Developing Engineers

There are many products available to the consumer market that, on the face of it, look like they have been designed and engineered well, but is this really the case?!

I was talking with a friend just last week about the iPhone and how wonderful I personally think it is but my friend had reservations, “its not great for people with large fingers” (as the keyboard is quite small) and his “wife struggles as she has long finger nails”. This got me thinking about how products are designed and engineered.

Being in the car industry, I tune into people saying ‘oh, that’s a man’s car’ or ‘the interior is too girly’ but are these statements justified? What defines if a car is designed and engineered for a man, or a woman for that matter?

Gathering a few thoughts from my female friends and colleagues suggest that women (in general) like a lot of practical storage space e.g. somewhere to put their phone, their bag, small change, sunglasses etc. However, do men not need the same storage space?!

I start to think about some of the ergonomic issues. I recall being horrified when a relative of mine bought a brand new competitor vehicle – a Porsche Cayenne! When I asked why she hadn’t purchased one of our SUV products, she said the only reason was because the Cayenne had a Power tailgate option, as she is not tall, it was something she felt she needed to close the tailgate comfortably. Ironically, we now offer a powered tailgate option on Jaguar Land Rover products – maybe just a little too late for some potential customers.

Another ergonomic issue that I’m conscious of is with regards to the seat package of a vehicle. I’m of average height (5’6″) and feel quite comfortable driving both our Jaguar products (where the seating position is quite low down) and in the Land Rover products (with the more upright, command-driving position). However, I know some of my ‘slightly shorter’ friends do struggle with getting a comfortable seating position in some vehicles (not just Jaguar products). Industry is starting to recognise this and here at JLR, there is now a lot of effort being put into the ergonomic design of our vehicles. We invite female colleagues, and even school children along to do seat and package assessments to ensure that our products are well designed for the population.

A few years back, when Jaguar Land Rover was linked with Volvo I recall being very interested in the Volvo YCC ‘Your Concept Car’. An all-female team designed the car with the female driver in mind. The vehicle had some interesting features like headrests with a space for a ponytail (those of you who wear your hair up might sympathise with this one!) and run-flat tyres (appreciated by those who have stood in the pouring rain trying to change a spare wheel!). The project was a good insight to how things might be designed for female customers, but if they were all implemented, would they detract from the requirements of male drivers? I personally do not think so, provided they are executed correctly and I’m sure in the majority of cases the features would actually be suited to males & females alike.

I could continue on this subject for a great length of time, but I’m interested to get your views on what has been designed and engineered well for men, what has been designed well for women and what products satisfy both….no easy task, I feel!

On the 1^st & 2^nd October, I was lucky enough to attend the season-finale, ‘Le Petite Le Mans’ American Le Mans Race series at Road Atlanta, Braselton – Georgia. David Moore (my husband) and I were both guests of the Rocketsports (RSRJaguar) race team. As mentioned in my previous blog, David has been involved and worked with the RSR team since the XFR Bonneville Project. We arrived on the Friday Qualifying Day to find the atmosphere around the race team buzzing. Engineers and mechanics working on the cars were like bees round honey pots – it was the first time they would be running two cars in a race! This is the first season for the RSR Jaguar GT and whilst the results to date have not been as hoped, the team have made significant progress over the year closing the gap on the competition whilst also gathering invaluable on-track race data. David introduces me to Paul Gentilozzi (Team Owner/Driver and 5-times Trans-Am Series Champion) who is hoping for a good qualifying session and race weekend. I am also introduced to Heather Haupt, RSRJaguar Public Relations, who gives me an insight to what it’s like to be the only female member of the race team and how she pulls together the press releases. They can be very rewarding when you are winning but very stressful when not.

We have a good nose around the race cars, which started life as production Jaguar 5.0 litre V8 AJ133 XK’s. I do not follow GT racing closely enough to know all the stringent requirements imposed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (the ruling body for the American Le Mans Series) of using production vehicles, but am very surprised at just how different a race car is.

The vehicles have undergone some serious transformation – carbon-fibre almost everywhere in an effort to reduce weight and hence increase lap times. The teams have to use the production Body-in-White (the bare bones of the vehicle), a bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque which RSR modify with steel reinforcements and safety structure.

Ian Callum’s Jaguar Design team have stamped their DNA onto the car by designing the body shell and Jaguar Aerodynamics team have worked closely with the RSR team whilst they completed the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

I am amazed at the weight of the aluminium-cast wheels (which I am able to pick up with one hand!) and the bonnet (I know from my time working on XF Deployable Pedestrian Bonnet’s that it usually takes two people to pick them up – not these bad boys – one hand required!). I am envious of the carbon-fibre…at Jaguar Land Rover, we spend a lot of time and resource looking at cost-effective weight saving solutions but understand carbon-fibre is not so cost-effective to implement on volume production cars.

We pick our trackside spot and watch the morning practice, which sees the original #75 car out onto the track and a debut for the #33 car. The temperatures are warm – hot for us Brits! The drivers report good handling from the vehicles but mention that all the cars seem to have some grip issues. Unfortunately, after a few laps the #33 limps back to the team workshop with an oil leak. Over the next few hours, we witness the engine being removed from the car only to find a failure in a new chassis component so it’s a race against time to get it replaced and the engine refitted before the afternoon qualifying session. Qualifying is upon us and the #75 car sets out on its 25-minute session and with Marc Goossens at the wheel, completes 9 laps on the 2.54 mile track – a reasonable session and the car is positioned 13^th on the GT grid. Meanwhile, back at the team workshop, the lonely #33 car awaits her fate – the extent of the damage from the morning session means too much re-work to complete in time for qualifying, so it is positioned at the back of the grid for the race.

The morning of race-day brings more excitement for both the team and us – both cars are up, ready for action, and complete the early warm-up session. As they line up on the track the spectators are allowed access to the grid to photograph the cars, talk to the teams and soak up the race ambience. I personally think this, along with the compulsory drivers’ autograph session on Friday, is a great way to network with the race fans and get them close to the action! The crowd go mad for it and we are shoulder-to-shoulder along the grid trying to get a glimpse of all the cars taking part and even managed to see a couple of ex F1 Drivers in Mika Salo and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Our drivers for the day are Marc Goossens, Ryan Dalziel & Paul Gentilozzi in the #75 car. In the #33, new drivers for RSR are Butch Leitzinger, Tomy Drissi (2009 Trans-Am Champion) and Britain’s Andy Wallace.

The grid is cleared of spectators and the starting ceremony begins with the American National Anthem and two parachutists bringing in the nations Stars & Stripes flag. Tension builds and I am a bundle of excitement and nerves (and I’m not the one driving!). Both cars fly off the starting line and head off on lap one of the 1000mile/10hr maximum race. We have a prime viewing spot and the cars look and sound truly awesome! Marc Goossens, in the #75, makes some convincing moves and battles his way up from 13^th to 10^th, today is not his lucky day though and after an unfortunate flat tyre his good work is undone and he needs to try to get back up the leader board again. Meanwhile, Butch Leitzinger is the first driver out in the #33 car – he makes a good start but much to his, ours and the teams disappointment, lap 16 sees terminal damage due to a cooling issue so early retirement is inevitable.

With the #33 car out of the race, #75 goes it alone flying the flag for the RSR team. A quick driver change on lap 62 sees Ryan Dalziel make his appearance. Ryan makes good progress but the positive vibes came tumbling down when damage to the water pump resulted in an early retirement on lap 82.

Everyone in the team is devastated. High hopes are dashed – the on-track issues do not reward the immense efforts from the team for the season finale and the whole season. The atmosphere is tense. Mike O’Driscoll, Jaguar Managing Director and Paul Gentilozzi take some time out to talk about the race and season performance and piece together a plan for moving this iconic brand forward.

The 2010 season has been a tricky year – fundamentally, track time this year has been used for test and development. It’s only into the second and third year of racing that Jaguar & RSR can expect to reap the rewards of the combined effort. So 2011 should be an exciting season to look forward to which should see the XKR GTs making progress through the field. The remainder of the race day was spent keeping an eye on the ongoing race and trying to lift the emotions of the team and get the spirits up in preparation for next year. The team gathered to watch the last few minutes of the race and were prepared to watch the #62 Ferrari head to race victory and to obtain the 2010 Manufacturers Title. However, on the last lap the car slowed to a deathly stop. We all waited with baited breath…the sudden realisation dawns upon us and the crowd…in a desperate attempt to keep weight to a minimum in the final stages of the race, the Ferrari team had gone one-step too far and not put enough fuel into the vehicle to finish the race! Whilst this may have shaved a split-second off the lap times, the gamble did not pay off. The #4 Corvette driven by Emmanuel Collard, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen roared past the Ferrari to the ultimate victory of Petite Le Mans 2010 race winners.

My first taster of the American Le Mans Series really was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Being part of the RSRJaguar race team was a fabulous experience and I would personally like to thank Paul Gentilozzi, his team, Jaguar North America and Ken McConomy’s PR team at Jaguar Land Rover for their hospitality and making us feel so welcome. Here’s to a successful 2011 season!!

Monday 20th September 2010

Most people don’t like to haul themselves out of bed at 4am on a Sunday morning, but this was no ordinary Sunday! With a spring in my step, I leapt up eagerly contemplating the day ahead. It was my first trip to the Goodwood Revival….Glorious Goodwood!

The Goodwood Revival Weekend captures the very essence of the nostalgic era of the 1940s, 50s and 60s motor racing that was held at the Goodwood Race Circuit and a place where modern-day celebrities and legendary motor racing idols mix with fans of the era to try and re-capture the spirit of yester-year.

I don my period custom…I thought about  a fancy ‘rock & roll’ dress from the 50′s or a standard issue wartime uniform from the 40s but instead, I plump for something a bit more rugged and a bit more ‘me’….I have gone for the ‘Amelia Earhart’ look! The iconic American aviation pioneer and author who was the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for becoming the first to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean – what a true role model for women the world-over!

I head down South and get a little apprehensive about making a stop at the motorway service station dressed as a Pilot but as I head South-East of London I spot more and more classic cars with the occupants all sporting their period costume. I head into the service station and am greeted by some of the finest examples of classic cars and many people bustling around surveying the pre-tax memorabilia. We travel in convoy to the Goodwood Estate and I cannot keep my grin hidden at the sight of more and more of the rarest and most beautiful cars that join us en route.

Heading into the Revival, the organisers’ have sectioned off an area for ‘Road Fund Exempt – Historic Tax Disc’ vehicles for members of the public to exhibit their pride and joy. It truly amazed me what stunning machinery ordinary members of the public have tucked away in their garages – I could literally spend all day just in the car park! I look at some in detail, my particular favourite being a cheeky-looking Frogeye Sprite which I dream of owning one day and then head on. I take a look back over the sea of cars and take in the curvaceous styling lines, the attention to detail and the gleaming chrome in the sunlight and am thankful that there are still so many car enthusiasts and engineers that are willing to spend hours lovingly restore such vehicles back to their former glory.

At the entrance, I meet up with RAF Squadron Leader David Moore…well ok, so it’s my husband in his WWII uniform but he’s living the dream so I’ll go along with it too!

Just as an aside, I best explain what my husband does. David is an engineer and works at Jaguar Cars (we met and fell in love whilst working on the Jaguar XF saloon car but that’s another story!). David has two main passions in life…fast Jets and fast Jaguar cars.

He is sometimes noted for ‘living the dream’, whilst his career has centered on working in Vehicle Engineering developing test and development plans. He is also well renowned for his technical eloquence with the media, journalists and celebrities! This has given him some opportunities of a life-time and has included work on the Bonneville XFR car, the Goodwood ‘Green XKR‘ car and work with Rocketsports Jaguar Race Team to name but a few. No doubt I’ll blog about these projects at a later date!

David started his journey to Goodwood on Friday with 75 individually-numbered, iconic Jaguars from across the years. The celebration drive left Coventry (home of the Jaguar) on Friday and took in London’s May Fair Hotel (site of the original Jaguar model launch in 1935) and finished at the Goodwood Revival on Saturday. The event was to mark Jaguar’s 75^th Anniversary on 23^rd September.

As I enter the Revival, I’m greeted by theatrical movie sets and actors working the crowd to re-kindle how life would have been back in the day. There’s a Tesco store made to look like it would have done in the 60′s with the old-fashioned packaging on the products, a traditional barber-shop offering ‘classic’ cuts and even a lingerie establishment selling period corsets….the ladies must have been very uncomfortable! The costumes and clothing that the general public wore was nothing short of brilliant – the attention to detail was truly superb and really helped create the atmosphere!

David introduces me to the Jaguar Heritage team who have their own ‘stage-set’ garage with a Jaguar D-Type on display. The team work tirelessly and voluntarily to keep up the Jaguar archives, trace products and parts for historic Jaguar cars and provide show-case vehicles for the media and general public events.

One highlight of the day was being introduced to Norman Dewis – a truly remarkable engineer who has a whole selection of tales from his time working at Jaguar Cars.

Normas Dewis was recruited on 1st January 1952, by Jaguar’s first Chief Engineer Bill Heynes, and with the approval of company founder Sir William Lyons, Norman started as Chief Test Development Engineer, a position he effectively held until he retired in 1985.

Originally charged with the test development work on Jaguar’s Le Mans winning C-type, Norman signed-off more than 25 different models of both road and racing Jaguars over the next 33 years. These included iconic cars such as the XK 140, XK 150, E-type, Mark 2, Mark X, XJ6 and the Le Mans winning D-type.

In the early 1950s, Norman also undertook a series of record-breaking runs with Jaguars at Jabbeke in Belgium, most notably achieving over 172mph in an XK 120 sports car. He also raced the 190mph D-type when part of the works Jaguar team at Le Mans in 1955.

From 1952, Norman played a leading role in the development of the first practical disc brakes for cars as Jaguar joined forces with Dunlop to perfect this revolutionary invention which subsequently became universally adopted and has saved countless lives all over the world.

Norman is now an unofficial roving ambassador for Jaguar, enthralling enthusiasts with his accounts of his adventures as a test engineer.

 

Words on Norman Dewis courtesy of Jaguar internal communications web

Norman is a real inspiration for all automotive engineers and his passion for vehicles and Jaguars is clearly evident.

The day was packed with many interesting things to see and do, including a replica of the historic Earl’s Court Motor Show, paddocks where competing cars and motorcycles could be viewed and the centre stage being the Goodwood Race Circuit.  Finely selected cars and motorcycles with carefully chosen authentic racing drivers made up the grid to compete in over 17 different races, to try to capture the bygone era of motor racing. 

Of the races that I watched, the crowd was left open-mouthed at the sideways drifting maneuvers that Grant Williams managed to achieve in the 1959 Mk1 Jaguar that he took to victory closely followed by Richard Butterfield also in a Mk1 Jaguar. 1^st & 2^nd for the Jaguars!! Later in the day, another superb race saw Richard Attwood (former F1 driver & 1970 Le Mans Winner) battling for first place in the BRM P261 for the Glover Trophy. Both races that I watched really bought home just how magnificent these vintage cars are and how well engineered they are to be still achieving such speed on the circuit.

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the days entertainment of racing and memorabilia, my most memorable part was the WWII aerodrome where an exquisite display of aviation heritage captured my heart. In the air and on display were a fine selection of Spitfires, Hurricanes & Mustangs where I was able to capture the emotion of how Amelia Earhart must have felt back in the day. Giggle-moment of the day was when posing for a photo in my pilot’s outfit next to a Spitfire, I was asked if I’d mind posing while other members of the public snapped away – a nice (and rather entertaining) snippet of celebrity-life! The climax of the day was the stunning flypast by a Lancaster bomber flanked by a Spitfire & Hurricane to commemorate the 70^th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The ‘Lanc’ and the Spitfire are true examples of British engineering at its finest which was enough to put the hairs up on the back of my neck.