7 'inventor' obit

[stevet]

I was not aware of Mac's involvement with the 7s design. This from Blatchat

 

 

 

Gilbert "Mac" McIntosh

 

born 2nd May 1925, died 20th November 2006

 

OBITUARY by Peter Ross.

 

Gilbert McIntosh, known to all as “Mac”, died on 20th November at the age of 81after a long battle with cancer. He was one of the small group from de Havilland which included Mike and Frank Costin, and Peter Ross, who joined Colin Chapman as unpaid enthusiast in the early fifties and brought some aircraft industry influence to Lotus design.

 

Mac was in the aircraft design department at Hatfield, and had spent time in the stress office. He was responsible for the engine installation on the Comet and Trident. It was natural that he immediately took a keen interest in the Lotus space frame chassis design. When he first appeared at Hornsey in early 1954 the special “works” chassis frame had already been designed, but he got the job of designing all the brackets for the suspension, engine etc. These were often criticised by Johnny Teych and Dave Kelsey at Progress Chassis as being too flimsy and complicated to make, Mac criticise their suggestions as “agricultural”, but they eventually got along.

 

Mac was amazed to discover how little knowledge there was in the racing car world of the loads imposed on the chassis, and he started by making an inspired guess, and when things broke was able to revise his theory until he had a pretty good idea of what was needed.

 

Mac became very much a “back room boy” at Lotus and formed a close relationship with Colin, each having great respect for the other. A keen golfer, Mac would not be free to watch a motor race on the Saturday, but always spent his Sundays with Colin and Hazel at their home Gothic Cottage. Here was dreamed up the first proper space frame Lotus chassis, the one fitted to the two “works” Lotus Mk IXs in 1955 which closely resembled what would become the Lotus Eleven chassis in 1956. Gone was the large 1-7/8” diameter bottom tube, and now each one would be sized according to the tension or compression load it had to take. There were even detachable tubes to allow the engine to be taken out – a lesson learnt the hard way on the works Mk VIII.

 

Mac gave an amusing account of the birth of the Lotus Seven one Sunday. Hazel said she thought a simpler sports car was needed, more like the original Mk VI, ands Mac agreed, saying that it should not involve much design work as it would just be an unstreamlined version of the Series 2 Eleven. So it was agreed that Colin and Mac would be excused washing up after lunch in exchange for designing the Lotus Seven, which was virtually completed by late that evening.

 

Mac was given a Lotus Eleven at cost as part thanks for all the work he had done, and converted it to have a hard top and be completely waterproof (quite a task!). It of course had space to carry his golf clubs. Soon after (in 1957) Mac parted company with Lotus when, as Hazel put it, he “committed matrimony”.

 

Mac was involved with Lotus chassis from the Mk IX to the Type 14 Elite – the latter being of course more complicated and involving a monocoque structure in a relatively new material – glassfibre.

 

Later Mac left the aircraft industry and brought his aircraft and Lotus experience to benefit the earth moving industry by becoming Chief Designer for JCB. Colin visited him in 1969 to try to persuade him to come back to Lotus to replace Maurice Philippe as Chief Designer to Team Lotus – but Mac declined.

 

He leaves a wife Jill, three children Ian, Duncan and Susan, and seven grandchildren.

 

20th November 2006

[slngsht]

Steve, thanks for the post. great read.

 

 

 

sorry to hear of his passing :sadangel: