Toleman TG280 car-by-car histories
Derek Warwick in the BP-sponsored works Toleman TG280 at Thruxton in early 1980. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2019. Used with permission.
Built by Toleman Motorsport for 1980 as a development of Ralt's RT2 Formula 2 car, the Toleman TG280 took Brian Henton to the 1980 Formula 2 title.
Toleman Group Motorsport entered Formula 2 in 1978, running a pair of March 782s for Rad Dougall, and in 1979 expanded to a two-car team, running Ralt RT2s from Dougall and Brian Henton. Dougall won one race in the team's old 782 before his Ralt was ready, and Henton won two races in the new ground-effect Ralt. For 1980, Toleman's ambitions increased with the creation of their own car, the Toleman TG280. Designed by Rory Byrne, assisted by design draughtsman and engineer John Gentry, the TG280 was a development of the Ralt design, but did not share any components. The very narrow monocoque was constructed from L89 and L72 aluminium, and detachable pontoons contained the alloy Hart 420R engine and transmitted loads from the rear suspension. Suspension was inboard all round, using rocker arms, brakes were outboard all round to clean up the underbody air flow, and a five-speed Hewland FT200 gearbox was employed. The team used Pirelli radial tyres, and car was finished in the colours of primary sponsor BP.
As the Toleman team was still operating out of cramped accommodation at Kidlington, the TG280 monocoques were built by BS Fabrications in Luton. Bob Sparshott's operation had developed a reputation as one of F1's finest fabrication specialists and had built the hugely successful Chaparral 2K Indy car for designer John Barnard a year before. Eight chassis were to be built, and were assembled by Toleman at their new workshop at Witney for the team and for customers.
Other key members of the team included Toleman Group Chairman Ted Toleman, Managing Director Alex Hawkridge, competitions manager Roger Silman, research & development engineer Pat Symonds, PR boss Chris Witty, and lead mechanic Sal Incandela. Silman had F1 experience with Surtees and Shadow, and had run March's F2 operation in 1978, and Incandela had started in F2 with Pygmée before moving into F1 with Surtees, Shadow and McLaren. Gentry had worked at March, then designed the F1 ATS D1 in 1978 before moving to Shadow in 1979.
Richard Hinton's Toleman TG280, still unrestored as it was acquired from San Remo Racing. Copyright Richard Hinton 2020. Used with permission.
The prototype TG280 was used as the Toleman Group Motorsport's spare car early in 1980, then sold to San Remo Racing for Alberto Colombo to drive late 1980. Retained for 1981, when it was driven by Carlo Rossi, and for 1982, when it was raced by Eddy Bianchi, then Piero Necchi. This is then presumably the entry driven by Severo Zampatti, Aldo Bertuzzi and Guido Daccò in late 1982 and early 1983. Bought from San Remo Racing in 1985 by Richard Hinton and returned to England. Still with Richard in June 2020.
Driven by: Brian Henton, Alberto Colombo, Carlo Rossi, Eddy Bianchi, Piero Necchi, Severo Zampatti, Aldo Bertuzzi and Guido Daccò. First race: Misano (R11), 10 Aug 1980. Total of 26 recorded races.
The Toleman TG280 bought from Budapest by Kevan McLurg in 2005. Copyright Kevan McLurg 2020. Used with permission.
David Tilley in his Toleman TG280 at Curborough in 2014. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2020. Used with permission.
New to Toleman Group Motorsport for Derek Warwick to drive in F2 in 1980. Sold to Sewi Hopfer for 1981, and raced in F2 all season. Entered by Gebhardt Motorsport for Hopfer to drive for a couple of races in early 1982. Sold to Walter Pedrazza (Austria) late 1982, and used in Bergrennen and some Interserie races in sports car bodywork in 1983, but he destroyed the car completely in a Bergrennen. He recalls that little was salvageable and a few bits were sold off, but nothing significant.
However, this cannot have been the end of the car, because at the end of 1986, Hungarian hillclimber Dezső Kiss swapped his ageing Osella PA3/5 with Pedrazza for an "ex-Warwick" Toleman TG280 with BMW engine. This car is therefore likely to be the PRC Toleman raced by Georg Pacher as part of Pedrazza's team in 1986. Kiss ran the Toleman in national hillclimbs and Alpok-Duna Kupa (Alpine-Danube Cup) events in 1987 and 1988, winning the Hungarian hillclimb championship, before moving into Interserie in 1989. The Toleman was used once or twice by fellow Hungarian András Nagy in 1989, but then disappeared for a couple of seasons. In early 1992, it was acquired by Mátyás Szigetvári, but it arrived with a badly damaged BMW engine, and it appears Szigetvári never raced it. Szigetvári was still looking for a buyer of the rebuilt Toleman in April 1995. It was then raced by László Kálmándy Pap in Hungarian national Group E events in 1995 and 1996. The car was entered by Volán Autós Sport Club throughout this period.
Sold by Kálmándy Pap to Zsolt Csüllög in Budapest in 1996/97, and then sold by him to Kevan McLurg (Brighton, UK) in 2007 and reimported to England. At this point the car was white, and had Lola bodywork. Sold to Ray Stubber in Australia, but before the car left England, it was sold again, via Terry Fisher to David Tilley (Peterborough). Tilley rebuilt it for hillclimbs with a Rover V8 engine, swapping some parts with Mark Harrison, who had acquired an ex-hillclimb Lola-Toleman from Ray Rowan and was making it into a circuit car. Run in hillclimbs by Tilley between 2010 and 2017. Sold in 2017 to Mark Harrison (Worcester). Fully restored to 1980 specification and driven by Warwick at the Toleman Reunion in September 2020.
Driven by: Derek Warwick, Sewi Hopfer, Walter Pedrazza, Georg Pacher, Dezső Kiss, András Nagy and László Kálmándy Pap. First race: Thruxton (R1), 7 Apr 1980. Total of 36 recorded races.
Huub Rothengatter in his Binair-backed Docking-Spitzley Toleman TG280 at Thruxton in early 1980. Copyright Ted Walker 2020. Used with permission.
Eddie Wachs in his Can-Am Toleman TG280 at Brainerd in 1984. Copyright Jerry Winker 2019. Used with permission.
New to Docking Spitzley Racing for Huub Rothengatter to race in F2 in 1980. Raced once by John Lewis in the Aurora series at the end of that season. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1981 when it was run by Bob Salisbury for Ricardo Londoño. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1982 when it was rebuilt with new rear suspension and "totally new bodywork" for Thierry Tassin to drive. Sold to Eddie Wachs' Ausca Racing at the end of the F2 season, and converted to Can-Am specification for Horst Kwech to drive. Retained for 1983, when it was raced by Wachs. Retained again for 1984, when it was driven by Wachs, Bill Alsup, and Enrique Mansilla. Subsequent history unresolved.
Driven by: Huub Rothengatter, John Lewis, Stefan Johansson, Ricardo Londoño, Thierry Tassin, Horst Kwech, Eddie Wachs, Bill Alsup and Enrique Mansilla. First race: Thruxton (R1), 7 Apr 1980. Total of 35 recorded races.
New to Toleman Group Motorsport for Brian Henton to drive in F2 in early 1980, then becoming the spare car. Also driven by Carlo Rossi as a Docking Spitzley entry at Hockenheim in September. The car was then retained at the Toleman factory, and in July 1981 it was used by Stefan Johansson in a comparison test with the Lola T850 that Johansson was then racing for Docking Spitzley. As a result, Johansson raced the TG280 at Enna on 26 July, but crashed it. It was repaired with a strengthened tub and was raced by Johansson in the last three F2 events of the season, winning the Mantorp Park Trofen in September. The car was then returned to Toleman and remained in Ted Toleman's collection until it was disbanded, and the TG280 was acquired with four F1 cars by Martin Hines. In 2003, it was sold via Kevan McLurg to John Lennon (Brisbane, Australia). The car has been restored by John and brother Tony, and in July 2020 was awaiting the fitting of its rebuilt engine.
Driven by: Brian Henton, Carlo Rossi and Stefan Johansson. First race: Thruxton (R1), 7 Apr 1980. Total of 11 recorded races.
Terry Fisher's Toleman TG280 in July 2020. Copyright Chris Witty 2020. Used with permission.
New to Toleman Group Motorsport, initially as a spare car and then becoming Brian Henton's race car. Sold to Plygrange, and raced by Jim Crawford in F2 and libre to the end of the 1981 season. History then unknown, but the car was auctioned when Plygrange closed down, and was was bought by Richard Simms (Ossett, West Yorkshire) and a partner, who sold it on to Brian McGinley in Northern Ireland. McGinley may have used it in sprints and hillclimbs in the province before selling it to Ray Rowan in 1987. Rowan ran it for Nigel Bigwood in the 1988 British Sprint Championship, fitted with a 2-litre Hart 420R. The Hart engine was enlarged to 2.5 litres for 1989, when Bigwood won the British sprint championship. He retained again for 1990, then it was entered as a "TG290", still with the 2.5-litre engine, and still run for Bigwood by Rowan. The car was damaged at Curborough at the end of the 1990 season, and as Rowan was already building a new car for Bigwood, the TG280 was stored after the repairs were completed by SPA. Sold to Terry Fisher in 2004 or 2005. Fully restored to 1980 specification and driven by Henton at the Toleman Reunion in September 2020.
Driven by: Brian Henton, Jim Crawford, Nigel Bigwood and Martin O'Connell. First race: Silverstone (R6), 8 Jun 1980. Total of 55 recorded races.
Kenny Acheson in the Advan Toleman TG280 at Suzuka in November 1981. Copyright Hiroshi Kaneko 2020. Used with permission.
New to Docking Spitzley Racing for Siegfried Stohr to race in F2 in 1980. The car was then sold to the Yokohama/Advan tyre company in Japan, where it was raced by Huub Rothengatter, Kenny Acheson and Mike Thackwell in 1981 and 1982. Alan Docking recalls that the car was not returned to his team. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Siegfried Stohr, Huub Rothengatter, Kenneth Acheson and Mike Thackwell. First race: Nürburgring (R3), 27 Apr 1980. Total of 14 recorded races.
New to Suzuki Racing for Kunimitsu Takahashi in the Japanese F2 series, only appearing at one race at the end of 1980. Retained by Takahashi for 1981, and again for 1982 when it had a BMW engine. Neither Toleman was seen during the 1983 Japanese season, but two returned in 1984, both with BMW engines; presumably one of these was TG280-07. This car has been on display in a museum in Japan in Advan livery, but its current location is unclear.
Driven by: Kunimitsu Takahashi. First race: Suzuka (R6), 3 Nov 1980. Total of 11 recorded races.
Built for Ford Germany and Zakspeed to test Zakspeed's 1.4-litre turbocharged BDA. The car was delivered to Harold Ertl. Nothing more known.
Built as a development chassis for Toleman to test Hart's turbocharged F1 engine for 1981. This would be the car fitted with the prototype Hart engine and first tested by Brian Henton at Goodwood on 9 December 1980. The engine used a Hart 420R block with twin Garratt turbochargers, and the chassis used F2 suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres. It was tested again by Goodwood in early February using the proper F1 engine. The new F1 Toleman TG181 was then completed, and the development chassis was sold to Jo Gartner, and fitted with a BMW engine for F2 in 1981. Raced by "Pierre Chauvet" in the final race of 1981 at Mantorp Park, and also raced by him at Hockenheim in April 1982, although he raced a Maurer MM82 at all other events. In May 1982, it was reported that Alberto Colombo, the proprietor of the Milan-based San Remo Racing Formula 2 team, had hired the "Heidegger-owned ex-Jo Gartner Toleman" for the Pau, Enna and Misano races, but he did not appear. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Jo Gartner and "Pierre Chauvet" (Fritz Glatz). First race: Nürburgring (R4), 26 Apr 1981. Total of 7 recorded races.
Chris Cramer in his Toleman TG280 at Barbon Manor. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2020. Used with permission.
Jim McGaughey in the Lancia 037-bodied Toleman in GT racing at Oulton Park. Copyright Phil Rainford 2020. Used with permission.
Built new for Chris Cramer (Stroud, Gloucestershire) and fitted with a 2.5-litre Hart engine to be used in the British Hill Climb Championship in 1981. Won at Fintray and had a string of second places during the season. Retained by Cramer for 1982 and won at Le Val des Terres and Craigantlet. Sold to Jimmy Jack (Evanton, Scotland) and Jim McGaughey for 1983 and converted to a GT by shortening the car by four inches and adding kevlar Lancia 037 bodywork from Lancia's competition department. The "Lancia" was powered by McGaughey's ex-Norman Dickson BMW F2 engine. Debuted by Jack at Doune at the end of 1983, and raced by McGaughey in a GT race at Ingliston a week later. Raced by McGaughey in British GT racing in 1984 and 1985. In 1994, the car reappeared in Finland where it was raced by Ahti Juusela with a Ford engine, and in 1995 with a Mazda engine. It was then acquired by Jari Kämäräinen's team and raced by him, still with the Mazda engine, from 1996 to 2000, winning the Finnish championship in 1997. After a change to the rules, the car was stored until 2006 when it was raced again under Estonian rules. The engine broke after a race in 2007 and it has not been heard of since then. Still with Jari Kämäräinen in July 2020.
Driven by: Chris Cramer, Jimmy Jack and Jim McGaughey. First race: Prescott (R3), 3 May 1981. Total of 58 recorded races.
Pete Kaye in Godfrey Crompton's Toleman at Harewood in 1982. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2016. Used with permission.
New to Douglas & Gavin Racing boss Godfrey Crompton and fitted with a 2.5-litre Hart engine for the British Hill Climb Championship. Ordered at the same time as Chris Cramer's TG280/10, but not raced for the first time until August 1982. Retained by Crompton for 1983, but rarely seen. Co-driven by Peter Kaye in both 1982 and 1983. Sold for 1984 to Ray Rowan, and first raced at Pembrey on 30 June, where Autosport called it ex-Godfrey Crompton. Used in Sprints and Hillclimbs in 1984 and 1985. Rebuilt with a more powerful short-stroke methanol-fueled 2.6-litre Phil Marks Hart engine and FGB gearbox for 1986, but crashed at Doune in June, after which it was rebuilt on a Lola T850 monocoque. Raced by Rowan to the end of that season, then sold to Richard Ames for 1987, then to Terry Clifford from 1988 to 1992. This car then went to Richard Brown (Newbury, Berkshire) and Richard Fry (Bath, Avon) for sprints and hillclimbs in 1993. By 2003, the car was with Rowan again. Believed to be one of the cars sold to Eddie Wachs c2006. Subsequent history unresolved.
Driven by: Godfrey Crompton, Peter Kaye, Ray Rowan, Richard Ames, Terry Clifford, Richard Brown and Richard Fry. First race: Harewood (R8), 11 Jul 1982. Total of 115 recorded races.
Post 1980 production, and related models
Although only seven TG280s raced in Formula 2 in 1980, this was by no means the end of production. Firstly, Toleman produced two more TG280s in late 1980 for use as test cars for two engine projects. Then a further two were produced for customers to be used in hillclimbs, bringing total TG280 production to 11. Production was then handed over to Lola under licence from Toleman, and six cars were built for F2 in 1981 under the name Toleman T850, and a further two were built for Formula Atlantic as T860s. Unused Toleman and Lola monocoques were later acquired by hillclimber Ray Rowan who built up three more cars for his customers between 1987 and 1990. He then built another two cars using Toleman components which were named Romans. This brings total production of Toleman-related cars to 24, making tracking of histories exceedingly difficult.
Lola's Toleman T850s and T860s
Lola were licenced to build Tolemans in 1981, which Lola called Toleman T850s, and appear in Lola's records as Lola T850s. Also two Formula Atlantic cars were built, sold as Toleman TA860s, and in Lola's records as Lola T860s. A fuller history of the Atlantic cars can be found on the Toleman TA860 page.
To summarise these Lola-built cars:
T850 HU1. To Heroes Racing Corporation for Kazuyoshi Hoshino in Japan in 1981 and 1982. Current location unknown.
T850 HU2. To Docking Spitzley Team Toleman for Kenny Acheseon in 1981, but crashed at Pau. This is presumably the "ex-Acheson" car used by Docking Spitzley for Carlo Rossi in F2 in 1982. Then to Eddie Wachs' Ausca Racing and used in Can-Am in 1982, 1983 and 1984. Then unknown until raced by Frank Zucchi in US vintage racing in 1994. To Paul Flowers in 1996, then to Takuya Arai (New Paltz, NY). Still with Arai in 2020.
T850 HU3. To Docking Spitzley Team Toleman for Stefan Johansson in 1981. To Strandel Motorsport for Tomas Kaiser in 1982. This car was later in a museum in Johansson's home town in Sweden. Subsequently sold by Greger Pettersson, of Swedish West Coast Racing, to Mark Harrison. Still with Harrison in 2020.
T850 HU4. To Heroes Racing Corporation for Toshio Suzuki in Japan in 1982. Unclear where this car was in 1981. Current location unknown.
T850 HU5. To San Remo Racing in Italy for Guido Pardini in 1981, for Roberto Del Castello in 1982, and for Guido Daccò in 1983. Current location unknown.
T850 HU6. To Formel Rennsport Club in Germany for Fredy Schnarwiler in 1981 and early 1982. Schnarwiler cannot recall where it went after him. Current location unknown.
T850B Development car. Raced by Johansson at Spa, but not seen again
T860 HU1. Used in Formula Atlantic in North America. Current location unknown. (See the Toleman TA860 page.)
T860 HU2. Used by Peter Williamson in Australian Formula Pacific. Still in Australia in 2003. (See the Toleman TA860 page.)
The Docking Spitzley Toleman DS1s
Docking Spitzley regrouped for 1982 and produced two heavily revised cars, incorporating new sidepods designed by Frank Dernie as a favour to Matt Spitzley. A season preview in Autosport said that "Tassin's chassis will be the ex-Ricardo Londono Toleman TG280 which has been modified with new rear suspension and totally new bodywork" and that "team mate Carlo Rossi will have the ex-Kenny Acheson tub". Rossi's car was referred to during the season as a T850 and again said to be ex-Acheson, so must be T850 HU2, which had been wrecked in Kenny Acheson's accident at Pau in 1981 but evidently recreated as a new car for 1982. Tassin's car would be the team's original TG280-03, which had been a team spare in 1981.
The Can-Am cars (1982-1984)
At the end of the F2 season, in August 1982, Docking Spitzley's two remaining cars were converted to Can-Am form for Eddie Wachs. These cars and Can-Am researcher Doug Waters spoke to Eddie Wachs during the three seasons Wachs used the cars in Can-Am, and noted that one of the was "chassis 003", indicating TG280-03, and the other was "a Lola", indicating the rebuilt T850.
The movements of the cars after Wachs moved on from Can-Am after the 1984 season is still being researched. One was sold to collector Jim Bruckner, but the other is unknown until 1994, when it was being raced by Frank Zucchi in US vintage racing. The Zucchi car was owned by Takuya Arai in 2020 and still had its original SCCA log book giving its number as "HU2" and itemising all its races with the Wachs team and then with Zucchi and later owner Paul Flowers. It is clear that this car must be T850 HU2. That would indicate that the car sold to Jim Bruckner, and with Norm Marshall in 2020, is TG280-03.
Norm Marshall's former Can-Am Toleman in 2014. Copyright Norm Marshall 2014. Used with permission.
One of Eddie Wachs' Can-Am Tolemans was sold to Jim Bruckner, a California collector, and retained by him until his giant collection was auctioned at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in May 2006. This car, still in Wachs' 1984 livery, was acquired by Norm Marshall (Laguna Beach, CA) in 2014, who started the process of restoration. Still with Marshall in January 2020, but still unrestored.
Tolemans in Central Europe in the 1980s
While the ex-Docking Spitzley cars headed off to Can-Am racing, several of the ex-F2 cars were in central Europe: Toleman TG280-02 was sold by Sewi Hopfer in Austria to hillclimber Walter Pedrazza; Toleman TG280-08 was delivered to Zakspeed and then never seen again; Toleman TG280-09 was with Jo Gartner in Austria; and T850 HU6 was with Fredy Schnarwiler in Switzerland. One of these cars was entered in Bergrennen by Austrian Karl Hasenbichler at Rechberg in June 1984 and Teufelskopf in July 1984, but Hasenbichler has no recollection of this, and the car may not have arrived. Similarly, a TG280 was entered by German driver Jürgen Kurze in an Interserie event at Most in August 1984 but also did not arrive. Also, a Toleman was used by Swiss driver Werner Wenk in Bergrennen in 1986. Only the Hopfer/Pedrazza TG280-02 car be tracked from this period, and the fate of the other three cars remains unknown.
The Ray Rowan Tolemans (1987-1990)
Ray Rowan's association with Toleman started in mid-1984 with his purchase of Godfrey Crompton's TG280H, the sister car to the one Chris Cramer had used in hillclimbs in 1981 and 1982. Cramer had been British hillclimb champion in 1980 with an updated March 782, but had been less successful with the Toleman, the car having particular problems with its driveline based on the Hewland FT200 breaking under the torque of Cramer's 2.5-litre Hart engine. Rowan took the Crompton car back towards Byrne's original thinking in terms of wheels and spring rates, and was immediately successful, winning a sprint championship round at Colerne and a hillclimb championship round at Prescott a week later. Rowan continued with the largely unchanged car in 1985, but the fragility of the FT200 meant that standing starts remained its weakness. Over the winter of 1985/86, Rowan rebuilt the car into his "MK II" form with a stronger FG400 gearbox and 2.7-litre methanol-burning Hart engine. In June 1986, Rowan crashed the Toleman heavily at Doune, but he and Dick Foden rebuilt the car on a new Lola T850 monocoque in only four weeks, reappearing to win and set a new record at Harewood. As well as the complete monocoque used the rebuild the TG280H, Lola also had a half-finished T850 monocoque and many other components, and Rowan acquired the complete stock. David Render had driven Rowan's Toleman at Curborough, and he now ordered a car to be built by Rowan and Foden from the half-finished tub. A lot of new ideas went into this car, both in terms of suspension, following the idea of Allan Staniforth and David Gould, and aerodynamics, where Rowan's ideas were developed by aerodynamicist Tony Cotton, and Rowan regarded this Render car as his Mk III design. The car was named the Toleman TG87, and first raced in August 1987 when it was shared by Rowan and Render. Rowan won his first three events in the car, and his attention then turned to building an improved car for his own use.
As well as the development of the Romans, Rowan produced two further Tolemans using Lola monocoques, one 2-litre model for Richard Ames in 1990, and then a car powered by a 3.9-litre Cosworth DFL engine for Nigel Bigwood in 1991.
David Render's Toleman at Aintree in September 1993. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2020. Used with permission.
What appears to be the ex-Render Toleman with Vince Holland in February 2020. Copyright Vince Holland 2020. Used with permission.
Built by Ray Rowan for David Render, fitted with a 2.8-litre Hart 420R, and driven by him in the British Sprint Championship from August 1987 onwards. Raced by Render in sprints in 1988, while also using his Pilbeam MP43 in the sports car class. Raced in both sprints and hillclimbs in 1989 and 1990, and in sprints in 1991. Render acquired the DFL-engined ex-Bigwood Toleman TG191 for 1992, but also used the smaller-engined TG87 at Kirkistown. Render then sold the TG191 to Tony Marsh for 1992, but continued to use the TG87 in 1992 and 1993, and which it was retained for many years. In 2003, the red TG87 was driven by Ray Rowan in two events at Harewood, and in 2004, Rowan used it in the 75th anniversary Prescott. It was described at all three events as David Render's Toleman TG280, and was still running its 2.8-litre Hart. At some point in the 2000s, the TG87 was later sold to Eddie Wachs, complete with its 2.8-litre Hart, along with the ex-Ames "TG290". From Wachs, the ex-Render car plus a second, as yet unidentified, Toleman were sold to Lee Brahin, then sold by him to Peter McLaughlin (Hanover, NH) in late 2015. By 2020, they were with Vince Holland in Australia. It appears that at some point, the Render car has acquired a "TG280-10" chassis plate, and the other car wears the "TG280-11" plate.
Driven by: David Render and Ray Rowan. First race: Kirkistown (R10), 21 Aug 1987. Total of 58 recorded races.
Bill Hall's Toleman TG280 in April 2001. Copyright Kevan McLurg 2020. Used with permission.
Built by Ray Rowan for Richard Ames (Winchcombe, Gloucestershire), fitted with a 2.8-litre Hart engine, and driven by him in the British Sprint Championship in 1990. Retained by Ames and later rebuilt to Formula 2 specification in 1980 Toleman BP livery. Raced in at least one Historic F2 race at Thruxton around 1993 or 1994. He then sold it to Colin Stone who ran it in BOSS in 1995/1996/1997. Stone sold it to Bill Hall by April 2001, and it then went to Chris Perkins who sold the Hart engine and FT200 separately, and sold the rolling chassis to Rowan. From Rowan it was sold to Eddie Wachs in the US. Subsequent history unresolved.
Driven by: Richard Ames. First race: Pembrey (R1), 8 Apr 1990. Total of 21 recorded races.
Nigel Bigwood in the smart new Toleman-DFL TG191 at Blackpool in June 1991. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2020. Used with permission.
Built by Ray Rowan for Nigel Bigwood using a Lola-Toleman T850 monocoque and fitted with a Cosworth DFL for 1991, when he entered the car as a "TG191". It was sold to David Render for 1992, and retained by him for 1993, still with the DFL engine. Then to Tony Marsh in 1993, and raced by him until 1995, when he crashed the car. Marsh transferred the engine to an ex-Rowan Roman chassis, and the Toleman chassis ended up back with Rowan. It was then sold to Mark Lawrence, who intended to fit a Rover engine for sprints, but was sold instead to Mark Harrison (Worcester) in 2010. Harrison restored it to 1980 works BP livery, and used it in hillclimbs in this form. Still at the Harrisons' workshop at Kempsey, Worcestershire, in July 2020, but largely dismantled.
Driven by: Nigel Bigwood, David Render, John Gray and Tony Marsh. First race: Pembrey (R1), 7 Apr 1991. Total of 55 recorded races.
The Romans (1988-1995)
At the start of 1988, Rowan produced his new "Mk IV" design, which was named the Roman (ROwan-ToleMAN) with a model number of IVH, the H standing for Hart. Although a development of his Toleman thinking, this new car only used the inner monocoque skins and front uprights from the T850, the rest of the car being of Rowan's design. It was developed during 1988, and after gaining a 2.8-litre Hart engine for 1989, took Rowan to the British Hillclimb Championship. He continued with this car in 1990 and 1991, finishing second in the title in the latter season, after which it was sold to Roy Lane's protégé Mark Colton. After one season with Hart power, Colton fitted a Judd CV engine for 1993 and 1994, when the Roman's model name was changed to IVJ. Tony Marsh raced Roman IV with a 4.0 Cosworth DFL engine in 1996 and 1997, then it went to Peter Le Druillenec in the Channel Islands in 1999 and 2000. It moved on to Rob Romeril c2002, and was bought from him by Bob Penrose in 2006, still with the 4-litre DFL engine. By 2010, Roman IV had been acquired by Dermot Healy and sold to an Australian.
Rowan returned in 1994 with the new Rowan VJ, also with a Judd CV engine, and raced that car again in 1995. John Fellows then raced Roman V in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In 2010, Roman V was reported to be at Tracksport, John Fellows' prep operation in Coventry.
Toleman movements from 2004
By the mid-2000s, several of the former hillclimb Tolemans were back with Ray Rowan. It appears that he had the ex-Crompton TG280-11, the ex-David Render "TG87/1" and the ex-Richard Ames "TG290", which was by that time in F2 specification having been used in Historic F2. This package of cars, including two or three cars plus myriad spares and an unknown number of extra monocoques, was sold to Eddie Wachs and Horst Kwech around 2004/2005/2006. Wachs used one car in historic racing from 2004 to 2006, previously thought to be his former Can-Am car, TG280-03. In 2005, Wachs formed Newman Wachs Racing with salad dressing entrepreneur Paul Newman, and at some point after that, Newman Wachs Racing advertised four Tolemans:
- "TG280 #3" in BP livery, origin unknown
- "TG280 #6" partly in BP livery, origin unknown
- A black car, origin unknown, but possibly the ex-Crompton TG280-11
- A red "project car", believed to be the ex-Render "TG87/1"
The fate of "TG280 #3" and "TG280 #6" is unresolved, but the black car and the "project car" appear to have been sold to Lee Brahin, then to Peter McLaughlin and then to Vince Holland in Australia. They were wearing chassis plates TG280-10 and TG280-11, but the plates were not in the normal Toleman style.
Between 2004 and 2006, Eddie Wachs raced a Toleman in Formula 2 specification in US vintage racing. This car was thought to be one that he had retained since his Can-Am campaign in the mid-1980s, but could alternatively be one of the cars he acquired from Ray Rowan. Raced by Wachs at the VSCDA Brian Redman International Challenge (BRIC) at Road America 16-18 July 2004 and 14-17 July 2005, the SVRA Zippo Vintage Grand Prix 11 September 2005, VSCDA Elkhart Lane Vintage Festival 18 Sep 2005, Kohler International Challenge 16 July 2006, and SVRA Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix 20 August 2006. Last raced in the US in 2011. Sold to Peter Larner in Australia in 2012 and raced by him a couple of times in early 2013. Then to Karl Seeberg (Cheltenham, Melbourne, Victoria) in 2013. Still with Seeberg in July 2020.
In addition to the above, unknown Toleman TG280s were driven by Bernhard Wissler, Norimasa Sakamoto, Hironobu Tatsumi and Yoshimasa Fujiwara.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Chris Townsend, Kevan McLurg, Steve Wilkinson and Alan Brown and others for the original research on this topic, and to owners Richard Hinton, Peter McLaughlin and Vince Holland, but the subject was finally knocked into shape in 2020 by former Autosport F2 reporter and Toleman PR chief Chris Witty, when he contacted John Gentry, Pat Symonds, Frank Dernie, Brian Henton, Derek Warwick, Alan Docking, Stephan Johansson, Kenny Acheson, Walter Pedrazza, Tomas Kaiser, Fredy Schnarwiler, Bo Strandell, Greger Petersson, Mark Harrison, Karl Seeburg, Ray Rowan, former Hopfer crew member Gerhard Plasonig and John Lennon. Thanks also to Lee Chapman, Gordon Eggleston, Takuya Arai, Terry Fisher for the information they provided, and for Roman Krejci for his help on the Hungarian aspects of the research. Roman's website euromontagna.com is an outstanding resource for European hillclimbs.
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