Malcolm Victor Gauntlett (20 May 1942 – 31 March 2003) was an English
petrochemical
Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable so ...
entrepreneur and car enthusiast, best known for forming the largest independent petrol retail business in the United Kingdom, and for reviving
Aston Martin.
Biography
Malcolm Victor Gauntlett was born in
Surrey. After attending
St Marylebone Grammar School
St Marylebone Grammar School (SMGS) was a grammar school located in the London borough of the City of Westminster, from 1792 to 1981.
History Philological School
Founded as the Philological Society by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of ...
and a short period in the
Territorial Army, he took a
short service commission as an
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
in the
RAF
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 ...
, where he trained as a
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
. After leaving he was commissioned into the
Kent and County of London Yeomanry
The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry was a unit of the Territorial Army ('TA') that was formed in 1961 as the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) by the amalgamation of 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and 3rd/4th Cou ...
.
Among those who worked for him, Gauntlett was known as "MVG". An ebullient and well-dressed character who always wore a
gold chained pocket watch
A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist.
They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristw ...
, he was regarded as an inspirational leader, who worked extremely hard yet also had a great capacity for enjoying life.
A
Freeman
Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to:
* a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm
* Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies
* Free ...
of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
, in 2002 he was appointed master of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers. As a result of his death halfway through his year as Master of the Worshipful Company, they agreed to set up an annual scholarship in his name.
Petroleum
After leaving the air force, Gauntlett joined
British Petroleum in 1963, moving in 1967 to Compagnie Francaise des Petroles, the parent company of
Total S.A.
TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and ...
, in France and then London.
In 1972, he founded independent oil company Hays Petroleum Services, which traded as
Pace Petroleum. While the product came from the major producers, shrewd buying and efficient distribution made a healthy business. By 1980 Gauntlett had created one of Britain's biggest independent petrol suppliers, delivering to more than 450 garages. In 1983 he sold a share in Hays/Pace to the
Kuwait Investment Authority
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, managing the state’s reserve and the state’s future generation fund (FGF).
Founded in 1953, the KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. As of April 2022, it ...
, which bought the whole company from Gauntlett in 1986.
After selling a 75% stake in Aston Martin to Ford in 1987 (but remaining as shareholder and chairman until 1992), Gauntlett founded Proteus Petroleum, which in 1995 was voted UK Oil Company of the Year. In 1998 he sold the business to
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...
, but remained chairman until 2000.
Automotive interests
Gauntlett loved classic cars, especially
Bentleys and Aston Martins. He enjoyed racing Bentleys in club events, and owned a
4.5-litre "blower" Bentley which before
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 opposing ...
Tim Birkin
Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1896 – 22 June 1933) was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.
Background and family
Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896, the son of S ...
had lapped
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfie ...
at 104 mph (167 km/h).
Through Pace Petroleum, Gauntlett sponsored motor racing events, initially local to Farnham but expanding to a Great Britain scale, including Formula Ford 2000, RAC Hill Climb and Rally Championships. In 1980 Morgan racer Norman Stechman introduced Gauntlett to Peter Morgan, resulting in "Pace Petroleum Team Morgan" featuring Stechman in Prodsports and Rob Wells in Modsports for the 1981 season. Pace was
Nigel Mansell's personal sponsor in his first two years of
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, ...
.
After selling Aston Martin, Gauntlett returned to the classic scene and became a trustee of the
National Motor Museum at
Beaulieu. Through this association he saved the
Napier Railton for the country, topping up the
UK National Lottery
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery established in 1994 in the United Kingdom. It is regulated by the Gambling Commission, and is currently operated by Camelot Group, to which the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and ...
funding with the
British Racing Drivers' Club
The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is an exclusive invitation-only members club for racecar drivers who are judged to have achieved success in the upper levels of motor sport for a number of seasons. Except under exceptional circumstances, me ...
and comedian
Rowan Atkinson to keep the car at its home at
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfie ...
. In 1999, Gauntlett and
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent, (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family, who is 51st in the line of succession to the British throne as of September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II and Michael were firs ...
took a
blower 4.5 Bentley from London to Moscow. He was an active supporter of the
Le Mans classic parades in the eighties until they banned him for driving too fast.
As a consultant to a series of London banks, in 2002 Gauntlett was appointed chairman of
Automotive Technik, manufacturers of the
Pinzgauer military all-terrain vehicle.
Aston Martin
As worldwide sales of
Aston Martin reduced to 150 per year, chairman
Alan Curtis together with fellow shareholders American
Peter Sprague
Peter Tripp Sprague (born October 11, 1955) is an American jazz guitarist, record producer, and audio engineer. He owns SpragueLand Studios and the label SBE Records. He invented a twin-neck guitar with one neck from a classical guitar and one ...
and Canadian
George Minden, had almost chosen to shut down the production side of the business and concentrate on service and restoration. Curtis attended the 1980 Pace sponsored
Stirling Moss benefit day at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
, and met fellow
Farnham resident Gauntlett.
Gauntlett bought a 10% stake in
Aston Martin for £500,000 via Pace Petroleum in 1980, with
Tim Hearley of
CH Industrials taking a similar share. Pace and CHI took over as joint 50/50 owners at the beginning of 1981, with Gauntlett as executive chairman. Gauntlett also led the sales team, and after some development and a lot of publicity when it became the world's fastest 4-seater production car, was able to sell the
Aston Martin Lagonda
The Aston Martin Lagonda is a full-size luxury four-door saloon manufactured by British manufacturer Aston Martin between 1974 and 1990. A total of 645 were produced. The name was derived from the Lagonda marque that Aston Martin had purchas ...
in
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
states, particularly
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
and
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
.
Understanding it would take some time to develop new Aston Martin products, they bought
Tickford
Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing business in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, known for tuning and such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri.
Under the name Salmons & Sons and their Tickford products the firm has ...
to develop automotive products for other companies. Products included a
Tickford Austin Metro, a
Tickford Ford Capri and even Tickford train interiors, particularly on the
Jaguar XJS
The Jaguar XJ-S (later called XJS) is a luxury grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British car manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1975 to 1996, in coupé, fixed-profile and full convertible bodystyles. There were three distinct iterations, w ...
.
Pace continued sponsoring racing events, and now sponsored all Aston Martin Owners Club events, taking a Tickford engined Nimrod Group C car owned by AMOC President
Viscount Downe
Viscount Downe is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1675 for William Ducie. However, the title became extinct on his death in 1679. The second creation came in 1680 for John Dawnay. He h ...
, which came third in the Manufacturers Championship in both 1982 and 1983. It also finished seventh in the
1982 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 50th Grand Prix of Endurance, which took place on 19 and 20 June 1982. It was also the fourth round of the 1982 World Endurance Championship. As well as a significant anniversary, this was a watershed year for ...
race. However, sales of production cars were now at an all-time low of 30 cars produced in 1982.
As trading became tighter in the petroleum market, and Aston requiring more time and money, Gauntlett agreed to sell Hays/Pace to Kuwait Investment Office in September 1983. As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
shipping tycoon
Peter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture company with
Nick
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Place ...
and
John Papanicolaou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of the AML company 55% owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50/50 venture between ALL and CHI. The uneasy relationship was ended when ALL exercised options to buy a larger share in AML; CHI's residual shares were exchanged for CHI's complete ownership of Tickford, which retained development of existing Aston Martin projects. In 1984, Titan the main shipping company of the Papanicolaou's was in trouble, so Livanos's father George bought out the Papanicolaou's shares in ALL, while Gauntlett again became a shareholder with a 25% holding in AML. The deal valued Aston Martin/AML at £2 million, the year it built its 10,000th car.
Although as a result Aston Martin had to make 60 members of the workforce
redundant, Gauntlett bought a stake in Italian styling house
Zagato
Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 ...
, and resurrected its collaboration with Aston Martin. A revived economy and successful sales of limited edition
Vantage, and 52
Volante Zagato coupes at £86,000 each, brought in enough funds to complete the
Aston Martin Virage
The Aston Martin Virage is an automobile produced by British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin as a replacement for its V8 models. Introduced at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1988, it was joined by the high-performance Vantage in 199 ...
, the first new Aston launched in 20 years in 1988.
In 1986, Gauntlett negotiated the return of fictional British secret agent
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
to Aston Martin.
Cubby Broccoli
Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...
had chosen to recast the character using actor
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...
, in an attempt to re-root the Bond-brand back to a more
Sean Connery-like feel. Gauntlett supplied his personal pre-production
Vantage for use in the filming of "
The Living Daylights
''The Living Daylights'' is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's ...
," and sold a Volante to Broccoli for use at his home in America. Gauntlett turned down the role of a
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
colonel in the film: "I would have loved to have done it but really could not afford the time."
Although the company was doing well, Gauntlett knew it needed extra funds to survive long term. In May 1987, Gauntlett and
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent, (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family, who is 51st in the line of succession to the British throne as of September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II and Michael were firs ...
were staying at the home of Contessa Maggi, the wife of the founder of the original
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
, while watching the revival event. Another house guest was
Walter Hayes
Walter Leopold Arthur Hayes (12 April 1924 – 26 December 2000) was an English journalist, and later public relations executive for Ford.
Hayes was key in developing Ford's Formula One program, by signing Jackie Stewart and funding the bui ...
, vice-president of
Ford of Europe. Despite problems over the previous acquisition of
AC Cars
AC Cars, originally incorporated as Auto Carriers Ltd., is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car makers founded in Britain. As a result of bad financial conditions over the years, the company was re ...
, Hayes saw the potential of the brand and the discussion resulted in
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 ...
taking a share holding in September 1987.
Although Gauntlett was contractually to stay as chairman for two years, his racing interests took Aston back into sports car racing in 1989 with limited European success. However, with engine rule changes for the 1990 season and the launch of the new
Aston Martin Volante model, Ford provided the limited supply of
Cosworth engines to the
Jaguar Cars racing team. As the
"small Aston"/DB7 would require a large engineering input, Ford agreed to take full control of Aston Martin, and Gauntlett handed the company chairmanship to Hayes in 1991.
Aviation
A qualified pilot from his time in the RAF, Gauntlett owned a number of aircraft through his life, including
De Havilland aircraft a
Dragon Rapide, Tiger Moth, Leopard Moth, Fox Moth, a
Dove
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
, Chipmunk; a North American Harvard, a
Douglas Dakota C-47; and a
Mk1a Spitfire; he had also sponsored aerobatic teams through his Petroleum Companies.
He was known to attend historic aircraft auctions and indeed purchased a
General Aircraft Cygnet
The General Aircraft GAL.42 Cygnet II was a 1930s British single-engined training or touring aircraft built by General Aircraft Limited at London Air Park, Hanworth.
History
The Cygnet was designed at Slough by C.W. Aircraft Limited in 1936. ...
from the former Strathallan Collection and donated it to the
National Museum of Flight
The National Museum of Flight is Scotland's national aviation museum, at East Fortune Airfield, just south of the village of East Fortune, Scotland. It is one of the museums within National Museums Scotland. The museum is housed in the original ...
at
East Fortune
East Fortune is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, located 2 miles (3 km) north west of East Linton. The area is known for its airfield which was constructed in 1915 to help protect Britain from attack by German Zeppelin airships during t ...
when the Museum dropped out of the bidding due to budget constraints.
Gauntlett was a long-standing council member of
The Air League
The Air League is an aviation and aerospace non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest provider of aviation and aerospace scholarships and bursaries.
The Air League aims to inspire, enable, and support the next ...
, which promotes all aspects of British aviation, and had been due to assume the league's chairmanship in June 2003. He was a trustee of the
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity.
The museum is split into two separate sites:
* Ro ...
and the
Maritime Air Trust and a retired trustee of the
Museum of Army Flying at
Middle Wallop
Middle Wallop is a village in the civil parish of Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England, on the A343 road. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Over Wallop. The village has a public house, The George Inn, and a ...
. He was appointed Honorary Air Commodore of No 4624 Squadron of the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based at RAF Brize Norton.
Personal life
Gauntlett married his wife Jean in 1966, and the couple had a daughter and three sons.
Death
Victor Gauntlett died on 31 March 2003.
Quotations
*"I'm half overgrown schoolboy, half hard-nosed businessman" – Gauntlett on himself
*"I wouldn't be going into it unless I thought there was money to be made. I am quite convinced there is a niche for a high-quality product. There will always be the people who want the super-duper" – on taking over Aston Martin
*"I feel I am more akin to the high-class jewellery business or a famous art gallery than anything else" – commenting on his role in making cars
*Asked: "How can you make a small fortune out of Aston Martin?" Gauntlett replied "Start with a big one."
*On the importance of being decisive, his self-deprecating motto was " Often wrong, never in doubt!"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauntlett, Victor
1942 births
2003 deaths
Aston Martin
British Yeomanry officers
Chief executives in the automobile industry
Honorary air commodores
People educated at St Marylebone Grammar School
People from Surrey
Royal Air Force officers
20th-century English businesspeople