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Britain's Greatest Test Driver, Norman Dewis Obe, Passes Away

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Britain's Greatest Test Driver, Norman Dewis Obe, Passes Away Jaguar Drivers Club A Jaguar Clubs of North America Affiliate July 2019 of Long Island 9 Frazer Court Greenlawn, NY 11740 BRITAIN’S GREATEST TEST DRIVER, NORMAN DEWIS OBE, PASSES AWAY President Mike Carroll [email protected] 516-607-6074 Vice President Quentin Nieman [email protected] 2nd Vice President Don Wolf [email protected] Concours Chairman Mike Carroll [email protected] Chief Judge Rich Mooers Originally posted on 10 June 2019 at jaguar.com (Whitley, Coventry – June 10, [email protected] 2019). The man responsible for The Legendary former Jaguar test developing some of the most iconic Membership driver and works racer, Norman Vlad Prutsky Dewis OBE, has passed away Jaguars ever, Norman Dewis OBE, [email protected] aged 98 has passed away aged 98. Over a 33 -year career with Jaguar, Dewis’ Treasurer Dewis was Britain’s greatest ever fearlessness, extraordinary talent and Graham Scaife test driver, having developed 25 friendly, humble demeanor helped [email protected] of the most significant Jaguars establish him not only as Britain’s ever over his 33-year career greatest ever test driver, but a Secretary veritable legend and a dedicated MaryAnn Dellinger Jaguar’s most famous models, friend to the Jaguar brand. [email protected] including the Le Mans 24 Hours- winning D-type as well as the Dewis’ history with Jaguar is Social Media Chairman iconic E-type, were honed with remarkable: he developed the multiple Eliud Custodio Dewis’ expertise Le Mans-winning C- and D-type racing [email protected] cars, the classic XK 140 and 150 Dewis also set a land speed sports cars, the pioneering 2.4/3.4 Board Directors record for Jaguar and competed and Mk 2 saloons, plus the Mk VII Ivan Scarborough with a D-type at Le Mans and and Mk VIIM models, the legendary E- Goodwood during the 1950s type (including the Lightweight E- Newletter Editor type), the XJ13 mid-engined prototype, Richard Scalice Even at 98, Dewis remained a the world-class XJ saloons, the XJ-S [email protected] and the ‘XJ40’ models. Each and global ambassador of Jaguar and an asset to the brand legacy he every model developed with Dewis’ Facebook page: helped to establish www.facebook.com/jdcli/ (Continued on page 2) help remains an icon of the automotive world to this day for its impeccable blend of comfort and handling. Unusually, Norman reported directly to Jaguar Chief Engineer, William Heynes; this arrangement was probably unique in the motor industry for a test engineer and it enabled the company’s chief engineer (later engineering director) instant, first-hand feedback on the proving process. Norman also sent copies of his reports to company founder Sir William Lyons. Both placed considerable store by what Norman said. Born in Coventry, Dewis began working on cars at age 14, fitting wings and bonnets at the Humber factory. At just 15 he moved to another car manufacturer, Armstrong Siddeley, where he spent time in the chassis department and first learned to drive while taking cars on their shakedown runs. During wartime, Dewis was drafted into the RAF, working the gun turret of a Blenheim bomber, and finally joined Jaguar after a post-war stint at Lea-Francis. Besides the many cars Dewis helped develop in his career, one of his first automotive projects is without doubt the one with the greatest effect on the automotive industry; the disc brake. Dewis became involved with Jaguar and Dunlop’s development of the revolutionary braking system, famously trialed in a C-type at the 1952 Mille Miglia with Sir Stirling Moss in the driving seat and Dewis navigating. Dewis also, in 1953, set a 172.412 mph production car speed record in a modified Jaguar XK120 on a closed section of the Jabbeke highway, Belgium. He also drove a 190mph works D-type in the dramatic 1955 Le Mans 24hr race with greats like Moss, Hawthorn and Fangio. Famed racing driver, Mike Hawthorn, had such faith in Dewis that when he was asked to attend a test session and saw that Dewis was already there, asked the team manager: “Why am I here? If Norman’s satisfied with it, I’m satisfied.” And so it was, through a mutual respect and an instant likeability, that Dewis struck up life-long friendships with the likes of Hawthorn, Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart. Outside of racing car development, Dewis is also famous for his legendary night-time dash from Coventry to the Geneva Motor Show in 1961 for the launch of the Jaguar E-type. Covering roughly 700 miles in another E-type sourced from the factory for the for press demonstration runs, Dewis arrived roughly 15 hours later having not stopped once (aside from fuel) – hugely impressive at a time when there were no motorways. In an era without seatbelts or crash safety, Dewis was fearless. In total, it’s estimated he completed more than a million test miles at an average speed of 100mph-plus, with a number of heroic anecdotes as a result. Whether it was the D-type that flipped and landed on top of him while testing glass fibre panels or the XJ-13 that rolled end over end during a high-speed run, Dewis managed to walk away without a scratch, didn’t tell his wife and then was back to work the next day. In the years before his retirement Norman built up a small but highly dedicated vehicle proving department which he headed until his retirement in 1985. He also oversaw the establishment of a dedicated Jaguar test facility at Nardo in Italy and, in 1984, a major base at Phoenix, Arizona for durability and environmental testing in the all-important United States market. Even outside of retirement – and in more recent times – Dewis spearheaded Jaguar’s 60th anniversary celebrations for the race-winning D-type. Wherever Jaguar was during the year, Norman was present too, chatting with fans and friends, wearing his distinctive bootlace tie and cowboy boots. At the 2014 Goodwood Revival, Dewis – aged 93 – demonstrated a D-type, his speed illustrating that he hadn’t lost his touch behind the wheel. Dewis then consulted with the Jaguar Classic Works on the launch of the continuation Lightweight E-type, a car that he originally helped develop in the 1960s. To his 98th year, Dewis continued to be a global ambassador to Jaguar cars and a great friend to the brand. In recognition of his services to Jaguar and the British motor industry, in 2014 Norman received the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer said: “Today is an enormously sad day for the Jaguar brand, Jaguar fans worldwide, and for me personally. Putting Norman’s hugely decorated career aside, his friendly nature, captivating storytelling and unbridled enthusiasm made him exactly the kind of man you couldn’t help but want to spend time with – he will be sorely missed. “The Jaguar brand is synonymous with a number of big personalities; the founder, Sir William Lyons, the great designer, Malcolm Sayer, innovative engineer, Bill Heynes, and – of course – the great test driver, Norman Dewis. Norman’s name will quite rightly go down in Jaguar history; without his contribution to the brand during his 33-year career, or as a global ambassador in his later years, Jaguar just wouldn’t be the same. So, I hope the world will join me and everyone associated with Jaguar Land Rover in saying: thank you, Norman.” It is a shame that we will no longer witness Norman’s 100th birthday wish – he promised his many Jaguar fans and friends from around the world that he would drive the C-type to 100 mph to celebrate his 100 years and love of the brand. Norman with his trustee Jaguar ‘leaper’ walking stick would have done it in style, with a cheeky smile. Norman Dewis’ Career Highlights Began work at Humber in 1935, then Armstrong Siddeley from 1935 - 1939 Served during WW2 as an air gunner in the RAF, later in the Aeronautical Inspectorate Directorate Worked for Lea-Francis, Coventry 1945 - 1951, becoming head of road test Joined Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry 1st January 1952 as chief test development driver reporting directly to William Munger Heynes, Jaguar's chief engineer Did the vast majority of high-speed durability testing of the D-type Jaguar from 1954, this car winning Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Drove a works long-nose D-type in the 1955 Le Mans race but failed to finish after his co-driver crashed During the late 1950s worked closely with Jaguar engineers developing road Jaguars including XK 140 and 150, 2.4 and 3.4 saloons, and the Mark 2 saloon. Also the E-type Jaguar launched in March 1961 Carried out test development work on the new mid-engined Jaguar Le Mans car, XJ13, 1966-67 Played a key role developing the XJ6 of 1968 which set new standards for luxury saloon cars – Sir Alec Issigonis called it ‘the best car in the world’ Having established a vehicle proving department during the 1960s, Norman went on to oversee the proving of the new XJ6 (XJ40) in the early 1980s, the last model he was associated with at Jaguar Retired in 1985 but in the mid-1990s embarked on a series of lecture tours and guest attendances at many significant events in the UK (Goodwood Festival and Revival meetings), the United States (Pebble Beach), Europe and Australasia. This continued into 2018 In 2014 received the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to Jaguar and the British Motor Industry Events in Grey letters are nearby events that members can attend if desired.
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