Between 1981 and 1985, Toleman evolved from hopeless backmarker to potent giant-killer in grand prix racing, across five seasons in which it gave a host of key personalities their F1 break, including drivers Derek Warwick, Teo Fabi and Stefan Johansson – but most notably Ayrton Senna and the man who would go on to design every one of Michael Schumacher’s seven world championship-winning cars, Rory Byrne.
Ted Toleman and his older brother Bob ran the family company centred on a car transportation business based in Brentwood, Essex from the mid-1960s. Encouraged by managing director Alex Hawkridge, the Toleman Group became a familiar sponsor of drivers in grassroots club motorsport in the following decade, perhaps most notably on the DFV-powered Super Saloon ‘DFVW’ 1600 fastback of Colin Hawker, as a means of promoting the business. The brothers and Hawkridge also began racing themselves.
