The New GT40 Mk11 Project and Ken MacLeod

I'm doing this as a new post as it is more a profile on a person than a report on a manufacturer.

PROFILE ON KEN MACLEOD - DESIGN DRAUGHTSMAN ON THE NEW
HI-TECH/SUPERFORMANCE GT40 Mk11 PROJECT.

Ken Macleod was born in Johannesburg on February 13, 1947.

Ken and I have a standing joke between us. I say my only claim to fame was that I was born on February 18, same day and month as Enzo Ferrari and that Ken was not so lucky - he was born on the 13th. HeHe!

At age two, Ken's parents packed him up in a cot and took him off to Ndola in the former Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) where they started a chartered accountants practice. Ken finished high school there and then headed back to South Africa where he enrolled at the University of Cape Town to study mechanical engineering. After a year, not his scene, he quit to become an apprentice toolmaker with Plessey.. At the same time he attended the Cape Technical College where he qualified with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.

After a stint in Cape Town as a jig and tool designer, the bigger picture of 'overseas' beckoned, a route many young South Africans took to 'seek fame and fortune'. For many it was a pipe dream but worth a try. Others made it to the top, ie Ron Hickman (Lotus Elan and Black & Decker Workmate), Gordon Murray (Brabham, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz 300SLR-McLaren) Rory Byrne (Benetton and Ferrari), farm girl Oona Scheepers (heads up Porsche's upholstery department) and Pierre Terblanche (Ducati Chief Designer). As an eager young man Pierre used to work for Keith Bright who will be making the bodies for the new GT40. By complete coincidence Keith races a yellow 1975 Ducati 750 Sport in classic racing and Pierre has just introduced a new retro version of the same bike. Keith's factory, Brightglass, is right opposite the new GT40 works. Ken took the plunge and headed for the UK where he got a job with JW Automotive in Slough (just down the road from the original GT40 factory) as design draughtsman.

Initially Ken worked on the Porsche 917 programme but not long after the company name was changed to Gulf Research Engineering when the Mirage project kicked off. This is where Ken 'found his feet' and he became involved in doing the drawings for the Mirage cars including the rather complex Weslake V12 engine.

The Weslake V12 only ran once and that was for practice at Le Mans in 1972. The engine did not produce the horses expected and the expensive project was canned then and there by John Wyer and Len Bailey.

GT40 designer, Len Bailey, was retained by John Wyer, head of JW Automotive, on a consultancy basis and Len and Ken started working together on various projects. Ken was eventually seconded to Len and moved from Slough to Woking (famous place in Surrey - McLaren!) to join Len at his office there. Len was asked by Frank Williams to design his first Grand Prix car, code named FX3, (eventually FW01 by Frank) which was sponsored by Politoys. Len headed up the project but Ken did all the drawings. Ken mentioned the importance of a project head and design draughtsman to work together on a telethepatic basis, a working relationship they achieved. Len would do a rough sketch on a scrap of paper, Ken would look and absorb and then do the working drawings.

Ken recalls a photo session where the Politoys car was placed in a large box made of Perspex to resemble a large display box of a model car. Seated on the left front wheel, inside the box, was Frank Williams and on the right hand wheel was Giacomo Agostini, who was due to drive the car. I’m sure that not too many people knew that Ago was interested in moving to F1. Henri Pescarolo (Pepsi Cola) was signed up to drive the car in the 1972 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch and on the first lap totalled it. So it was back to bikes for Ago!

By 1974 Ken had met a South African lass but when she returned home Ken felt a little homesick. Tired of the English weather and traffic he longed for Africa with its wide open spaces and endless sunshine. So back home it was but the romance ended.

Ken then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe, that troubled land to our north, with an inflation rate of over 600% and headed up by the tyrant Robert Mugabe, also a specialist in rigging elections). Ken joined the Anglo-American Corporation as mechanical engineer in their mining division. He met Cathy from Manchester, they got married and later had two children. A political storm was brewing which affected business and Ken was retrenched. He then became a lecturer at a local technical college.

In 1979 he returned to South Africa where he joined Ford of South Africa in Port Elizabeth and became involved with the development of South African hybrids. Ford SA produced several vehicles that were only marketed locally, ie the Ford Cortina pick-ups (also the UK for a while), Cortinas with 3 litre V6 Essex engines, the Escort based Bantam pick-up and the Ford Sierra V8, the XR8. In 1986 another political storm was brewing and Ford pulled out of SA. Second retrenchment for old Ken! However, a deal was done with the giant Anglo-American's auto division to build Fords and Mazdas at Rosslyn, near Pretoria. Imagine moving a factory hundreds of miles away that was established in 1924. Ford is now back in all its glory and is headed up by an Afro-American lady, Deborah S Coleman. She is very popular with all the old hard bitten white male Ford dealers. Boy, do times change!

Ken did the full circle and re-joined Plessey in Cape Town as Senior Product Engineer, involved mainly with electro-mechanical products. He also designed a radar system. A good, secure job, but Ken was missing the exciting world of car building. He heard that CAV was looking for someone with his experience and in January, 2001 Ken joined the company. Back to beloved cars!

At CAV Ken became involved with the design and development of the monocoque but after differences of opinion he resigned towards the end of the year.

In Lee's words, if you don't succeed at first, try, try and try again. In March, 2002 Ken was invited by Robbie to join him on the new GT40 project. Today Ken is a happy chappie (check the smile on his face) working with an equally happy and professional team in a clinical new factory. It comes to those who wait. He deserves it!

Ken's hobbies are breeding Staffordshire Bull Terriers and collecting die-cast models of which he has over 500. He also holds a private pilot's licence - Cessnas and Pipers. He also has a vast library of details and specs on virtually any racing car or specialist car your can think of. Elva Courier, got it. Ginetta G4, got it. Ford F3L, got it. Many more!

You many gather that thanks to Robbie Senekal, Norman Lewis and Ken MacLeod there's a wealth of talent behind Jimmy Price's new GT40. Can't build complex cars without hard earned experience!

Keep trying!
Andre 40
 

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Another cabinet with die-cast models. Nice to work in an office on a Ford project surrounded by Ford toys.

My wife just shakes her head! They don't understand do they!
After all us guys are so well meaning!

MK 1V, another heaven? Not as good as yours, but they are FORDS!
 

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here is Ken showing me a full size drawing he did on the Weslake V12 engine.
 

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Here is a pic of the FX3 Politoys (FW01) F1 car.

From right Maurice Gomm, Len Bailey and Frank Williams. Hard to believe that Frank is in a wheel chair today.Got to have BIG whatsisnames to run a Grand Prix team from that position.Make 'em tough in ye olde England - Douglas Bader, David Piper - many others!
 

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FINALLY, HERE'S ONE FOR A LAUGH! HeHeHeHe!
 

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A driver in a 24 race
Couldn't keep the pace
he spun off in the sand
In a strange foreign land
This made his blood boil
But luckily he struck oil!

Didn't know I was a poet. I suffered under old Shakespeare at school. Perhaps some culture rubbed off on the guy who used to draw racing cars during English literature lessons.
 

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Typo! The first line should have read:

A driver in a 24 hour race.

On that note like MEAT, several months ago, I'm going into the desert. Like Bart Carter I've work to do - new car ventures, a book to publish, besides which the doggies, Steffi and Terri, need longer walks and more ball games!

I'll keep a watch and reply to posts but no more stories for a while.

Watch your health!
Andre 40
 
Hi All,

Something interesting and possibly controversial I want to share with you. One thing leads to another! Let's have a bit of fun for a few minutes to get away from the intrigues of our industry!

I mention Ken's birthday of February 13th and mine of 18th -birth sign Aquarius.

Apart from myself I only know of only seven other males born on February, 18th. One is Enzo Ferrari and the other six I know personally. Each and every one was and is involved with the building of racing cars, sports cars, kit cars and motoring journalism. Of the eight, three including myself, are on the same day in 1940. I only know two ladies born on the 18th and one is Barbara, wife of Keith Bright, mentioned above, who makes fibreglass car bodies and races a Ducati, in classic racing. A racing driver friend's mother was also born on that day.

As poor old Ken was born five days too early he can't be part of this select band! HeHe!

Of the eight, three were and are motoring journalists. In his younger days Ferrari was a freelance journalist, I am as well and for the third it is a full time job with our local CAR magazine.

I never met Enzo Ferrari but set eyes on him at the factory in September, 1967. A group of us had hired a villa in Forte Dei Marmi but as it had been a schoolboy dream to visit the Ferrari factory, for both my friend, John Samuel, (also Aquarius) owner of Diva Cars and me, we excused ourselves and headed south.

John's father, Sir John, a baronet (ie inherited titles) died of cancer in his late 40s and at 21 young John found himself as a 'Sir' and with inherited money. Now with sudden money what do you do? Of course you buy a racing car company - Diva Cars Ltd, in Camberwell, South London. Another book!! In 1967 Diva Cars ended up by developing the Enfield Electric car - from dead fast to dead slow!

We arrived at the Ferrari factory at mid-day and on the way down the Via Emilia towards the factory we spotted the Old Man driving in the opposite direction in Ferrari 330 GTC. That surprised us as rumour had it that he hardly ever drove his own cars, preferring Fiat sedans - shoe makers shoes! Somehow we knew that English works P4 driver, Jonathan Williams, was at the factory that day and asked the man at the gate to call him.

Coversation and events as follows:

'Hi, Jonathan, any chance of a factory tour?'

It's not your lucky day, guys, the Old Man is in a black mood and having the sulks. This morning he received a telegram from Jackie Stewart turning down an offer of a drive with Ferrari for 1968. He's ordered the gates to be shut, so no one is allowed in. In fact if Gianni Agnelli, president of Fiat, turned up he would also not be allowed in!'

'But we saw the Old Man driving up the road.'

'Yes, he's gone home for lunch.'

'Well, so how about ducking in quickly. He'll be at last an hour, this being Italy'.

'WHAT? Do you guys want me fired? I like driving the P4!- (Check MK1V - J6 (JIM)

'Well how about that then, all this way to realise a dream....'

Jonathan look about furtively, winked at the man at the gate and said:

'You have two minutes, follow me and run like hell'.

We sprinted across the yard towards a large window and looking through we could see the F1 workshop and some cars on the floor.

'Right', said Jonathan, 'At least you've seen something, now get the hell out as fast as you can!

Disappointed we walked across the road to the Cavallino Restaurant for lunch. I suggested to John that we should wait until the old codger returns and that I run across the road and say in my best ten Italian words, 'Excuse me Sir, did you have a good lunch and was the wine good? Are you now in a better mood? May we come into your factory?'

John's upper class British sensibility surfaced and said, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you, old chap, he might still be in a bad mood and then you'll end up with egg on your face'.

We headed towards Lamborghini at Sant'Agata, near Bologna, hoping for better luck. On the Autostrada on the way a yellow Iso Grifo appeared from nowhere like greased lighting and as it flashed by the blast of air rocked the Hillman Hunter station wagon we were in. The trade plate was loosely tied to the rear of the car and was flapping furiously in the slip stream, like waving, BYE BYE! That was at least 140 mph.

At Lamborghini to our total surprise the receptionist told us to go through on our own. 'What, without a guide?' we asked. 'Yes, you are most welcome, please help yourselves'.

We wandered through the large hall and eventually out through the other side where we peered through an open door and saw a four seater Lambo with gullwing doors being worked on. We had a feeling we shouldn't be seeing this and some time afterwards the car was announced as the Marzal, a concept car that never went into production.

When we walked towards the car park, Lambo engineer, New Zealander, Bob Wallace came burbling by in a mustard coloured Miura. He turned left through the front entrance and disappeared along the main road. A few minutes later there was a roar and he flashed by the cyclists and Vespa scooters at at least 120 mph. An incredible sight!

After a day of mixed blessings we headed north and back to the villa.

For my Kyalami book I have the names and birthdays of the 134 drivers who came under starters orders for the South African Grands Prix that counted towards the
World Championship series, ie 1967 to 1985, the last one on the original circuit before it was completely changed. More drivers under the sign of Pisces took part and more under that sign were top scorers. Aries was next best performer. Taurus the worst. Thinking that this was a one off exercise I compared it with the Word Championship series that started in 1950 and took it up to 1985. Same pattern, Pisces best, Aries next best and Taurus worst.

ASTROLOGY - COINCIDENCE, FACT OR FICTION?

And please someone out there dispel the myth and tell me there is someone born on February 18 NOT involved with motor cars!

Cloud Nine could be a good place!
Andre 40
 
John Samuel giving a rueful left handed salute in front of Enzo's shop.
 

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This is what our wives were doing on the day when old Enzo shut the door in our faces. Perhaps we should have stayed....but the we did see Lamborghini!
 

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Exactly 36 years (!) after our Italian trip, John and I at last year's Goodwood Revival Meeting with Chris Melia's 1966 Le Mans GT40 Replicas. I compliment Chris, he did a superb job by building these cars in double quick time.

At the Festival of Speed meeting in July, the three cars were hoiked way up into the sky but at the Revival Meeting in September they were on terra firma.

Unfortunately we all age. Just check old John's hair!
There's an old Pennsylvania Dutch saying, 'We get oldt too soon and schmart too late' Right.
 

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flatchat(Chris)

Supporter
Hi, Andre. I'm completely enthrawled with your stories--keep 'em coming.
I think I was spat against a wall and raised by the sun on 24/2/52 --(Piscean) and definately schmart too late
cheers! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Hi flatchat,

Thanks for the compliment.

Your'e in good Piscean company - World Champions Mario Andretti (28.240), Jim Clark (14.3.36), Nikki Lauda (22.2.49), Alain Prost (24.2.55) .

Good old Oz certainly produced a fair crop of drivers - Jack Brabham, Frank Gardner (what a character!), Tony Gaze, Paul Hawkins (what a character!), Alan Jones, Larry Perkins, Tim Schenken and Vern Schuppan, amongst others.

I always believed that Piscean, Peter Revson, could have gone places in FI if he had not been tragically killed in a UOP Shadow during practice for the 1974 South African Grand Prix. I remember how distraught Kyalami founders and managers, Francis Tucker and Alex Blignaut, were as during the existence of the original circuit, 1961 to 1987, it had an excellent safety record.

With his good looks, like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, Peter could have doubled as racing driver and film star. Also as part of the Revlon family, of cosmetic fame, he would have been a good catch for some lucky young lady. I don't recall him being married at the time of his death.

You guys have been giving the Springboks a hard time in recent years. Cycles come and go. Remember Ferrari in the doldrums for 18 years and then they came right.WATCH IT!

Reach for the stars!
Andre 40
 

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Hi Andre

Fascinating stories, keep em coming. As well as a GT40 nut I'm also an F1 fan of more years than I care to remember. My childhood hero was, and still is, Jackie Stewart hence my user name. Did you ever meet JYS ?

Oh, by the way, I don't think Peter Revson was married at the time of his death but he was certainly engaged at one time to Marjory Wallace , an ex Miss World and Miss USA , for quite a while.

Graham

Graham
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
Yes indeed, Revvie was keeping company with Marjorie Wallace, the "Miss World"....I had lunch with Peter and Marjorie the day after the USGP in 1973. Peter was driving for McLaren at the time and Bill Smith, a fellow Ford dealer and old family friend was at the time part owner of McLaren International and McLaren Engines. (this is why I could spend the USGP in the McLaren pit) Bill arranged for Peter to do a promotional appearance for Ford dealers to promote the new Mustang II. We had lunch at the Glen Motor Inn. Peter and Marjorie were very nice and gracious amidst a bunch of Ford dealers who had no idea who they were, but were only there for the food and drink. I sat with Peter during the meal and had a very good conversation. At the time he was a partner in a Linclon-Mercury store in California so we were able to converse about both racing and the car business.

It was a tragedy to lose him in a freak accident. He was not the "socialite" that the press made him out to be, but rather a dedicated and committed racer. I seem to recall that Marjorie went on to hook up with a UK football star after Peters death.

Rick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Hi Graham,

Thanks for your reply.

Back to Hersh’s Senior Moment. Yes, now that you’ve jogged my memory I do remember the beautiful Marjory Wallace. Certainly a good looking couple!

Jackie Stewart has written a letter of his memories of Kyalami for my book and it’s on his letterhead which features his crash helmet. It’ll feature as a chapter in the book. The other memory is from the eternally cheerful the late Denny Hulme.

I’ve asked Jacky Ickx for a similar letter as he was a main player at Kyalami both in the Grands Prix and Nine Hours. Here’s hoping.

In the 1971 Nine Hour I walked down from the pits towards the tight left handed Club House corner to watch the action from there. The race started at two o’clock in the afternoon and ended at 11 o’ clock. Almost guaranteed, like clockwork, there would be a thunder storm on the Transvaal Highveld in the late afternoon. This happened and as the track started drying at about six o’ clock Jacky Ickx in the works Ferrari 312P, he was sharing with Mario Andretti, and Clay Reggazoni in the 312P, he was sharing with Brian Redman, started carving their way through the field like there was no tomorrow! It was a truly magnificent sight as the two Ferraris, seemingly tied together with a piece of rope and with headlights blazing blasted their way around the circuit. Needless to say, Reggazoni/Redman first and Ickx/Andretti second.

Never mind the Italians - Scotland the Brave!
Andre 40
 
Hi Graham,

Thanks for your reply.

Back to Hersh's Senior Moment. Yes, now that you've jogged my memory I do remember the beautiful Marjory Wallace. Certainly a good looking couple!

Jackie Stewart has written a letter of his memories of Kyalami for my book and it's on his letterhead which features his crash helmet. It'll feature as a chapter in the book. The other memory is from the eternally cheerful the late Denny Hulme.

I've asked Jacky Ickx for a similar letter as he was a main player at Kyalami both in the Grands Prix and Nine Hours. Here's hoping.

In the 1971 Nine Hour I walked down from the pits towards the tight left handed Club House corner to watch the action from there. The race started at two o'clock in the afternoon and ended at 11 o'clock. Almost guaranteed, like clockwork, there would be a thunder storm on the Transvaal Highveld in the late afternoon. This happened and as the track started drying at about six o'clock Jacky Ickx in the works Ferrari 312P, he was sharing with Mario Andretti, and Clay Reggazoni in the 312P, he was sharing with Brian Redman, started carving their way through the field like there was no tomorrow! It was a truly magnificent sight as the two Ferraris, seemingly tied together with a piece of rope and with headlights blazing blasted their way around the circuit. Needless to say, Reggazoni/Redman first and Ickx/Andretti second.

Never mind the Italians - Scotland the Brave!
Andre 40

SORRY, ZAPPED THE CONTINUE BUTTON TOO QUICKLY. HERE'S THE CORRECT EDITED VERSION
 
Hi Graham,

In view of your comments about Jackie Stewart I've decided to post the letter I refer to as well as some pics, which follow this post.

I don't mind releasing the letter and the pics before the publication of my book to a select group of car enthusiasts, ie this forum, as it will hopefully be appreciated. These are photos you don't see every day in car magazines.

Andre 40
 
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