Best designers ever.

[Ranger]

I have a pretty short shortlist at the moment, add yours and state why.

Colin Chapman. 7 titles, 73 wins, THE innovator. And to think that he did all this by the age of 54 is simply phenomenal.

Rory Byrne. A late bloomer, designed his first title winner at age 50 in 1994 and designed Benetton and Ferrari to more than 100 wins between 1986 and 2006. An understated genius due to the strength of the Ferrari team and combination of Todt/Brawn/Schumacher.

Adrian Newey. Designed his first WCC winner at the age of 33, pretty incredible as I think thats just about the youngest person ever to do so. Six WCC and WDC's, more than 100 wins for 3 teams now, plus he is only 50.
He has 2 or so less wins than Byrne, I would rank him greater as Byrne had Schumacher whereas Newey had lesser drivers and has designed 6 title winners by the time Byrne had designed 1.

Honourable mentions: John Barnard, Gordon Murray.

Discuss. :up:

[Dave B]

Harvey Postlewaite? "Technically" a technical director rather than a designer, but instrumental nevertheless in designing many successful cars for a range of teams from Hesketh to Tyrrell. There's even a school of thought that his death was a major factor in Honda delaying their factory entry.

[Rodriguez 917]

My favourite is Tony Southgate. He designed a lot of winning cars in F1, Indycars, Sportscars and Can Am and rallying. Anyone who designed cars as gorgeous as the BRM P160, Ferrari 333SP and the Jaguar XJR9 should be up there. He wasn't an innovator like Champman but he must be regarded as one of the best all rounder designers.

[RJL25]

Colin Chapman - need I say more?

Adrien Newey - modern day aero wizard

Sir Jack Brabham - not necessarily the best designer/engineer ever, but he DID design a championship winning car AND drove the thing! Come on!!!

[V12]

Much like comparing drivers of different era, it's probably quite hard to objectively compare the likes of Chapman to more recent designers who have huge teams of people underneath them, have use of wind tunnels, CAD/CAM, bigger budgets, BUT also have bigger constraints within the rules to be clever.

I don't know about best ever but I think an honourable mention should go to Mauro Forghieri who I heard when he was at Ferrari was at one point was directly responsible for the entire car - chassis AND the engine as well as various mechanicals.

[DexDexter]

Much like comparing drivers of different era, it's probably quite hard to objectively compare the likes of Chapman to more recent designers who have huge teams of people underneath them, have use of wind tunnels, CAD/CAM, bigger budgets, BUT also have bigger constraints within the rules to be clever.

I don't know about best ever but I think an honourable mention should go to Mauro Forghieri who I heard when he was at Ferrari was at one point was directly responsible for the entire car - chassis AND the engine as well as various mechanicals.

Forghieri's image as a designer is tainted a bit by the horrible 1991 Modena Lamborghini car which he, I believe, was party responsible for.

Gary Anderson deserves a mention, his 1991 7up Jordan was really quick and one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Other names (in addition to the ones mentioned above) that come to my mind are Neil Oatley and Steve Nichols who designed some very quick Mclarens.

[big_sw2000]

My favourite is Tony Southgate. He designed a lot of winning cars in F1, Indycars, Sportscars and Can Am and rallying. Anyone who designed cars as gorgeous as the BRM P160, Ferrari 333SP and the Jaguar XJR9 should be up there. He wasn't an innovator like Champman but he must be regarded as one of the best all rounder designers.
Tony Southgate Silk Cut Jagars, now there are some sexy cars

[V12]

Forghieri's image as a designer is tainted a bit by the horrible 1991 Modena Lamborghini car which he, I believe, was party responsible for.

To be fair all top designers have had at least one "dud". Chapman's Lotus 76 and 80, the McLaren MP4...18? (The one that was never actually race ready, 2003 I think) for Newey, Gordon Murray's low-line Brabham.

Plus I was under the impression that the Modena-Lambo was not only a typical early 90s privateer low-budget effort, but was also one that was recycled from that attempted Mexican entry (GLAS?) in 1990.

A bit like the awful Andrea Moda, which was a recycled Simtek-BMW design, didn't necessarily mean that Nick Wirth was the worst designer ever to pen an early 90's F1 car.

I just threw Forghieri's name in the ring because I think for someone as recently as the mid-70s to be responsible for virtually all of a championship winning car's chassis and engine to be fairly remarkable. He wouldn't be the first one to spring to mind when you think "best designer ever", but all the obvious ones had already been mentioned :)

I guess it depends what criteria you want to use - free-thinking outside the box genius, inspiring technical leader of men, great all over the car, etc.

Come to think of it this is probably harder than choosing the greatest ever driver!

[D-Type]

If truth be told, no one man ever really designed the whole of a car, but these came close:

Ettore Bugatti - Type 35, 51,59 etc
Ferdinand Porsche -Auto Union
Vittorio Jano - Alfa Romeo P2 and P3, Lancia D50, Ferrari Dino 246 (with Carlo Chiti)
Giaocchino Colombo - Alfa Romeo 158, Ferrari 125
Aurelio Lampredi - Ferrari 375, 500, 555
Carlo Chiti - Ferrari Dino 246 (with Jano), Dino 156
Owen Maddock - Coopers (all of them up to 1963)

[DexDexter]

To be fair all top designers have had at least one "dud". Chapman's Lotus 76 and 80, the McLaren MP4...18? (The one that was never actually race ready, 2003 I think) for Newey, Gordon Murray's low-line Brabham.

Plus I was under the impression that the Modena-Lambo was not only a typical early 90s privateer low-budget effort, but was also one that was recycled from that attempted Mexican entry (GLAS?) in 1990.

A bit like the awful Andrea Moda, which was a recycled Simtek-BMW design, didn't necessarily mean that Nick Wirth was the worst designer ever to pen an early 90's F1 car.


You're right, I checked it and Modena Lamborghini was actually a recycled Mexican entry, maybe not so much Forgieri's design. I remember the car well, it had very odd sidepods and it was slow. Talking about Wirth, I thought his second Simtek, driven by Jos Verstappen was actually a really good car with the resources they had.

[blito]

for me, i would have to through Aubrey Woods into the mix although i think he was an engine designer rather than chassis sop maybe i`ll go with Vittorio Jano just because that is such a sexy name!

[Rollo]

If people nominate Colin Chapman then surely Keith Duckworth deserves a mention.

He was the chap to not only designed a few of Lotus' gearboxes, but also had the totally screwy idea of jamming two Kent engines together down the crank assembly to create the three greatest letters in F1 of all time - DFV.

Mike Costin once said that he learnt his trade at the University of Duckworth.

[52Paddy]

Yes, Keith Duckworth struck me too. Clearly an influential phenomenon that DFV. And such a long span in the sport.