Ulrich Bez
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ulrich Bez is a German-businessman and currently CEO of Aston Martin
motorcars.
in engineering from the University of Stuttgart
. Throughout his career he has been responsible for product design and development at Porsche
, BMW
and Daewoo Motor
.
While at Porsche, he led Vehicle Research and Development and motor sport programmes in Formula One
and World Endurance Championship in Indianapolis
and Le Mans
. He directed design and development of the 911 Turbo
, the Carrera RS 2.7, the 968
and the 993
.
Dr. Bez was the first director of BMW Technik GmbH (BMW Technology), responsible for the design of BMW Z1
.
At Daewoo Motor, Ulrich Bez was Vice President of Engineering (1993–1998), involved with the development of the series of models such as the Daewoo Matiz
, Daewoo Lanos
, Daewoo Leganza
and the Daewoo Nubira
.
Before he became the Chief Executive Officer
and Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.
in July 2000, he also was a business advisor to the Ford Motor Company
. He agreed to a five-year contract, with the sale of Aston Martin, by Ford to a consortium led David Richards
, and John Sinders.
Dr. Bez is also a keen racing driver and in the 24 Hours Nürburgring
endurance race achieved 24th place in 2006, 126th place in 2007, 27th place in 2008 (all in an Aston Martin Vantage
N24), and 21st place in the 2009 race (the race debut of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage).
He has also run the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans
winning Aston Martin DBR1
in the Le Mans Legend
race.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
motorcars.
Life
He holds a doctorateDoctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in engineering from the University of Stuttgart
University of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
. Throughout his career he has been responsible for product design and development at Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
and Daewoo Motor
GM Daewoo
GM Korea Company is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer and is a division of the General Motors Company. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo which was split from its parent company, Daewoo Group, in 2001...
.
While at Porsche, he led Vehicle Research and Development and motor sport programmes in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and World Endurance Championship in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
. He directed design and development of the 911 Turbo
Porsche 930
The 930 was a sports car built by Porsche, 930 actually being the "type number" for the pre-964 generation 911 Turbo produced between 1975 and 1989...
, the Carrera RS 2.7, the 968
Porsche 968
The 968 is a sports car sold by Porsche AG from 1992 to 1995. It took over the entry-level position in Porsche's lineup from the 944, with which it shared about 20% of its parts...
and the 993
Porsche 993
The Porsche 993 is the company's internal name for the version of the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between late 1993 and early 1998, replacing the 964...
.
Dr. Bez was the first director of BMW Technik GmbH (BMW Technology), responsible for the design of BMW Z1
BMW Z1
The BMW Z1 was a two-seat roadster developed by BMW and produced from March 1989 to June 1991. The Z1 featured doors which dropped down into the door sills. A total of 8,000 cars were produced.-History:...
.
At Daewoo Motor, Ulrich Bez was Vice President of Engineering (1993–1998), involved with the development of the series of models such as the Daewoo Matiz
Daewoo Matiz
-M100 :The production of Daewoo Matiz started in 1998 and it was sold in South Korea and many European markets with the code name M100. The exterior design is based on the Lucciola, a Fiat Cinquecento concept by Italdesign Giugiaro which had been rejected by Fiat. The 0.8-litre gasoline engine and...
, Daewoo Lanos
Daewoo Lanos
The Daewoo Lanos is a subcompact car manufactured by the Korean automaker Daewoo Motor from 1997 to 2002. It was manufactured under license agreements from 1997 to 2008 by Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych in Poland, where it was marketed as the FSO Lanos, from 1998 to present in Ukraine by AvtoZAZ,...
, Daewoo Leganza
Daewoo Leganza
The Daewoo Leganza is a mid-size sedan produced by the former Daewoo Motors in South Korea between 1997 and 2002. Its internal development name was V100, under which it and its platform are also known....
and the Daewoo Nubira
Daewoo Nubira
The Daewoo Nubira is a compact car produced by South Korean automaker Daewoo Motors from 1997 to 2008.The first generation car, model J100, was released to the market in 1997 as Daewoo Nubira, and it was sold until 1999. It was developed as a replacement for the GM T platform-based Daewoo Nexia and...
.
Before he became the Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
in July 2000, he also was a business advisor to the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. He agreed to a five-year contract, with the sale of Aston Martin, by Ford to a consortium led David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....
, and John Sinders.
Dr. Bez is also a keen racing driver and in the 24 Hours Nürburgring
24 Hours Nürburgring
The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife . With a lap length of over , it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.-Overview:...
endurance race achieved 24th place in 2006, 126th place in 2007, 27th place in 2008 (all in an Aston Martin Vantage
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005)
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage are a series of hand built sports cars from the British manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston Martin has previously used the "Vantage" name on high performance variants of their existing GT models, notably on the Virage-based car of the 1990s....
N24), and 21st place in the 2009 race (the race debut of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage).
He has also run the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans
1959 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 27th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 20 and 21 1959. It was also the fourth round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Official results:-Not Classified:...
winning Aston Martin DBR1
Aston Martin DBR1
The Aston Martin DBR1 was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time...
in the Le Mans Legend
Le Mans Legend
The Le Mans Legend is a vintage sports car race held during the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities. Created in 2001, it was created by the Motor Racing Legends group, and supported by the ACO, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans....
race.
External links
- "Q&A: Aston Martin's John Sinders and Ulrich Bez", Automobile, Marc Noordeloos, Georg Kacher, April, 2007
- "Inside Line Q&A: Aston Martin's Dr. Ulrich Bez", Edmund's Inside Line, Alistair Weaver, Mar 19, 2007
- "Interview with Ulrich Bez", Leaders magazine, Jan 2009