Range Rover project was led by King
Spen King, one of the most illustrious British automotive engineers of the 20th century, has died at the age of 85 from injuries sustained in a bicycling accident.
As head of new vehicle projects at Rover from 1959, Charles Spencer King was responsible for cars like the Rover 2000 and SD1, as well as the Stag and TR7 models from Triumph, not to mention Triumph's ground-breaking 16 valve cylinder head for the Dolomite Sprint which paved the way for a generation of 16V-badged hot hatches.
However he is best known as the man behind the original Range Rover - a car which changed the world's view of the potential of off-road vehicles as a class and is now celebrating its 40th anniversary. There's a tribute to Spen King by Autocar's Steve Cropley here, which sheds some interesting light on the genesis of that first Rangie and on the character of the man himself.
Our respectful condolences go to Spen King's family and friends.
 He also had a big hand in the SD1... |
 ...and the innovative 16V Dolly Sprint |
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