Just months old, John's parents settled Crossle in Northern Ireland and he never left that country again. As a racing car manufacturer, he left an important mark on international motorsport. Because he couldn't afford a Lotus in the mid-fifties, he built his own racing car in 1957. With that Ford Special - based on a Ford Ten from before the war - he won his first competition with great force majeure. This success led to fellow drivers asking him to also build such a trolley for them. Later he founded the same year with his wife Rosemary Crossle Car Company at, in his hometown of Holywood, Northern Ireland. Initially, cars were built with the engine in the front, the power source quickly moved backwards. Among other things, he is seen as the 'inventor' of the Formula Ford 1600 class, which was quickly supplemented with the faster Formula Ford 2000. In the FF1600 class, the European title was achieved in 1969. Crossle has built from all kinds of successful racing cars. Up to the Formula 1. A respectable number of drivers ended up in the top class of motorsport through its reliable, fast-paced formula. Nigel Mansell, John Watson, Eddie Irvine to name a few. Only in 2002 did he transfer his company to one of his customers, Arnie Black, and could he devote himself to his other passion, collecting and restoring elderly tractors and associated machinery.
Photo: Crossle became best known for the unbeatable Formula Fords ...