Could any of our Southern African chums help?
How many Tojeiros competed in South Africa and Rhodesia during the late 1950s/early 1960s???? We know about the Tony Maggs ex-John Ogier Tojeiro-Jaguar - but did Eric Glasby, Mike Nurse, Jolyon Simpson campaign a different Jaguar-engined 'Toj'...or perhaps at some stage create one???
I would be most grateful for any information, any contempoary photographs etc depicting a second Tojeiro-Jaguar car at Kumalo or elsewhere in SA...
Of course I might be blethering on here about what was in fact a Tojeiro-Bristol, or a Toj with some other kind of engine installed.
There is a story that a 'surviving' Jaguar-powered car began life as the Bert Rogers 'Sunpat Special' Toj-Bristol in which the owner/driver was killed at Goodwood the same day as Tony Dennis died in the Hamilton D-Type. The 'Sunpat Special' burned in that accident. The remains might certainly have found a buyer who took the car to Southern Africa, but if so at what stage did it acquire a Jaguar engine in place of the original Bristol unit????
Or is this all pie in the sky and is someone playing around (again) with smoke, and mirrors...???
DCN
Full Version: Southern African Tojeiros
If there was ever a Tojiero Bristol in Africa, Ivan Glasby would have known about it...
Do you want contact details?
Do you want contact details?
I shall check my old programmes over the weekend to see if I can find anything. My only knowledge with regards to the Tojeiro is the one that Maggs briefly used.
I am not much of a "car expert" so perhaps my compatriot ry6 will have the answer, if he still surfs this forum.
I am not much of a "car expert" so perhaps my compatriot ry6 will have the answer, if he still surfs this forum.
Eric Glasby raced a Tojeiro-Bristol in 1960 (the same year Maggs had the Jag)
As Ray says, Ivan Gasby would know about that one, at least
As Ray says, Ivan Gasby would know about that one, at least
So, the answer thus lies in Australia it seems...
Verbatim from my very good friend Jannie van Aswegen:
The first car is as Doug says the car that Tony Maggs brought to South Africa over a summer break in 1958 I think it was, a borrowed car from John Ogier and the car went back with Tony after his racing summer holiday.
The second car is only one car and not two or a burned out car that was rebuilt . Erick Glasby and his two sons Ivan and Bruce lived in Bulowayo Rhodesia and ran a business called Glasby Engineering . They also had the Bristol agency for Rhodesia and brought a fair number of Bristol cars into that country . They for instance brought a AC Bristol in that came third in the Nine hour race at Kyalami [see Sun on the grid ] ,this is the car that ended up with Jack Clough. Erick Glasby bought a Tojeiro Bristol second hand in the U.K. and brought it to Rhodesia to race, however the car did not handle and the old man was very disappointed with the car and never achieved good results with it in spite of it being a car with one of only 6 very special heads developed for Le Mans on the Bristol engine . He got frustrated and sold the car to a Mr. Nurse in Florida /Johannesburg who raced the car extensively but not with earth shattering results . When Nurse passed away in the 70 s the car passed on to an engineer with the name of Bruce who ran a small engineering works next to the Kyalami Ranch . He stripped the car to rebuilt it and found that there was a problem with the De Dion back axle , it was bent ,when speaking to Erick Glasby about it Erick remembered that when the car was offloaded in Durban docks the car was dropped onto the one rear wheel from about a meter high but they did not see any damage at the time and did nothing about it . This then explained the poor handling of the car . Bruce started rebuilding the car but developed cancer and was forced to sell the car before completing the rebuild . He sold it to Jolyon Simpson in the late 70 s or the early 80 s . The car stood as was in Jolyons collection for a long time before he apparently had a good offer for this special Bristol engine which he sold . He then got hold of a D type Jaguar head and built up a Jaguar engine which he claimed was more correct for this car . I belief the car has been sold to the U.K. sometime ago .
Erick Glasby passed away 2 to 3 years ago in Tasmania where he retired . His son Ivan is in Australia and is involved with the rebuilding of old Cooper racing cars and Bruce Glasby is still in Zimbabwe and has a collection of old Cooper Formula cars . The later two persons could give a more detailed history of the car during their time that they owned the car.
The first car is as Doug says the car that Tony Maggs brought to South Africa over a summer break in 1958 I think it was, a borrowed car from John Ogier and the car went back with Tony after his racing summer holiday.
The second car is only one car and not two or a burned out car that was rebuilt . Erick Glasby and his two sons Ivan and Bruce lived in Bulowayo Rhodesia and ran a business called Glasby Engineering . They also had the Bristol agency for Rhodesia and brought a fair number of Bristol cars into that country . They for instance brought a AC Bristol in that came third in the Nine hour race at Kyalami [see Sun on the grid ] ,this is the car that ended up with Jack Clough. Erick Glasby bought a Tojeiro Bristol second hand in the U.K. and brought it to Rhodesia to race, however the car did not handle and the old man was very disappointed with the car and never achieved good results with it in spite of it being a car with one of only 6 very special heads developed for Le Mans on the Bristol engine . He got frustrated and sold the car to a Mr. Nurse in Florida /Johannesburg who raced the car extensively but not with earth shattering results . When Nurse passed away in the 70 s the car passed on to an engineer with the name of Bruce who ran a small engineering works next to the Kyalami Ranch . He stripped the car to rebuilt it and found that there was a problem with the De Dion back axle , it was bent ,when speaking to Erick Glasby about it Erick remembered that when the car was offloaded in Durban docks the car was dropped onto the one rear wheel from about a meter high but they did not see any damage at the time and did nothing about it . This then explained the poor handling of the car . Bruce started rebuilding the car but developed cancer and was forced to sell the car before completing the rebuild . He sold it to Jolyon Simpson in the late 70 s or the early 80 s . The car stood as was in Jolyons collection for a long time before he apparently had a good offer for this special Bristol engine which he sold . He then got hold of a D type Jaguar head and built up a Jaguar engine which he claimed was more correct for this car . I belief the car has been sold to the U.K. sometime ago .
Erick Glasby passed away 2 to 3 years ago in Tasmania where he retired . His son Ivan is in Australia and is involved with the rebuilding of old Cooper racing cars and Bruce Glasby is still in Zimbabwe and has a collection of old Cooper Formula cars . The later two persons could give a more detailed history of the car during their time that they owned the car.
Fantastic - thanks for the information - the car is presently in Essex, England, having been returned from South Africa, complete with a Jaguar XK engine installed...
DCN
DCN
Ivan is alive and well and always on for a chat -- I was talking to him a week ago at Wakefield Park --- and his brotherv Bruce also ( in Zimbabwe).
For reasons I dont understand he doesnt appear in our telephone directories , but if you would like a contact number let me know and I'll hunt him down
For reasons I dont understand he doesnt appear in our telephone directories , but if you would like a contact number let me know and I'll hunt him down
Having looked for the number and failed, I now realise why...
It's listed as a business number under Glasby Engineering.
It's listed as a business number under Glasby Engineering.
My version on the Southern African Tojeiros:
Quote from the obituary that ry6 wrote on Eric Glasby and that featured in the April 1998 edition of CLASSIC CAR AFRICA:
“Eric Glasby entered his newly imported Tojeiro-Bristol in the 6th South African GP at East London on 1 January 1960, but it was an unhappy occasion for him. The car’s De Dion axle-shaft was damaged when it was accidentally dropped while being off-loaded at Beira in Mozambique and the damage could not be repaired satisfactorily. This necessitated several pitstops for the axle-shaft to be tightened during the race.”
Glasby qualified stone last for this race and retired on lap 45.
I could find no other evidence of Glasby competing in other South African races during 1960 in the Tojeiro. However, I have a race programme of a National Meeting held at the James McNeillie Circuit, Kumalo (Rhodesia) on 27 Nov. 1960. Eric entered the Tojeiro Bristol for the Formula Libre scratch race as well as for the Open Sports Specials/Racing Cars Handicap race. Unfortunately I do not have the full results of these races. He also entered his AC Ace Bristol for both of these events, so I am also not sure which one of the two he actually used in the race.
I have no other race programmes from Rhodesian races for the year 1960, so I can’t comment on other races in Rhodesia that he perhaps may have competed in.
The only photo I could find of Glasby’s Tojeiro-Bristol shows him in the far distance at the rear of the field shortly after the start of the South African GP on 1 January 1960.
...and with reference to the Tojeiro-Janguar of Tony Maggs. Tony had the following to say in an interview that was published in CAR magazine of October 1994:
"Then at the end of that year (1959), I bought a Tojeiro-Jaguar from Ecurie Ecosse and went by train to Scotland to collect the car. I drove it to London and immediately shipped it to South Africa for the summer series and the 1960 Grand Prix in East London.
I drove it from Cape Town to Pretoria and have never known a hotter car - the heat generated by the Jag engine was unbelievable. Do you remember Chris Barber, whose band always played after race meetings in England? Well, I had some of his Dixieland records in the car on this trip and by the time I got in Pretoria they had completely melted, in my luggage in the passenger seat."
Tony also doesn't agree with the official race reports that mentioned that he retired due to heat exhaustion in the SAGP (East London). His version: "The diff leaked and spewed oil all over the inboard rear discs. The acrid smoke nearly knocked me out and the pedals got so hot, they blistered my feet."
Tony competed in the following races in the Tojeiro-Jaguar:
1) 6th SAGP, East London (1 January 1960)
2) False Bay 100, Sacks Circle, Bellville (9 January 1960)
3) Transvaal Summer Handicap, Grand Central (30 January 1960)
4) Pat Fairfield Memorial Trophy, Roy Hesketh, Pietermaritzburg (7 February 1960)
I have a few pics of Tony in this car
Quote from the obituary that ry6 wrote on Eric Glasby and that featured in the April 1998 edition of CLASSIC CAR AFRICA:
“Eric Glasby entered his newly imported Tojeiro-Bristol in the 6th South African GP at East London on 1 January 1960, but it was an unhappy occasion for him. The car’s De Dion axle-shaft was damaged when it was accidentally dropped while being off-loaded at Beira in Mozambique and the damage could not be repaired satisfactorily. This necessitated several pitstops for the axle-shaft to be tightened during the race.”
Glasby qualified stone last for this race and retired on lap 45.
I could find no other evidence of Glasby competing in other South African races during 1960 in the Tojeiro. However, I have a race programme of a National Meeting held at the James McNeillie Circuit, Kumalo (Rhodesia) on 27 Nov. 1960. Eric entered the Tojeiro Bristol for the Formula Libre scratch race as well as for the Open Sports Specials/Racing Cars Handicap race. Unfortunately I do not have the full results of these races. He also entered his AC Ace Bristol for both of these events, so I am also not sure which one of the two he actually used in the race.
I have no other race programmes from Rhodesian races for the year 1960, so I can’t comment on other races in Rhodesia that he perhaps may have competed in.
The only photo I could find of Glasby’s Tojeiro-Bristol shows him in the far distance at the rear of the field shortly after the start of the South African GP on 1 January 1960.
...and with reference to the Tojeiro-Janguar of Tony Maggs. Tony had the following to say in an interview that was published in CAR magazine of October 1994:
"Then at the end of that year (1959), I bought a Tojeiro-Jaguar from Ecurie Ecosse and went by train to Scotland to collect the car. I drove it to London and immediately shipped it to South Africa for the summer series and the 1960 Grand Prix in East London.
I drove it from Cape Town to Pretoria and have never known a hotter car - the heat generated by the Jag engine was unbelievable. Do you remember Chris Barber, whose band always played after race meetings in England? Well, I had some of his Dixieland records in the car on this trip and by the time I got in Pretoria they had completely melted, in my luggage in the passenger seat."
Tony also doesn't agree with the official race reports that mentioned that he retired due to heat exhaustion in the SAGP (East London). His version: "The diff leaked and spewed oil all over the inboard rear discs. The acrid smoke nearly knocked me out and the pedals got so hot, they blistered my feet."
Tony competed in the following races in the Tojeiro-Jaguar:
1) 6th SAGP, East London (1 January 1960)
2) False Bay 100, Sacks Circle, Bellville (9 January 1960)
3) Transvaal Summer Handicap, Grand Central (30 January 1960)
4) Pat Fairfield Memorial Trophy, Roy Hesketh, Pietermaritzburg (7 February 1960)
I have a few pics of Tony in this car
My grandfather bought a 1935 Rolls Royce from Eric Glasby in 1966. I am not sure it is the Eric Glasby that was the motor racer referred to in this forum. If you have any information about where to contact his two sons, Bruce and Ivan to try and find out details about the sale of the Royce, it will realyl help me. I am busy putting together a history of the Rolls that I now own.
Ivan Glasby is in Australia, and well-knwnn to the historic-racing community there
There are some photos of the "Maggs" Jaguar engined car and some info on it and the "Bristol" engined car in Graham Gauld's new book about "Toj".
At the back of the book is a list of "facts" on all the Toj cars built.
Very interesting.
At the back of the book is a list of "facts" on all the Toj cars built.
Very interesting.
Originally posted by Chris Basson
My grandfather bought a 1935 Rolls Royce from Eric Glasby in 1966. I am not sure it is the Eric Glasby that was the motor racer referred to in this forum. If you have any information about where to contact his two sons, Bruce and Ivan to try and find out details about the sale of the Royce, it will realyl help me. I am busy putting together a history of the Rolls that I now own.
My grandfather bought a 1935 Rolls Royce from Eric Glasby in 1966. I am not sure it is the Eric Glasby that was the motor racer referred to in this forum. If you have any information about where to contact his two sons, Bruce and Ivan to try and find out details about the sale of the Royce, it will realyl help me. I am busy putting together a history of the Rolls that I now own.
Chris
Daar is 'n persoon met die naam, Wayne Kennerley, wat op 'n stadium 'n studie gemaak het oor Rolls Royce-modelle in Suid-Afrika. Ek het nog 'n adres vir hom in Engeland, maar weet nie of dit nog geldig is nie...
Originally posted by Chris Basson
My grandfather bought a 1935 Rolls Royce from Eric Glasby in 1966. I am not sure it is the Eric Glasby that was the motor racer referred to in this forum. If you have any information about where to contact his two sons, Bruce and Ivan to try and find out details about the sale of the Royce, it will realyl help me. I am busy putting together a history of the Rolls that I now own.
My grandfather bought a 1935 Rolls Royce from Eric Glasby in 1966. I am not sure it is the Eric Glasby that was the motor racer referred to in this forum. If you have any information about where to contact his two sons, Bruce and Ivan to try and find out details about the sale of the Royce, it will realyl help me. I am busy putting together a history of the Rolls that I now own.
Chris
I can arrange contact with Bruce Glasby...so email me, if you wish. Can give you the details.
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