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Aug 25, 2011 22:22:14 GMT
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A great idea for a thread taken from here; a thread about people who have changed the face of motoring for better or for worse. Feel free to comment and add your own. The first bad boy on my list needs no introduction: John Z. DeLorean - He was most well known for developing the original Pontiac GTO, the Pontiac Firebird, Pontiac Grand Prix, his tenure at Chevrolet in the late 60's/early 70's that not only turned them around, but had Chevy on their own nearly selling as many cars as Ford, the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car, and for his high profile 1982 arrest on charges of drug trafficking. The alleged drug trafficking was supposedly an attempt to raise funds for his struggling company, which declared bankruptcy that same year.
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Got to include this chap; Alec Issigonis & without this chap there would probably have been no Beetle (or VW) Maj. Ivan Hirst, bit of background on him if anyone is interested. www.mishalov.com/Hirst.html
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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carrol shelby (cant do pics) who we can thank for amongst other things the AC cobra & his modded mustangs, lee iaccoca for the mustang .
for all us fordies henry ford.
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theres more to life than mpg & to much power is just enough.
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Aug 27, 2011 12:18:27 GMT
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The phoenix consortium. For almost killing the British motor industry. lining their own pockets with millions while rover went bust and hundreds of people lost their livelihoods.
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Remember the days when sex was safe and motorsport was dangerous. Vintage bling always attracts pussy.
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welder
Part of things
Posts: 518
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Aug 27, 2011 12:59:17 GMT
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Maurice Gatsonides for giving the Government the means to make motoring a pain in the a*se. Richard Brunstrom for pretty much the same thing.
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I'm not completely useless, I can be used as a bad example.
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Aug 27, 2011 13:05:31 GMT
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for all us fordies henry ford. As a hero, or a villan?
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Aug 28, 2011 22:21:53 GMT
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Earle Steele MacPherson (you know where this one is going...) He worked for the Chalmers Motor Company and for the Liberty Motor Car Company in the early 1920s, and joined Hupmobile in 1923. In 1934, he joined General Motors, becoming chief design engineer of Chevrolet division in 1935. MacPherson was the chief engineer of the Chevrolet Cadet project, a compact car intended to sell for less than $1,000. MacPherson developed a strut-type suspension (told you... ) for the Cadet, partly inspired by Fiat designs patented by Guido Fornaca in the '20s, although the Cadet did not use a true MacPherson strut design. After the Cadet was canceled in May 1947, MacPherson left GM, joining the Ford Motor Company later that year. One of his first projects was to adapt his strut suspension design for the 1949 Ford Vedette, for Ford's French subsidiary. This became the first car to use the true MacPherson strut suspension. Ford's Poissy plant got off to a slow start with the Vedette, however, and the Fords Zephyr and Consul which captured the headlines at the 1950 London Motor Show have also been claimed as the first cars to appear in mass production with MacPherson struts. MacPherson became chief engineer of Ford Motor Company in 1952, a position he retained until his retirement in May 1958. Not to be confused with Elle Macpherson; now that's a different kind of Macpherson strut...
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Aug 28, 2011 22:36:00 GMT
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Dunno how to post pics up but Mike Costin/Keith Duckworth and Colin Chapman are all well worth a mention. All heros of course!
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Raoul Duke
Part of things
Posts: 990
Club RR Member Number: 117
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Heroes and VillainsRaoul Duke
@raoulduke
Club Retro Rides Member 117
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Aug 28, 2011 23:01:31 GMT
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I reckon Colin Chapman would fit nicely into both categories. As a hero, he was at the forefront of innovation, and the Lotus 49 was one of the finest competition cars of EVAH. As a villain, he had scant regard for the safety of his drivers, being so obsessed with shaving weight off that the cars were literal death-traps, even in the hands of the most skilful racers.
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...a redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash...
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Aug 29, 2011 12:00:45 GMT
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Off course I have to add: Not that we see a lot of his inventions in today's cars, but he certainly influenced grand prix racing. Actually he is more of an industrial designer than a automotive engineer, his intrests were broader than many people are aware of. His son Jean was gifted as well, sadly died too young. Huub and Wim van Doorne created the only real Dutch car manufacturer from scratch. And using that silly belt drive system. Frank Costin went a bit silly with wood, but he had a point. Sometimes the end result was even good looking! Keith Duckworth Cosworth DFV, need I say more? Rob Koch, started at DAF. He soon became the head of the rally and race department of DAF in the sixties. Then switch to Volvo, where he became head of design (of the dutch department). Under his supervision the design for the 400 series was developed. The people are almost as interesting as the cars ;-)
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Click picture for more
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Aug 29, 2011 13:14:57 GMT
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Aug 29, 2011 13:21:28 GMT
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If you are intrueged by this story, you must google Selden patent story.
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Click picture for more
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Aug 29, 2011 18:52:53 GMT
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Responsible for perpetrating the pay lots of tax and buy a Prious so we don't die of global warming climate change
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Sept 1, 2011 13:58:19 GMT
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This is an easy one for me: Gordon Murray HERO ;D He began his carreer engineering Brabham F1 cars from '69-86 where he helped design the fan car ...before switching to McLaren to build the all-conquering MP4/4 He is also creator of the T25 and T27 small city car concepts. The LCC Rocket Oh. And the Mclaren F1! Once the fastest car in the world and the last "road car" to win Le Mans outright He's currently trying to find a buyer for his T city cars with their unique manufacturing processes, as well as helping Lotus with their new crazy bold model strategy www.gordonmurraydesign.com/
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1990 BMW 318iS, 1971 Range Rover V8
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Sept 1, 2011 15:19:06 GMT
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Hot rod heroes... Ed Roth, Chip Foose, George Barris, Boyd Coddington, Roy Brizio, Pete Chapouris, Steve Moal, Bob Alloway Illustrator heroes (most of my personal heroes here tbh...) Steve Kirk, Thom Taylor, Brian Stupski, Jimmy Smith, George Trosley You may not agree with some of Uncle Henrys ideals, but was in charge of some amazing automotive enginering feats which changed the car industry forever... and i walk past a statue of him nearly every day at work.. Villian, surely. For petrol tax reasons mainly in my eyes...
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Joe T
Part of things
Posts: 711
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Sept 1, 2011 17:44:10 GMT
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Jay Leno, because: - he loves car - he has an awesome car collection - he shares his cars (and his friend's cars) with us - he wears the same denim shirt every day, so he can spend more money on cars (now this I like!) - all round good bloke, and great to watch and listen to.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,516
Member is Online
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Sept 1, 2011 18:39:44 GMT
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I wouldn't say this guy changed the face of motoring but he's still a hero and one that I once met by chance and exchanged a few words with (spoken and subsequently written).
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Sept 1, 2011 18:45:38 GMT
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I wouldn't say this guy changed the face of motoring but he's still a hero +1. What was he like to speak to?
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Joe T
Part of things
Posts: 711
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Sept 1, 2011 18:56:07 GMT
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I used to enjoy LJK's columns in CAR all those years ago.
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