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Malcolm Sayer
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Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Gilbert Sayer (21 May 1916 – 22 April 1970) was a British aircraft engineer during wartime and later automotive aerodynamist and designer. His most notable aerodynamic work was the engineering body development and design of the E-Type Jaguar and early style guidelines for Jaguar XJS. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aircraft streamlining and aerodynamic function to cars.
Sayer was born in Cromer, Norfolk. He was educated at Great Yarmouth Grammar School (where his father taught an unusual combination of Maths and Art). At age 17 he won the prestigious Empire Scholarship and attended at Loughborough College (later Loughborough University) in its Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, earning first class honours.
He worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company during the Second World War, which exempted him from conscription by way of reserved occupation protection.
Sayer travelled to Iraq in 1948 to work at Baghdad University where he was to establish the Faculty of Engineering, which on arrival he found not to be a realistic venture. While in Iraq he reportedly met a German professor who helped him recognise the mathematical relationship to curve shapes and identity. He worked instead maintaining the fleet of government vehicles. He returned to the UK in late 1950.
Sayer applied for an engineering position at Jaguar. He was interviewed by William Heynes (Chief Engineer (1935) and Technical Director (1946)) who recognised Sayer's aerodynamic mathematical approach, having also been involved during wartime with aircraft production and was familiar with aircraft fuselage alloy construction. Sayer started work at Jaguar Cars Engineering drawing office in early 1951. He described himself as an aerodynamicist – he loathed the term 'stylist', saying he was an aerodynamicist, not a hairdresser.
His aerodynamic work at Jaguar concentrated on racing car air flow design. He designed the competition cars during the 1950s:
His prime concern was that a car body 'worked' both aerodynamically and visually. Some of his particular contributions were the introduction of slide rule and seven-figure log tables to work out formulae he invented for drawing curves, work which is now undertaken by complex Computer Aided Design software.
Sayer's first contribution for a sports racing Jaguar was successful and the C-Type won Le Mans in 1951 and 1953. (Sayer's 1952 long tail with lower frontal nose was not successful) He was responsible for the general layout, body and frame of the C-Type,. The C-Type has been lauded for its beauty and is still considered one of the world's most desirable car models.
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Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Gilbert Sayer (21 May 1916 – 22 April 1970) was a British aircraft engineer during wartime and later automotive aerodynamist and designer. His most notable aerodynamic work was the engineering body development and design of the E-Type Jaguar and early style guidelines for Jaguar XJS. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aircraft streamlining and aerodynamic function to cars.
Sayer was born in Cromer, Norfolk. He was educated at Great Yarmouth Grammar School (where his father taught an unusual combination of Maths and Art). At age 17 he won the prestigious Empire Scholarship and attended at Loughborough College (later Loughborough University) in its Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, earning first class honours.
He worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company during the Second World War, which exempted him from conscription by way of reserved occupation protection.
Sayer travelled to Iraq in 1948 to work at Baghdad University where he was to establish the Faculty of Engineering, which on arrival he found not to be a realistic venture. While in Iraq he reportedly met a German professor who helped him recognise the mathematical relationship to curve shapes and identity. He worked instead maintaining the fleet of government vehicles. He returned to the UK in late 1950.
Sayer applied for an engineering position at Jaguar. He was interviewed by William Heynes (Chief Engineer (1935) and Technical Director (1946)) who recognised Sayer's aerodynamic mathematical approach, having also been involved during wartime with aircraft production and was familiar with aircraft fuselage alloy construction. Sayer started work at Jaguar Cars Engineering drawing office in early 1951. He described himself as an aerodynamicist – he loathed the term 'stylist', saying he was an aerodynamicist, not a hairdresser.
His aerodynamic work at Jaguar concentrated on racing car air flow design. He designed the competition cars during the 1950s:
His prime concern was that a car body 'worked' both aerodynamically and visually. Some of his particular contributions were the introduction of slide rule and seven-figure log tables to work out formulae he invented for drawing curves, work which is now undertaken by complex Computer Aided Design software.
Sayer's first contribution for a sports racing Jaguar was successful and the C-Type won Le Mans in 1951 and 1953. (Sayer's 1952 long tail with lower frontal nose was not successful) He was responsible for the general layout, body and frame of the C-Type,. The C-Type has been lauded for its beauty and is still considered one of the world's most desirable car models.
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