This car was the first to be designed and built by the late John Tojeiro and is of considerable historical significance.

A self-taught car designer and constructor, 'Toj' was one of the pioneers of Britain's motor racing renaissance in the post-war years and began, like so many others, by building a special for his own use.

He is best remembered nowadays for his role in the gestation of the AC Ace and its Cobra derivative.

An influential and widely imitated design, the Ace could trace its origins back to the one-off sports-racer that Tojeiro built for Cliff Davis in 1952.

The success of Davis' Bristol-engined Tojeiro - registration 'LOY 500' - prompted AC Cars to acquire the rights to the design, which was put into production in 1954 as the Ace using AC's own venerable, 2.0-litre, six-cylinder engine.

The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired barchetta bodywork was retained, as was Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension.

Tojeir...