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1 of 30 Made? 1958 Tojeiro Climax

This gorgeous vintage race car is known as a Tojeiro Climax, built in extremely limited numbers by the same individual who designed the iconic AC Ace. The Climax is rarely seen outside of vintage racing events, and this one was supposedly discovered in the care of the long-term original owner. It does not run and has body damage, and the original 1100 cc Coventry Climax engine is no longer fitted. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace with the seller accepting offers of over $50,000. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Cheato for the find. 

While that number may seem lofty, evidence shows collectors pay sound money for this cars. According to a Hemmings listing, one of the last ones available was listed for an eye-watering sum of $297,500. Now, that car was fully restored, but seeing as this one likely has plenty of in the budget for body and engine repairs (if that selling price can be confirmed), I wouldn’t be surprised to see a higher offer come in.

These were driver’s cars, pure and simple, and the pedigree of an engineer like John Tojeiro is hard to fault. Steve McKelvie offers a terrific biography of Tojeiro’s racing and building history here on his website; it’s worth a read if you have five minutes. The cockpit shows everything you need and nothing you don’t to go vintage racing, with the driver cocooned inside of the aluminum body.

The Tojeiro was designed to accommodate the Coventry Climax engine, which made 71 b.h.p. when tuned for racing purposes. An improved camshaft design and higher compression helped the engine achieve better performance over its stock configuration, and as the seller points out, these engines are fairly easy to find if originality is a priority. Next to impossible to find today, this one will hopefully be rescued.

Comments

  1. Avatar Sam61

    I sense some “that’s what she said jokes”….

    Like 2
  2. Avatar Rick

    How fast was it rolling off the trailer to cause that much damage from a garage door?

    Like 1
  3. Avatar bobhess Member

    No Climax here. That’s a BMC A series engine, probably 900cc or so. Lot of money for what looks like a lot of junk.

    Like 9
  4. Avatar Hemidavey

    Cool and very rare, should fetch far more than he is asking. 400K restored value is not far off in future. Resto cost approx 125K ?

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Dennis Thompson

    I had one of Tojeiro’s even rarer Formula Juniors in the 1970s. I ran it in SCCA Solo II with a Ford Kent 1600. Third at the national championship in the A Modified class. That car is back in England and has been restored and driven in vintage racing.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Facebook Marketplace? A rare racing vehicle needs to appear in an appropriate auction.

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Martin Horrocks

    A beautiful and rare piece, with loads of provenance and potential. Cheap at the price and the BMC is quite appropriate. Climax engines are expensive, but otherwise It would not be expensive to restore. Tubes, glassfibre and alloy with proprietary mechanicals. Though you can spend to infininity if you wish.

    This is not a $400K car though. You may get that for a Tojeiro-Jaguar, or one of the two Ecurie Ecosse mid-engined Le Mans cars which ran well at Goodwood last year. $150K is more like it for an 1100cc racer, not expensive for a rich owner to go vintage racing at the best meetings (this would get an entry at Goodwood). Not a winner, but a welcome guest .

    I think “one of 30” applies to all cars badged as Tojeiros, there were many different models, each made in penny numbers

    Like 4
  8. Avatar Jan Winkel

    Looks like a Tojeiro that I owned and raced in 1965. It had coventry climax engine and VW transaxle in 1965. It also had a convertible top, spare tire and tool kit as required for LeMans. One of these raced in 1958 LeMans.

    Like 1

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