Roy Axe

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Roy Axe

Roy Axe is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
car designer.

started his career in 1959 with the Rootes

Rootes

The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer, which was based in the English Midlands and south of England. Rootes was the parent company of many well-known British marques, including Hillman, Humber , Singer , Sunbeam Car Company, Talbot, Commer and Karrier....
Group where he progressed first to "Chief stylist" and then to "Design director". Rootes became part of Chrysler Europe

Chrysler Europe

In the 1960s, Chrysler Corporation sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford Motor Company's worldwide reach and General Motors Corporation' success with Opel, Vauxhall Motors, Holden and Bedford Vehicles....
in 1966.

In 1982 Axe moved to British Leyland (BL) where he took over as styling director from David Bache

David Bache

David Ernest Bache was a United Kingdom Automobile design. For much of his career he worked with Rover.Bache was born in Worcestershire, the son of Aston Villa and England footballer Joe Bache....
, and was responsible for the building of a new styling studio at their Canley

Canley

Canley is a suburban neighbourhood located in southwest Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the Stoneleigh, Warwickshire parish....
, Coventry plant; the former opened in 1982.

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Encyclopedia

Roy Axe is a British

United Kingdom

Career

Axe started his career in 1959 with the Rootes

Rootes

Chrysler Europe

David Bache

Canley

Rover 800

The Rover 800 series is an executive car introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986 and also marketed as the Sterling in the United States....
.

Axe went on in 1991 to become head of the Warwick

Warwick

Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, Warwickshire, 18 km south of Coventry and 4 km west of Leamington Spa , with a population of 25,434 .....
-based vehicle design consultancy Design Research Associates (DRA), which resulted from a management buyout

Management buyout

A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing Management acquire a large part or all of the company ....
of Rover's design studio in 1986. DRA was acquired by Arup

Arup

Arup is a professional services firm providing engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment....
in 1999.

Examples of Axe's car designs

1967 Sunbeam Rapier and Sunbeam Alpine fastback coupés
Sunbeam Rapier

The Sunbeam Car Company Rapier was the first of the "Rootes Audax" range of light cars produced by the Rootes Group. Announced at a motor show in October 1955, it preceded its Hillman Minx and Singer Gazelle counterparts by several months....
1970 Hillman Avenger
Hillman Avenger

The Hillman Avenger was a rear-wheel drive Small family car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes between 1970 and 1976, and made by Chrysler Europe from 1976 to 1981 as the Chrysler Avenger and finally the Talbot Avenger....
/ Plymouth Cricket
Plymouth Cricket

Plymouth Cricket can refer to two badge engineering automobiles associated with the Chrysler manufacturer.* Hillman Avenger, an automobile sold in North America between 1971 and 1973...
1975 Chrysler Alpine (Talbot)
1979 Chrysler Horizon
Chrysler Horizon

The Horizon, was a subcompact automobile developed by Chrysler Europe and was sold in Europe between 1977 and 1985 under the Chrysler, Simca and Talbot nameplates....
(Talbot)
1986 Rover 800
Rover 800

The Rover 800 series is an executive car introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986 and also marketed as the Sterling in the United States....
(developed in conjunction with the Honda Legend
Honda Legend

The Honda Legend is a Full-size car luxury car made by the Japanese automaker Honda. It was originally developed as part of Project XX, a joint venture with the MG Rover Group Group of UK and was a twin of the Rover 800 series....
)

Axe was also involved in the design of the 1984 Austin Montego

Austin Montego

The Austin Montego is a British mid-size sedan car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994....
. The design had been initiated prior to his joining BL, but he was able to make last-minute changes to it shortly before it entered production. Cosmetic changes – which aimed to improve the by-then dated design – included black trim along the car's waist line. Due to BL's financial problems, the release of the Montego, and the related David Bache-designed Austin Maestro

Austin Maestro

The Austin Maestro is a mid-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland , and from 1988 onwards by successor organisation Rover Group....
hatchback had been delayed by several years.