Harry Mundy (1915–1988) was a British

car engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combust ...

designer and

motoring Motoring may refer to: * ''Motoring'' (film), a 1927 British comedy film * Motoring (TV series), a Canadian automotive television program (1988 to present) * 310 Motoring, an automotive customization garage based in Los Angeles, California * Mot ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

. He was educated at King Henry VIII School in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

and went on to serve his apprenticeship with

Alvis Alvis may refer to: *Alvis Car and Engineering Company, British luxury car and military vehicle manufacturer which later became Alvis plc * Alvis plc (formerly United Scientific Holdings plc), a defence contractor which acquired Alvis Cars and bec ...

. He left them in 1936 to join

English Racing Automobiles English Racing Automobiles (ERA) was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954. Prewar history ERA was founded by Humphrey Cook, Raymond Mays, and Peter Berthon in November 1933 and established in Bourne, Lincolnshire, next ...

(ERA) in

Bourne, Lincolnshire Bourne is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the eastern slopes of the limestone Kesteven Uplands and the western edge of the Fens, 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Stamford, 12 mile ...

as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

. Also at ERA was

Walter Hassan Walter Thomas Frederick Hassan OBE, C.Eng., M.I. Mech.E. (25 April 1905 – 12 July 1996) was a distinguished UK automotive engineer who took part in the design and development of three very successful engines: Jaguar XK, Coventry Climax and Ja ...

who became a lifelong friend; the two would work together later at

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

on engine development. He left ERA in 1939 and returned to Coventry to work at the

Morris Engines Morris Engines Limited was located in Coventry, Coventry, England. It specialised in the mass production of engines and gearboxes for vehicles made by W. R. Morris's businesses, later known as the Nuffield Organization. Morris Engines Ltd. was, t ...

factory. After World War II he moved to

British Racing Motors British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...

(BRM) in 1946 as head of the design office, being involved in the design of the BRM V16

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

engine, before moving on again in 1950 to

Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer. History Pre WW1 The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was reloca ...

engines as chief designer working on the FWA engine. His career then took a change in direction and he moved into journalism becoming Technical Editor of '' The Autocar'' magazine in 1955 but while there he also worked on the design of the Ford based twin-cam engine for Lotus. However, following Jaguar's purchase of Coventry Climax in 1963, Hassan persuaded Mundy to return to engineering where, with William Heynes, they developed the

Jaguar V12 engine The Jaguar V12 engine is a V12 internal combustion engine produced by Jaguar Cars. The engine was based on a prototype design by Claude Baily for an intended Le Mans car—the Jaguar XJ13. The XJ13 project was terminated in 1966 before the car wa ...

. Harry Mundy stayed with Jaguar until his retirement in 1980, after which he still did some consultancy work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mundy, Harry 1915 births 1988 deaths British automotive engineers People educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry Formula One people