Tojeiro Bristol

1952 Tojeiro-Bristol Sports Racing Car

John Tojeiro’s importance in post-war British sports car history is far greater than many people realise. Best known today for the ideas and engineering that led directly to the AC Ace — and, in turn, the Shelby Cobra — Tojeiro was a gifted chassis designer whose work combined simplicity, lightness and real competition intent.

This Tojeiro-Bristol is a wonderful expression of that thinking. Compact, purposeful and beautifully direct, it has all the ingredients that make a great 1950s sports-racing car so compelling: low weight, a finely balanced chassis, handsome period proportions and proper performance from its 2. 0-litre Bristol six-cylinder engine.

At the heart of the car is a Tojeiro chassis inspected by John Tojeiro himself and confirmed as one of his own. The car was ultimately completed circa 1992, with the suspension and brakes reconditioned, new leaf springs fitted, and a new wiring system installed together with correct instrumentation.

Our client acquired the car in 2015 and, together with Steve Stanton of Stanton Motorsport, set about developing it into the car it is today. Over the following seasons the chassis and engine were refined with proper competitive use in mind, culminating in one of Stanton’s strongest Bristol engines — a 2. 0-litre six-cylinder producing a quoted 186 bhp.

The result is a car with real pace and real character. It has been campaigned and enjoyed with Motor Racing Legends in the MRL Woodcote Trophy, with AMOC, and at BRDC Classic, performing very well in class and proving itself as far more than just an intriguing historic special.

That is the appeal here. This is not a car that has been built simply to look the part. It has been developed, used, improved and enjoyed, and it now offers the next owner a highly distinctive entry into 1950s sports-racing machinery.

Light, powerful, mechanical and wonderfully involving, this Tojeiro-Bristol delivers the sort of experience that reminds you exactly why these cars matter. It has the period engineering, the performance, the looks and, most importantly, the feel. Equally at home stretching its legs on the open road as it is on a hill, sprint or circuit, it is a car to be used properly and enjoyed properly.

Now offered for sale somewhat reluctantly, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a beautifully developed Tojeiro-Bristol with serious performance, fascinating provenance and huge potential for further enjoyment.