Leonard Bailey (25 July 1926 – 23 June 1997) was a British automobile designer.
Career
Leonard Bailey became an apprentice at
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
at Longbridge in 1942 which at that time were building
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It has the distinction of being the first four-engined bomber to be introduced into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
The Stirling was designed during t ...
s for the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Building up his experience at
Daimler
Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to:
People
* Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies
* Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler
* Paul Da ...
and
Rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
* ...
in Coventry before moving back to Austin which became part of
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...
(BMC) in 1952 to work in the engine department.
He moved to the US and by mid 1956 was working at
American Motors
American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
working on that company's first in-house V8 after a deal to buy
Packard
Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958.
One of the "Thr ...
V8 became too expensive.
In 1958 he move to
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
head office at
Dearborn, Michigan working in their engine department but was moved to the Experimental Department by
Roy Lunn
Royston Charles Lunn (June 26, 1925 – August 5, 2017) was an engineer in the automotive industry. He had forty-one years in the design development and production of vehicles and most notably served as the head of engineering at American Motors ...
. He worked on prototypes under him including the development of Ford turbine cars and he was part of the design team that built a two-seat
Ford Mustang I
The Ford Mustang I is a small, mid-engined (4-cylinder), open two-seater concept car with aluminium body work that was built by Ford in 1962. Although it shared few design elements with the final production vehicle, it did lend its name to the l ...
in 1962.
Ford Racing
With Ford taking a more pro active motor spot stance in 1963 he was moved back to England to a position of chief draftsman as part of the design team for Fords new GT40 sport car with
Ford Advanced Vehicles Ltd FAV department in Slough.
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola (fo ...
had completed a Ford-powered, mid-engined sports car in 1963 this would form the basis for the Ford assault on winning Le-Mans, the new project was to be based at FAV. They would have responsible for the engineering of the chassis, body and construction of the cars.
Eric Broadley
Eric Harrison Broadley MBE (22 September 1928 – 28 May 2017) was a British entrepreneur, engineer, and founder and chief designer of Lola Cars, the motor racing manufacturer and engineering company. He was arguably one of the most influentia ...
was initially responsible for the overall design, but Len Bailey later took care of the chassis reengineering it from Aluminum to Steel for more durability in the 24-hour Race. Ford felt it was also necessary to cope with the added weight of the more powerful all aluminum, dry-sump Ford Fairlane engine.
By 1966 he was based at
Alan Mann Racing
Alan Mann Racing was a British motor racing team organised by Alan Mann (22 August 1936 – 21 March 2012), who was a part-time racing driver and team manager. The team ran a substantial part of the Ford works racing effort in Europe from 1964 t ...
in
Byfleet
Byfleet is a village in Surrey, England. It is located in the far east of the borough of Woking, around east of West Byfleet, from which it is separated by the M25 motorway and the Wey Navigation.
The village is of medieval origin. Its winding ...
, Surrey, although still employed by Ford of Europe.
Early in 1966 several chassis were shipped to the United States to be fitted with the larger, more powerful engine in preparation for Fords third attempt at taking that elusive Le Mans win. These seven-litre cars are now referred to as Mark IIs.
No fewer than eight GT40 Mark IIs were race prepared for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although entered by three different privateer teams, all factory Ferraris had retired by 17 hours, as had nine of the Fords, but three held together long enough to score an historic photo staged 1-2-3 finish.
For 1967 Ford USA decided to concentrate its resources on a second Le Mans win and fielded the GT40 Mk IV, a newer car redesigned in the US with a different chassis and a different body. Bailey redesigned the two GT40s entered by
John Wyer
John Wyer (11 December 1909 in Kidderminster, England – 8 April 1989 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States), was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the light blue and orange ...
of JW Automotive for the manufacturer's championship. These were lightweight variations of the GT40 with a slimmer windscreen and altered roof line, cut off tail, and lighter aluminum body panels. Entered as the
Mirage M1 with
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...
sponsorship. Ford left the Mirages and privateer GT-40's to represent them in the intervening championship events at
Monza
Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...
,
Spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
,
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
and
Nürburgring
The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...
.
In late 1966 he completed the design of
The Honker II
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
a 1967
Can Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.
History
Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...
car, built by Alan Mann Racing, and run by
Holman Moody
Holman-Moody is an American racecar manufacturer, marine engine manufacturer and former auto racing team. The company currently operates out of Charlotte, North Carolina, but is no longer a race team. Holman-Moody continues to manufacture racing ...
. (It was named after John Holman, who liked to use the air horns on the big-rig trucks he drove). Powered came from an injected 351 cubic inch engine for its first race at
Bridgehampton
Bridgehampton is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork, Suffolk County, New York, South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,7 ...
, New York where it qualified 17th and finished 8th and a 377 cubic inch for Mosport Ontario where it qualified 17th but didn't start -painted metallic it never raced again.
For 1968 the
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backst ...
redrew the rules for the
sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...
championship. Engine capacity was limited to 3 litres for the prototype Group 6 class. Bailey was charged by Ford Europe to create a car for this championship resulting in the
Ford P68
The Ford P68, also commonly known as the Ford 3L GT or F3L, is a sports prototype racing car model introduced in March 1968. It was designed by Len Bailey, a Ford research engineer, funded by Ford Europe and built by Alan Mann Racing at Weybridge, ...
of 1968 redesigned to the P69 for 1969 built and run by Alan Mann Racing.
While at Alan Mann Racing, Bailey designed the bodies of a pair of
gull-wing door
In the automotive industry, a gull-wing door, also known as a falcon-wing door or an up-door, is a car door that is hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, first as a race car in 1952 ( W194), and then a ...
cars constructed of aluminum, used in the 1969
Gerry Anderson
Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...
science fiction film
Doppelgänger
A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person.
In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...
. The cars were assembled over a six-month period on modified
Ford Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
Mk4 platforms fitted with
Ford Escort engines and gearboxes. Two cars were also used in the Gerry Anderson
UFO (TV series)
''UFO'' is a 1970 British science fiction television series about the covert efforts of a government defence organisation to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. It was created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced ...
.
During 1967–68 he did the suspension and brake work (developing rear disc brakes) on the new Ford Escort for rallying and racing, Alan Mann having a contact to run in the British Saloon Car Championship for
Frank Gardner who won the championship in 1968 and 1969.
At the end of 1969 Bailey penned the
Alan Mann Open Sports Ford just before Mann wound up his operation in late 1969, this was raced semi-successfully in two Can-Am races during 1969. It had a DNF at Riverside, but finished third at Texas. Bailey then began a freelance career although Ford work was a large part of it.
Freelance
As a freelance designer, his first single seat racing car was the 2.5 liter
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...
powered
Mildren Mono The Mildren name was used on a series of racing vehicles constructed for, or acquired by, Australian racing team owner Alec Mildren during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Mildren Maserati
The Mildren Maserati was a one-off sports car which was built i ...
, built for Australian patron
Alec Mildren
Alec Mildren (1915–1998) was active in Australian motor racing as a driver from 1938 to 1961, and subsequently as the owner of Alec Mildren Racing.
Racing career
Mildren began his racing career in an Austin in 1938Mike Kable, ''Alec Mildren w ...
.
Frank Gardner drove the car to sixth place in the
1969 Tasman Series and
Kevin Bartlett won the
1969 Australian Drivers' Championship with it. Gardner then commissioned a monocoque
F5000
Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...
car intended for the 1970 UK season, but Gardner signed with
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola (fo ...
instead. He also worked with Gardner to develop the ex-
Bud Moore 1969
Trans-Am
The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).
Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includin ...
Boss 302 Mustang
The Mustang Boss 302 is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced by Ford in 1969 and 1970, alongside its more powerful sibling the Boss 429 Mustang. Ford revived the name for another two year production run in 2012 and ...
for an assault on
Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to:
* Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification
* Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962
* Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...
in the
1970 British Saloon Car Championship.
In 1970 Bailey had set up his own design office at Gomm Metal Developments in
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
. During the summer and autumn of 1970 he worked on a secret Ford rally project that would result in the iconic but unused
Ford GT70
The Ford GT70 was a limited production sports car designed by Ercole Spada, made by Ford UK in 1970 and intended for use in the World Rally Championship. Designed to compete with high speed rally cars such as the Porsche 911 and Renault Alpine, ...
rally car. He followed this with more design work for
JW Automotive, including the
Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
powered
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...
Mirage M6 sports car for the 1972 and 1973
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and No ...
seasons.
Frank Williams came calling in 1971 and Bailey drew the underperforming
Politoys Ford FX3 of 1972 and the
Iso Rivolta Ford FX3B of 1973.
He continued to do consultancy work throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his work included the:
*
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car marketed by Ford since 1976 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and has been positioned below the Escort (later the ...
Group 5 Group 5 may refer to:
*Group 5 element, chemical element classification
*Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defi ...
Rally Car (1978)
* Magnum 813
F3 car (1981)
*
Ford C100
The Ford C100 is a sports racing car, initially built and run as a Group 6 car, but later as a Group C car. The C100 was built by Ford in 1981, and initially featured a 4-litre Cosworth DFL V8 engine, which was replaced by a 3.3-litre version of t ...
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
car (1982)
*
EMKA Racing
EMKA Racing was a British racing team founded in 1980 by Steve O'Rourke, manager of the band Pink Floyd. The team occasionally ran under the name of EMKA Productions, the name of O'Rourke's management company. The team's name comes from O'Rourke' ...
C83-Aston Martin Group C car (1983)
* EMKA 84-Aston Martin Group C car (1984)
*
AC Ace Chassis (1994)
References
On-Line
* http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-bailen.html
* http://www.theautochannel.com/publications/magazines/sci/dec-jan-97/pg70.frame
* http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/UFO_Car/ShadowCarTop.htm
* http://www.ponysite.de/transam_gardner.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20081202080219/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/martin.essam/history.htm
* http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=18720
* http://www.research-racing.de/PolitoysFord.htm
Print
* British War Planes of World War II. Daniel J March
* Ford GT: The Legend Comes to Life. Larry Edsell
* Ford Escort Mk1. Graham Robson
* Can-Am. Pete Lyons
* Formula 5000 in New Zealand & Australia Wolfgang Klopfer
* Autosport 26 February 1970
* Autosport 20 April 1972
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Len
1926 births
1997 deaths
British automobile designers
Ford designers