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  Trojan T101 Chevrolet      

  Article Image gallery (7) 105 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Great Britain
Produced in:1973
Numbers built:6
Designed by:Ron Tauranac for Trojan
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:June 28, 2013
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Click here to download printer friendly versionEver since McLaren offered its first production car to customers in 1964, Trojan was responsible for the actual construction of the cars, so it came as a blow when McLaren announced no customer cars would be offered from 1973 onwards. Peter Agg of Trojan had a final go at convincing McLaren to reconsider by having a new F5000 racer developed that could be sold using the McLaren name under license.

With only limited time and resources available, Agg tasked Ron Tauranac, of Brabham fame, to use an existing McLaren M21 F2 design as the basis for the new-for-1973 single seater racer. Derived directly from the relatively compact machine was the sheet-aluminium monocoque chassis and front suspension. Grafted onto the reinforced rear bulkhead was a Chevrolet small-block engine to bring the car up to F5000 specification.

Unfortunately, McLaren clearly had their mind made up and refused to lend their name to Trojan's F5000 project. Instead, the new car was dubbed the Trojan T101. Benefitting from the solid reputation earned during the McLaren years, Trojan managed to sell five cars in 1973 and one more ahead of the 1974 season. Among the customers was Sid Taylor, who previously ran McLarens and now acquired two T101s for future World Champion Jody Scheckter.

The young South African was remarkably successful in the new Trojan, scoring victories in both the British and American F5000 series. He won the championship in North America, although he was forced to switch to a Lola halfway through the season after a crash. Bob Evans also managed to add a victory to the T101's tally. With little to no development done on the cars, the first Trojan quickly lost competitiveness.

Tauranac meanwhile, worked on a brand new design that was designated the T102 and destined for F5000. However, only one or two were built before Trojan set their focus on Formula 1. Using the T102-based T103, the effort lasted just a handful of Grands Prix. In September of 1974, the funds had been exhausted and with the F1 program, Trojan's brief spell as a racing car manufacturer also came to an end.

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  Article Image gallery (7) 105 Specifications