Tony Rudd
Encyclopedia
Anthony Cyril "Tony" Rudd (8 March 1923 - 22 August 2003) was an engineer
involved in aero engine design and motor racing, with particular associations with BRM
and Lotus
.
and Prince Bira
's White Mouse Racing team. This inspired him to take up engineering as a career and family influence led him to take up an apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce
. Rudd's engineering studies were interrupted by the Second World War during which he served in the Royal Air Force
. Trained as a pilot, he flew Avro Lancaster
s on a tour of 30 operations. He became an expert in diagnosing failures in Merlin
engines, but his main interest remained cars. Rudd resumed his engineering apprenticeship after the War and built an Aston-Martin-based 'special'.
were eventually sidelined after the drivers threatened to strike and Rudd assumed full technical control of the team in 1962.
car that never raced; driver John Surtees
was adamant that it could not be made raceworthy. Rudd and Wright were later to be reunited at Lotus on work that did lead to successful ground-effect racing cars.
, gradually working up to the position of Engineering Director on the road-car side of the company - he was not directly involved in racing, which Colin Chapman
looked after. Rudd's achievements included the development of Lotus' own four-cylinder engine as well as improving production quality of their cars.
Rudd also developed Lotus as an engineering consultancy working on high-technology projects for the rest of the automotive industry, creating another profit centre within the business.
Lotus 78
, which brought the team back to the forefront of Grand Prix success. Rudd though back to the road-car side of the company on to research active suspension
, turbocharging, and lead consultancy work for other manufacturers. After Chapman's death in 1982 Rudd took on an increasingly significant role in the business but advanced engineering remained his forté.
, the Chapman family (who retained ownership of Team Lotus
) asked Rudd to step in to head the racing team. He returned to racing for a year in 1989 until the team was sold on, then retired to become a freelance consulting engineer.
on a multi-volume history of BRM
.
Tony Rudd died in 2003 at the age of 80. He was married to Pamela and had three daughters.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
involved in aero engine design and motor racing, with particular associations with BRM
British Racing Motors
British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
and Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
.
Early life and war service
Rudd became involved with motor racing in the 1930s when he became an informal assistant to Prince ChulaChula Chakrabongse
His Royal Highness Prince Chula Chakrabongse of Siam , was a member of the Siamese Royal Family, and the House of Chakrabhongse...
and Prince Bira
Prince Bira
12th, 1956 Melbourne, Star 19th, 1960 Rome, Star 22nd, 1964 Tokio, Dragon 21st, 1972 Munich, TempestPrince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh better known as Prince Bira of Siam , or by his nom de course B...
's White Mouse Racing team. This inspired him to take up engineering as a career and family influence led him to take up an apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
. Rudd's engineering studies were interrupted by the Second World War during which he served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Trained as a pilot, he flew Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s on a tour of 30 operations. He became an expert in diagnosing failures in Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engines, but his main interest remained cars. Rudd resumed his engineering apprenticeship after the War and built an Aston-Martin-based 'special'.
Arrival at BRM
The much-delayed BRM V16 engine was fitted with Rolls-Royce superchargers and Rudd was seconded to BRM in 1951 to assist with their development. He never returned to Rolls-Royce, becoming part of the BRM team for almost two decades. Rudd was involved in the development of the V16 and four-cylinder P25 cars and started to assume more prominence after the Rubery-Owen takeover of the team. Peter Berthon and Raymond MaysRaymond Mays
Thomas Raymond Mays CBE was an auto racing driver and entrepreneur from Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.He attended Oundle School, where he met Amherst Villiers, leaving at the end of 1917. After army service in the Grenadier Guards in France, he attended Christ's College, Cambridge...
were eventually sidelined after the drivers threatened to strike and Rudd assumed full technical control of the team in 1962.
Successes at BRM
Rudd put in place proper engineering procedures within the team and his spaceframe and monocoque V8-engined designs took BRM to constructors' and drivers' World Championships, but his H-16 engine for the new three litre formula (based on two of the successful V8s on top of each other) proved to be heavy and overcomplicated and the team struggled to regain momentum in the late Sixties. Rudd claims that the H-16 would have been successful had the drawings been followed accurately - as it was the engine had heavier castings than planned and its power-to-weight ratio was unfavourable; it also had breathing difficulties and only started to improve when it fired as a sixteen cylinder engine rather than two eights. As a sideline to BRM's main development, Rudd and Peter Wright also involved with the design of a ground effectGround effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
car that never raced; driver John Surtees
John Surtees
John Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels...
was adamant that it could not be made raceworthy. Rudd and Wright were later to be reunited at Lotus on work that did lead to successful ground-effect racing cars.
The move to Lotus
During a poor 1969 season Rudd left for Lotus CarsLotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
, gradually working up to the position of Engineering Director on the road-car side of the company - he was not directly involved in racing, which Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
looked after. Rudd's achievements included the development of Lotus' own four-cylinder engine as well as improving production quality of their cars.
Rudd also developed Lotus as an engineering consultancy working on high-technology projects for the rest of the automotive industry, creating another profit centre within the business.
Ground effect, consultancy and De Lorean
Team Lotus were struggling in the mid 1970s and Rudd led the research effort that produced ground effectGround effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
Lotus 78
Lotus 78
The Lotus 78 'wing car' was a Formula One racing car used in the and seasons. It was designed by Peter Wright, Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd, and was the car that started the ground effect revolution in Formula One.-Concept:...
, which brought the team back to the forefront of Grand Prix success. Rudd though back to the road-car side of the company on to research active suspension
Active suspension
Active or adaptive suspension is an automotive technology that controls the vertical movement of the wheels with an onboard system rather than the movement being determined entirely by the road surface...
, turbocharging, and lead consultancy work for other manufacturers. After Chapman's death in 1982 Rudd took on an increasingly significant role in the business but advanced engineering remained his forté.
Final return to racing
After the conviction of Fred Bushell for financial irregularities related to De LoreanDe Lorean Motor Company
The original DeLorean Motor Company was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John DeLorean in 1975. It is remembered for the one model it produced — the distinctive stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12 sports car featuring gull-wing doors — and for its brief and...
, the Chapman family (who retained ownership of Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
) asked Rudd to step in to head the racing team. He returned to racing for a year in 1989 until the team was sold on, then retired to become a freelance consulting engineer.
Retirement and writing
In retirement, Rudd remained active in the Society of Automotive Engineers, wrote a widely-acclaimed autobiography It Was Fun: My Fifty Years of High Performance and collaborated with Doug NyeDoug Nye
Doug Nye born October 1945 is an English motoring journalist and author. He lives in Farnham, Surrey, England.He is generally recognized as a world authority on competition cars of any period from 1887, and is a consultant to the Bonhams auction house, the Collier Collection and sits on the...
on a multi-volume history of BRM
British Racing Motors
British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
.
Tony Rudd died in 2003 at the age of 80. He was married to Pamela and had three daughters.