Cape Town - Ove Andersson, a former Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's Formula One team, died in a car crash in South Africa on Wednesday, media reports said. The 70-year-old had been participating in a vintage car rally when his red 1957 Volvo 444 crashed about 30 kilometres from the town of Oudtshoorn near the city of Cape Town, the Sapa news agency reported.
Andersson died on impact while his co-driver sustained a spinal injury and broken leg.
"It is indeed a tragic loss for motorsport in its entirety," Roger Pearce, chairman of Motorsport South Africa was quoted as saying.
Throughout the late 1960s and early 70s, Anderson finished in the top three at various motorsport rallies, including Monte Carlo, San Remo, Acropolis, Tulip and World Rally Championships.
He had been living and running a guest house in South Africa for several months before his death.
