Michel Têtu
Michel Têtu | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1941 Châteauroux, Indre, France |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, automobile designer |
| Known for | Designing racing sports cars and Formula 1 cars for Ligier, Alfa Romeo, and Renault |
Michel Têtu, born on 6 August 1941, is a distinguished French engineer recognized for his work in designing racing sports cars and Formula 1 (F1) vehicles for manufacturers such as Ligier, Alfa Romeo, and Renault.
Early years
Originating from Châteauroux in the Indre region of France, Têtu completed his education at l'École des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Conception Automobile (ETACA), which later became ESTACA. He also pursued studies with the Société des ingénieurs de l'automobile (SIA).
Career
Têtu launched his professional journey at Automobiles CD between 1963 and 1968, where he contributed to the development of Le Mans vehicles including the Panhard CD LM64 and the Peugeot-powered SP66.
In 1969, he joined Ligier, where he was responsible for designing the initial Ligier JS1 sports coupé, followed by the racing barquette JS3 and the sports coupé JS2.
Subsequently, he moved to Alfa Romeo's Autodelta division, providing aerodynamic consultancy on the T33/2 Daytona coupé. By 1972, he was heading the development of the eight-cylinder Tipo 33 series and created the Alfa Tipo 33 TT 12 that secured the 1975 World Championship for Makes.
In 1976, Gérard Larrousse brought Têtu into Renault Sport at Dieppe. There, he served as lead engineer on Projet 822, which evolved into the Renault 5 Turbo. He also engineered rally variants of the Alpine A310 and Renault 5 Alpine Group 2 cars, which earned podium placements at the 1978 Monte Carlo Rally.
During the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, Têtu acted as race engineer for the victorious Renault Alpine A442 team.
Later that year, he committed full-time to Renault’s Formula 1 squad, designing their pioneering ground effect F1 vehicle, the RE10 (RS10). Piloted by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and René Arnoux, it became the first turbocharged F1 car to win a Grand Prix. Têtu went on to design subsequent models including the RE20, RE30, RE40, and RE50 before departing Renault in 1984.
Returning to Ligier in 1985, he developed the JS27 and JS29 cars. After the disappointing performance of the JS31 in 1988 led to his dismissal, he joined Larrousse F1 until 1994. Later, he rejoined Ligier Automobiles to work on microcars ("voitures sans-permis") that can be driven without a license in France.
Following his time at Larrousse, Têtu provided consultancy to race car manufacturer Mygale; their MT01 Formula Ford chassis bore his initials.
Formula 1 designs
- Renault RS10
- Renault RE20
- Renault RE20B
- Renault RE30
- Renault RE30B
- Renault RE30C
- Renault RE40
- Renault RE50
- Ligier JS27
- Ligier JS29
- Ligier JS29B
- Ligier JS29C
- Ligier JS31[1]
- Venturi Larrousse LC92
- Larrousse LH93
- Larrousse LH94
- Larrousse LH95
Other automobile designs
Personal life
Têtu held the position of president at the Club Ligier JS2 of France.[2]
Further reading
- Saga : Michel Tetu, 2è Partie : A310 V6 GrV & Rallycross, Berlinette, June–July 2007 (French)
- Tétu, Michel, Le Début de l'Aventure Renault 5 Turbo… 30 Ans Après, Renault Histoire, July 2008, pp. 119–144 (French)
- Jenkins, Richard, Michel Tetu, www.oldracingcars.com, 9 January 2017
External links
- Michel TETU advocates for the Circuit de Charade, www.pour-charade.fr (in French)
- Biography — Michel Tetu, www.grandprix.com
- Michel Tetu’s profile, restoremania.motards.net (in French)
- Designer spotlight — Michel Tetu, www.chicanef1.com