Andersson retires… a great in F1 as well as WRC
At 69 years old, Ove Andersson is going to retire. A highly talented driver in the 60s and 70s, he led the Toyota team in WRC before joining the Japanese manufacturer in F1. Ove Andersson held the wheel from 1961 to 1980, winning some of the most prestigious events of the time (Monte-Carlo, Alpine, Acropolis, […]
At 69 years old, Ove Andersson is going to retire. A highly talented driver in the 60s and 70s, he led the Toyota team in WRC before joining the Japanese manufacturer in F1.
Ove Andersson held the wheel from 1961 to 1980, winning some of the most prestigious events of the time (Monte-Carlo, Alpine, Acropolis, and Safari).
His first contacts with Toyota date back to 1972 when he drove a Celica in the RAC Rally. Andersson established a factory in Belgium to develop the brand’s Japanese activities. In 1979, the Toyota Team Europe moved to Cologne.
In the early 90s, the Toyota Celica GT-Four was one of the rally benchmarks, but the 1995 turbo affair led to the team’s suspension. Ove Andersson then decided to return in 1997 with a Corolla based on WRC regulations.
After a third constructors’ world title, Toyota changes direction and ventures into Formula One after the 1999 season. Andersson becomes Team Principal, but the Japanese take control within the new structure.
After more than fifty years in the world of motorsport, Ove Andersson is expected to retire in New Zealand, where he will remain available to the team he founded to provide his insightful advice.
