Walter Hayes CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(12 April, 1924 - 26 December, 2000) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalistA journalist is a person who practises journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that are not biased.Reporters are one type of journalist...
, and later
public relationsPublic relations is the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment...
executive for Ford.
Hayes was key in developing Ford's
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
program, by signing
Jackie StewartSir John Young "Jackie" Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie, and nicknamed The Flying Scot, is a Scottish former racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
and funding the building of the
CosworthCosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...
DFVThe DFV was an engine produced by Cosworth originally for Formula One motor racing. Named Four Valve because of the four valves per cylinder, and Double as it was a V8 development of the earlier, four cylinder FVA , making it a Double Four Valve engine....
V8
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
racing engine; and the creation of the
Premier Automotive GroupThe Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the business operations of Volvo Cars.Previously, PAG was responsible for Lincoln, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mercury and Land Rover; Lincoln and Mercury were taken back into Ford direct control, and Aston Martin was...
with the purchases of classic English brands Jaguar and
Aston MartinAston 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 BuckinghamshireFrom 1994 until 2007...
.
Biography
Walter Leopold Arthur Hayes was born in
HarrowHarrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. It is a suburb situated 12.2 miles west northwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
,
MiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, the son of a
printerA printer is a company that provides commercial printing services, often also offering typesetting and book-binding services. The term can also refer to people who operate printing presses, or who run printing companies....
. Hayes won a scholarship to
Hampton SchoolHampton School is a selective independent, formerly voluntary aided, day school for boys, located in Hampton, London, England.The Good Schools Guide called the school "A super outward-looking school keen to preserve its strengths , but ready to embrace change if it will further educational...
, and served in the
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
, where he was a
cadet pilotAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
.
Journalist
After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as the son of a printer Hayes found entry to stating "I'm so happy"
Fleet StreetFleet Street is a street in London, England named after the River Fleet. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s. Even though the last major British news office, Reuters, left in 2005, the street's name continues to be used as a metonym for the British national press.-History and...
relatively easy through the network of
printingThe Father of the Chapel is a title in the United Kingdom referring to a shop steward representing members of a trade union in a printing office. The FOC is assisted by the Clerk of the Chapel....
chapelsA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
, which controlled newspaper production in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
at the time.
Working his way up through the defined path of local, regional and national journalistic work; dedicated pipe smoker Hayes became associate editor of the
Daily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily tabloid newspaper. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper, The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982. Scottish and Irish editions of the paper were launched in...
and in 1956 and at the age of 32, the last editor of the
"Sunday DispatchThe Sunday Dispatch was a British newspaper, published between 27 September, 1801 and 1961. Until 1928, it was called the Weekly Dispatch.-History:...
" newspaper. Looking for something different to revive the motoring column, he was introduced to
Lotus CarsLotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and high handling characteristics....
owner
Colin ChapmanAnthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. He studied structural engineering at University College London, joined the University Air Squadron and learned to fly...
, who became an occasion contributor and commentator.
Ford
Married with a son and resident at the time in [Surrey], Hayes was seeking a secure future for his family when Ford asked him whether he would become head of Ford UK's
public relationsPublic relations is the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment...
department. Although it meant crossing the tracks and probably never returning to journalism due to the prejudices at the time, Hayes accepted the job as head in January 1962. Ford had a series of dour but reliable products, including the
Ford CortinaThe Ford Cortina is a mid-sized family car built by Ford of Britain in various guises from 1962 to 1982.The Cortina was Ford's mass-market mid-sized car and sold in enormous numbers, making it common on British roads and was Britain's best-selling car of the 1970s. It was replaced in 1982 by the...
and Ford Zodiac. Hayes concluded that a push into racing and competition was key to developing the image,and in his very first weeks in his job he gave the go-ahead for his first motor sport activity with support for the successful private attack on six International class G records at Montlhery with the 105E Anglia. Under the project and campaign brand of "Total Performance" the thrust of Ford worldwide. was so successful, Hayes elevated Ford's public perception from that of vaguely sinister giant of car manufacturing to purveyor of cars which, while resolutely egalitarian, oozed speed, power, guts and sex appeal.
Racing
One of the first crisis's Hayes had to deal with was the fallout of
FerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A....
's rejection of the proposed Ford takeover. Hayes became part of the team that supported
Henry Ford IIHenry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
's thoughts that Ford should take on Ferrari directly in their own home market of racing. Hayes initiated discussion with
CooperThe Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
which didn't come to fruition; but agreements with Lotus resulted in a successful
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
program, and with Lola to design, engineer and produce the prototypes of the all conquering
Ford GT40The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969 . It was built to win long-distance sports car races against Ferrari...
.
As well as reviving the
rallyingRallying is a form of motor competition that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars. This motorsport is distinguished by running not on a circuit, but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants and their co-drivers drive...
program, one of Hayes first accomplishments was to sign relatively unknown
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
racing driver
Jackie StewartSir John Young "Jackie" Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie, and nicknamed The Flying Scot, is a Scottish former racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
. Stewart was attending the 1964
British International Motor ShowThe British International Motor Show is an automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles...
at Earl's Court,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, when Hayes approached him and later offered Stewart £500 to promote Ford products in 1965, along with the white Ford Zodiac that was the centrepiece of Ford’s exhibit to drive that year. Stewart later commented: “I didn’t know who Walter Hayes was, but I did know that to have a contract with Ford Motor Company was a big deal with great opportunities for the future, even though I wasn’t yet aware that Ford would enter Formula One.” The relationship was to last forty years, and be so successful it was the model for other Formula One stars and motor manufacturers.
Cosworth DFV
Hayes next project came about as an approach from Colin Chapman. Chapman's cars had until that point relied on power from fast revving
Coventry ClimaxCoventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later following the departure of Stroyer, was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
engines, but with the change in
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
regulations to three litre capacity from 1966, Coventry Climax decided for business reasons not to develop a large capacity engine. Chapman had approach the fledgling
CosworthCosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...
group, with
Keith DuckworthDavid Keith Duckworth, , was an English mechanical engineer. He is most famous for designing the Cosworth DFV engine, an engine that revolutionised the sport of Formula One....
commenting that he could produce a competitive three litre engine, given a development budget of £100,000.
Chapman approach Ford and also
David BrownSir David Brown was an English entrepreneur, managing director of his family firm David Brown Limited and one time owner of shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft.-Early life and David Brown Ltd.:...
of
Aston MartinAston 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 BuckinghamshireFrom 1994 until 2007...
, each without initial success. Hayes arranged diner for Chapman with Harley Copp, an American engineer who had backed and engineered Ford's successful entry into
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
in the 1950s. Hayes and Copp developed a business plan, which was backed by Ford UK's new chairman
Stanley GillenStanley James Gillen was a Ohio born automobile executive who filled a series of high level appointments in the USA and subsequently in Europe with the Ford Motor Company....
, and approved by Ford's Detroit head office as a two part plan - stage one would produce a four-cylinder twin-cam engine for
Formula TwoFormula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
; by May 1967, stage two would produce a V-8 Formula One unit. In return, Chapman agreed to engineer "specials" for Ford, the first of which was 1963's
Lotus CortinaThe Lotus-Cortina was a high-performance car, the result of collaboration between Ford and Lotus.-Mk1:The start of the Lotus Cortina story begins around 1961, when the best of Ford and Lotus got together. Colin Chapman had been looking to build his own engines for Lotus for quite some time...
.
Revealed by Hayes in a PR launch in Detroit at the end of 1965, the
Ford Cosworth DFVThe DFV was an engine produced by Cosworth originally for Formula One motor racing. Named Four Valve because of the four valves per cylinder, and Double as it was a V8 development of the earlier, four cylinder FVA , making it a Double Four Valve engine....
won its first race - the
Dutch Grand PrixThe Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One automobile race held at Circuit Zandvoort, from 1952 to 1985.1985 was its final running, as the company that commercially ran the circuit went out of business, marking the end of Circuit Zandvoort...
on 4 June, 1967, in a
Lotus 49The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was designed around the Cosworth DFV engine that would power most of the Formula One grid through the 1970s and was the first successful Formula One car to feature the engine as a...
driven by
Jim ClarkJim Clark OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland.He was the dominant driver of his era, winning two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions than any other driver...
.
Graham HillNorman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He was born in Hampstead, London.Graham Hill is the only driver to win the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport....
was in the team was at the specific request of Ford and Hayes, who wanted to be sure that a strong driving cadre would be seated ahead of their engines.
Initially, the agreement between Ford, Cosworth and Lotus was binding on all parties, and Ford as the funder had no plans to sell or hire the DFV to any other teams. However, it occurred to Hayes that there was no competition - the
FerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A....
was underpowered; the BRM complex and too heavy; the unreliable
MaseratiMaserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and sports cars, established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
; Brabham was powered by the
OldsmobileOldsmobile was a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
-derived V8 Repco ; the overweight
Hondais a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become...
; while
Dan GurneyDaniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
's Eagle Weslake was beautiful, powerful and sleek, but often unreliable. Hayes concluded that Ford's name could become tarnished, and that they should agree to use the unit in other teams, and hence potentially dominate Formula One. Chapman, on the back of the pairs long friendship agreed, and Hayes could release the DFV initially to revival French team
MatraMécanique Avion TRAction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry which from 1994 was a subsidiary of Lagardère Group and which now operates under that name....
, headed by
Ken TyrrellKen Tyrrell was a British racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor.-Biography:...
with
Jackie StewartSir John Young "Jackie" Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie, and nicknamed The Flying Scot, is a Scottish former racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
as a driver.
Still the most successful Grand Prix engine ever, sixteen years later it was still taking the chequered flag - a DFV-powered
Tyrrell RacingThe Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one...
car won the 1983
Detroit Grand PrixThe title of Detroit Grand Prix was applied to the Formula One races held at the Detroit street circuit in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America from 1982 through 1988....
, the engine's 155th race victory: with the Ford logo branded on the side of every one.
At the start of the DFV project, Hayes told Henry Ford II that he thought the DFV engine was "fairly likely" to win a World Championship. In 1997 a group of people gathered at
Donington ParkDonington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it is leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd from owner Tom Wheatcroft. Used as a motor racing track, it is also the venue for the Download Festival...
to commemorate the DFV's 30th anniversary. Jackie Stewart said a few words, making comments on an engine which had made him as well as
Graham HillNorman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He was born in Hampstead, London.Graham Hill is the only driver to win the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport....
,
Jochen RindtKarl Jochen Rindt was a German-Austrian racing driver. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship , after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix. Away from Formula One Rindt was highly successful in other single-seat formulae, as well as...
,
Emerson FittipaldiEmerson Fittipaldi is a highly successful Brazilian automobile racing driver, winning championships in both Formula One and CART, and the Indianapolis 500 twice.-Family:...
,
James HuntJames Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in...
,
Mario AndrettiMario Gabriele Andretti is a retired American automobile racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
,
Alan JonesAlan Stanley Jones MBE is an Australian former Formula One driver. He was the first driver to win a Formula One World Championship with the Williams team, becoming the 1980 World Drivers' Champion....
,
Nelson PiquetNelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver who was Formula One world champion in , and...
and
Keke RosbergKeijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the 1982 Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
. It had also brought championships to teams:
LotusTeam Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
,
MatraMécanique Avion TRAction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry which from 1994 was a subsidiary of Lagardère Group and which now operates under that name....
, Tyrrell, McLaren and
WilliamsWilliamsF1, the trading name of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd., is a Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after two earlier and, compared with WilliamsF1's achievements, unsuccessful F1...
; and won races for Hesketh,
MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from Britain. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three, IndyCar...
,
PenskePenske Championship Racing is a racing team that competes in the Indy Racing League, ALMS, and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, Formula One and CART. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
,
ShadowShadow Racing Cars was a Formula One and sports car racing team, founded and initially based in the United States although later Formula One operations were run from Britain.-1971-1972: Early years in CanAm series:...
and
WolfWalter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor from 1976 to 1980.In 1975, the Slovenian-Austrian-Canadian businessman Walter Wolf had started to appear at many of the F1 races during the season. A year later, he bought 60% of Frank Williams Racing Cars while agreeing to keep Frank Williams as...
.
Henry Ford II
During the crisis of the Ferrari purchase/development of the GT40, and latterly the development of the Ford Cosworth DFV, Hayes would often meet with
Henry Ford IIHenry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
. The pair got on well, and thanks to the success of the DFV, Henry appointed Hayes to the board of one of his major projects, the establishment of Ford of Europe at its founding in 1967.
Henry Ford II also trusted Hayes judgement, and when in February 1975, Ford was caught drunk-driving up a one- way street in
Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the west coast, between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, and having a Mediterranean climate, it is called California's...
, Hayes suggested he use a
Benjamin DisraeliBenjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, was a British Prime Minister, parliamentarian, Conservative statesman and literary figure. He served in government for three decades, twice as Prime Minister. A teenage convert to Anglicanism, he was nonetheless the country's first and thus...
quote for the waiting press: "Never complain, never explain."
Hayes was one of many who wrote a biography of Henry Ford II, writing "
Henry: a memoir of Henry Ford II (1990)" in which he commented that Ford treated "housemaids and hotel maids and secretaries and drivers and the people in the plants like dukes and duchesses".
Hayes returned to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
as vice-president of Ford of Europe, and became vice-chairman in 1976. In 1980 he was made a vice-president of the American parent under new Ford chairman
Philip CaldwellPhilip Caldwell , the first person to run the Ford Motor Company who was not a member of the Ford family, orchestrated one of the most dramatically successful turnarounds in business history....
, and moved to
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
to head public affairs for the Corporation. He launched new motorsports initiatives there, including the
IMSAThe International Motor Sports Association is an American auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
GTPIMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
projects. Hayes was appointed
CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to the motor industry in 1982.
Retirement?
When Caldwell retired, Hayes returned to Britain as vice chairman of Ford of Europe. In 1989, Hayes was instrumental in setting up the
Premier Automotive GroupThe Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the business operations of Volvo Cars.Previously, PAG was responsible for Lincoln, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mercury and Land Rover; Lincoln and Mercury were taken back into Ford direct control, and Aston Martin was...
, when he agreed with a now English-homed Henry Ford II to purchase
AC CarsAC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
, then a stake in
Aston MartinAston 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 BuckinghamshireFrom 1994 until 2007...
, and then Jaguar Cars.
Hayes retired from Ford of Europe in December 1989.
Aston Martin
Victor GauntlettMalcolm Victor Gauntlett was an English petrochemical entrepreneur and car enthusiast, best known for forming the largest independent petrol retail business in the United Kingdom, and for reviving Aston Martin.-Biography:...
, the man behind the revival of
Aston MartinAston 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 BuckinghamshireFrom 1994 until 2007...
in the 1980s, had realised that to ensure both the survival of the company and the delivery of new models the company needed volume.
In May 1987, former RAF pilot Gauntlett and
Prince Michael of KentPrince Michael of Kent is a member of the British Royal Family and a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary....
were staying at the home of Contessa Maggi, the wife of the founder of the original
Mille MigliaThe Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
, while watching the revival event - another house guest was Hayes. Despite problems over the previous acquisition of
AC CarsAC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
, Hayes saw the potential of the brand and the discussion resulted in Ford taking a share holding in September 1987.
Although Gauntlett was contractually to stay as chairman for two years, his racing interests took Aston back into sports car racing in 1989 with limited European success. However, with engine rule changes for the 1990 season and the launch of the new
Aston Martin VolanteVolante is the name given to Aston Martin convertible models from the DB5-Based Short Chassis Volante. They include:*Short Chassis Volante*DB6 Volante*V8 Vantage Volante*V8 Volante *DB7 Volante*DB9 Volante...
model, Ford provided the limited supply of
CosworthCosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...
engines to the Jaguar cars racing team. As the
"small Aston"The Aston Martin DB7 is a grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003. The grand tourer was available either as a coupé or a convertible. The prototype was complete by November 1992, and debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1993. The six-cylinder DB7 was positioned...
would require a large engineering input, Ford agreed to take full control of Aston Martin, and Gauntlett handed over the company chairmanship to Hayes in 1991.
Ever driven by PR, Hayes first move was to shrewdly appointed the industrialist
Sir David BrownSir David Brown was an English entrepreneur, managing director of his family firm David Brown Limited and one time owner of shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft.-Early life and David Brown Ltd.:...
, an enthusiastic backer of Aston Martin in its post-war glory days, as honorary life president - a small move that nonetheless did wonders for Aston's image among its heritage-conscious customers. In 1992, the Vantage version was announced, and the following year the company renewed the DB range by announcing the
Jaguar XJSThe Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar. The XJ-S replaced the legendary E-Type in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It had been developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor...
based,
Tom WalkinshawTom Walkinshaw is a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing . He is also involved in professional rugby union as a club owner and administrator-Racing career:Walkinshaw began racing in 1968, starting in an MG Midget, before moving on to a Lotus Formula...
's
TWR GroupTWR may mean:*Tom Walkinshaw Racing*Trans World Radio*Traveling Wave Reactor*Children's magazine The Weekly Reader*Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit...
engineered
"small Aston"/DB7The Aston Martin DB7 is a grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003. The grand tourer was available either as a coupé or a convertible. The prototype was complete by November 1992, and debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1993. The six-cylinder DB7 was positioned...
- which ensured survival by boosting production by 500%. Ford substantially invested in new manufacturing and quickly ramped-up production. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road in
BloxhamBloxham is a village and civil parish in northern Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds, southwest of Banbury.-Early settlement:Under Roman rule between the 1st century and 5th century there were several farms and a burial site in the Bloxham area....
, after which Hayes retired again.
Death
Hayes became a regular on the lecture circuit, and indulged his passion for classic car racing. Hayes activities supported the Aston Martin Owners Club Club's Trust and the
Brooklands TrustBrooklands was a 2.75 miles motor racing circuit and airfield built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue. The circuit hosted its last race in 1939, and was also one of Britain's first airfields...
, both of which Hayes was instrumental in founding and supporting. With Ford, which sponsored its first exhibition, Hayes was a key backer of the
Victoria and Albert museumThe Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it was founded in 1852, and has since grown to now cover some and 145 galleries...
's Boilerhouse exhibitions and the later
Design MuseumThe Design Museum is a museum by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design...
on London's South Bank.
However, his health had suffered, and on
Boxing DayBoxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population...
2000 Hayes died from
lung cancerLung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas of the lung, derived from epithelial cells...
at the London Independent Hospital. He left a wife, two sons and a daughter.
After Hayes death, the
British Racing Drivers' ClubThe British Racing Drivers' Club is a membership body that represents the interests of professional racing drivers from the United Kingdom. It was founded in April 1928 by Dr. J...
(BRDC) created the "Walter Hayes Trophy" for
Formula Ford 1600Formula Ford 1600 is a number of championships which cater to 1600cc, Ford Kent powered Formula Ford racing cars. These are cars which were disbanded when the UK national Formula Ford category adopted the 1800cc Zetec engines in 1994...
cars.
Quotations
- "'That engine was literally done by Keith Duckworth, and he designed all the test rigs for it, too. And he allowed me to spend £100,000 in instalments. I think we should recognise it as a kind of foundation point in our life when we in a sense established this country - in an international fashion, not a silly flag-waving fashion - as the place where you go to have motor racing cars and engines made." Hayes to journalist John Blunsden at the 1997 30th birthday party of the DFV at Donington Park
Donington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it is leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd from owner Tom Wheatcroft. Used as a motor racing track, it is also the venue for the Download Festival...
- "It was a fair old gesture of confidence on my part. I hadn't been with the company all that amount of time, and I sort of hung my career on the line with that engine. In fact, I stuck my neck out a million miles. I must say, though, that frankly it never occurred to me that Keith's engine would be anything other than a tremendous success. He'd had such a good record all along, and we knew where he'd been." Hayes to journalist John Blunsden at the 1997 30th birthday party of the DFV at Donington Park
Donington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it is leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd from owner Tom Wheatcroft. Used as a motor racing track, it is also the venue for the Download Festival...
- "A man who had an unconventional approach, yet an outstandingly mature man." Stuart Turner, who had followed Hayes footsteps in leaving journalism for an industry role
- "He was always a gentleman of great dignity and style, and had this tremendous peripheral vision. He was involved in many prestigious charities and trusts, about which he rarely spoke, and besides being a great writer was probably the greatest public relations officer that the motor industry has ever had." Jackie Stewart on hearing of death of Hayes