother. After his father passed away, his mother returned with him to England. He served as an engineer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II and gained valuable skills that would help him in his future. When peacetime resumed, he began developing his own chassis and cars that began attracting the attention of privateers and manufacturers.

The most famous Tojeiro-built race cars were done in conjunction with the Ecurie Ecosse team, using engines from Climax, Bristol, Buick, and Jaguar. The Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro EE was one of the first sports racing cars to use a mid-engine layout, but his biggest claim-to-fame was his work on the A.C. which later became the Shelby Cobra.

Three 'space frame series' racing cars were constructed around the mid-1950s, with two receiving Bristol power and the third a 1,500cc Turner engine. The Turner-powered car later received a Bristol engine.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2020