Now Honorary Chairman of Tokyo R and D, a vehicle systems, accessories and development company, which has the PUES corporation, an electric vehicle technology specialist as a subsidiary. Has also worked in sportscars and Japanese Formula 3. Ono began designing cars when he was a student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Masao went on to design cars for both Formula 1 and sportscars. He founded Tokyo R and D in 1981 and his Maki colleague Kenji Mimura also worked there for a while. In more recent years, Masao's company have focused on electric cars and in particular, the battery management system of these vehicles, although in truth, Ono has been involved in that part of the automobile world for some thirty years and is one of the leading experts in the electric car engineering industry. Masao also has business interests in England through his Vemac car firm. Ono's firm had designed a road sports car called the Cadwell but in the mid 1980's, he formed up with Chris Craft, the former Grand Prix driver and his son, to design the Vemac RD180, which is effectively a racing car converted into a sports road car.

Biography last updated 17 Jan 2025