Team story
Origins
For years, Trojan had built racing cars for McLaren, including the large sports cars destined for customers. Peter Agg then sought a route with his own marque and entrusted Ron Tauranac with the T103 design. The 1974 Formula 1 car grew out of work on the T102 Formula 5000 car, rather than an organisation created specifically for Grands Prix.
The Formula 1 journey
Tim Schenken was the world championship programme’s only driver. He made his debut in Spain, where he was classified fourteenth, and took two tenth places, in Belgium and Austria. Eight entries produced six starts: at Zandvoort and the Nürburgring, the T103 failed to qualify.
The final race was at Monza; the team ended the season without points.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Trojan
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Spanish Grand Prix
Tim Schenken · Spanish Grand Prix 1974. The recorded position is P14; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Belgian Grand Prix
Tim Schenken · Belgian Grand Prix 1974. The recorded position is P10; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Italian Grand Prix
Tim Schenken · Italian Grand Prix 1974. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
Tauranac paired the chassis with the Cosworth DFV, but the small budget particularly restricted testing and development. Trojan’s previous experience manufacturing for other marques did not automatically guarantee a competitive single-seater under its own name. A second T103 chassis was built but contested no Grands Prix: the world championship programme remained focused on Schenken’s car.
What remains
There was no world championship return in 1975. Tauranac instead began the new Ralt operation, intended for the lower formulae, while Trojan’s industrial history continued in other forms. The T103 remains the marque’s only Formula 1 car, distinguished by its link between the manufacture of customer cars, Formula 5000 and a brief programme entrusted to Schenken.