Jack Tordoff MBE
Joining the rally driving ranks at the relatively late age of 28, Jack Tordoff forged a career as one of the most successful private entries on the national and international stage. Having been persuaded to give the sport a go by a friend in the early 60s, Jack bought a two-stroke Saab while he built up the Tordoff Motors business, before moving onto a Mk1 Ford Cortina in 1964.
A highlight of this period for Jack was his win by a margin of over two and a half minutes in the National Molyslip Morecambe Rally, delivering him the largest prize pot for a club rally in Great Britain at the time. A win in the Seven Dales rally in the same year, followed by a successful defence of the title a year later, crowned a successful period for Jack and the Cortina.
A stint in an early Ford Escort Twin Cam followed in 1968, before a return to Saab with an ex-works 9-6 V4 in 1974 brought the Swedish manufacturer their first national win in Britain, with Jack at the helm.
Jack's crowning glory undoubtedly came in 1973 where, using the power of a 2.7-litre Porsche 911 Carrera with the now instantly-recognisable JCT600 number plate, he pulled off a minor miracle with an inspired drive to beat the Irish home favourites in their own back yard in the Circuit of Ireland Rally. The win catapulted Jack to FIA-level driver status and only the near-invincibility of the famous Roger Clark stood between Jack and becoming British Champion in 1973.
Retirement from the rally scene in 1975 at the age of 39 ended an illustrious career from motorsport, but in doing so, allowed Jack to devote more time to his beloved JCT600 Motor Group, laying the foundations for the business we see today.
Jack sadly passed away in 2021, but his memory lives on in the fabric of the business he built. His son, John, leads JCT600 as its Executive Chairman, while many of Jack’s grandchildren continue to work in different areas of the business.
