Maurice Philippe
Maurice Philippe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 April 1932 Tooting, London, England |
| Died | 5 June 1989 (aged 57) |
| Occupation | Designer |
| Known for | Aircraft and Formula One racing car design |
Maurice Philippe (30 April 1932 – 5 June 1989) was a British designer renowned for his work on aircraft and Formula One racing cars.
Early life and career
Philippe was born in Tooting and received his education at the Latymer School located in Hammersmith. He started his professional journey as an apprentice at De Havilland, where he contributed to the development of the Comet 4 aircraft. Among De Havilland's engineering team were enthusiasts of motor racing such as Brian Hart and Frank Costin. As an active member of the 750 Motor Club, Philippe created his inaugural vehicle in 1955, named the MPS (Maurice Philippe Special). Subsequently, he collaborated with Hart to construct a front-engined Formula Junior car.
Motor racing
During the years 1963 to 1964, Philippe competed behind the wheel of a Lotus 7. His talents caught the attention of Colin Chapman, who brought him into Team Lotus in 1965. There, Philippe undertook a redesign of the Lotus 39 and played a pivotal role in designing influential models such as the Lotus 43, the legendary Lotus 49, the gas turbine-powered Lotus 56 for IndyCar racing, and the groundbreaking Lotus 72 introduced in 1970.
In 1972, Philippe transitioned from Lotus to join the USAC team led by Parnelli Jones in America. His efforts contributed to securing three United States Auto Club Championships along with 53 Indy car victories, achieved with drivers including Al Unser Sr, Joe Leonard, and Mario Andretti. Additionally, he was responsible for designing the Cosworth-Parnelli VPJ4 Formula One car, which Andretti drove during the season.
Philippe assumed the role of chief designer at Tyrrell Racing in 1978. Under his design leadership, the Tyrrell 008 secured fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. The following year saw the introduction of the ground-effect Tyrrell 009, which earned four third-place finishes during its campaign. The Tyrrell 010, launched in 1980, remained competitive through the 1981 season until Philippe was replaced by Harvey Postlethwaite.
In 1988, Philippe joined forces with March Engineering to develop their IndyCar entry, the March 89CE, which was powered by an engine from Alfa Romeo.
Death
On 5 June 1989, Maurice Philippe died by suicide.