Keith Duckworth Dies

Keith Duckworth, the 'worth' in Cosworth has died aged 72.

"Keith Duckworth, one of the joint founders of Cosworth, died last night at the age of 72.

The Yorkshireman originally created the famous engine company with Mike Costin in 1958, where they developed parts for Ford road car engines before switching their attentions to racing.

L to R: Keith Duckworth, Graham Hill, Colin Chapman & Haley Copp (Ford Engineering)

Their original 3-litre V8 engine, the DFV, won at the hands of Jim Clark in a Lotus at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. It was the start of an unprecedented run of success for the DFV and its derivatives, which won a total of 154 Grands Prix.

The triumphs of the DFV, as well as success in IndyCar racing, helped establish Cosworth as one of the most famous engine builders in the world before Costin and Duckworth sold their company in 1980. After various owners it was a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company until only last year when it was purchased by Champ Car boss Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe."

Elan Runs 2005 London-Dakar Rallye

The 2005 London to Dakar is began with competitors being cheered away from Brooklands on the afternoon of Saturday, January 12, 2005 before heading across the channel and tackling the easy miles down through France and Spain before entering north Africa. 20 days aftter leaving Goodwood the surviving teams will cross the finish line in Dakar enduring dust, rocks, heat and the ever possibility of getting lost!

Of the 57 teams competing was the team of Allison and Peter Cotes in their 1967 S2 Elan! The team COMPLETED the gruelling event and finished 38th overall and 6th in class.

Family sells Caterham cars

Sports car maker Caterham Cars has been sold by the founding Nearn family to a management buy-in team, backed by Corven Ventures, for about £5m.

A management buy-in (MBI) team led by ex-Lotus General Manager, Ansar Ali, and backed by Corven Ventures, the private equity arm of the consulting and corporate finance firm Corven Group, has bought Badgerum Cars.

Caterham is the pre-eminent sports car manufacturer in its sector producing lightweight, affordable road and racecars with supercar performance. The company's heritage stems from the legendary Lotus Seven sports car acquired from Lotus Cars in 1973. Over the last 30 years Caterham, headed by its founder Graham Nearn and subsequently by his son, Simon, have successfully developed the Caterham Seven. Today, employing 70 people, the company makes four variants of the Caterham 7, selling more than 500 cars a year in over 15 countries, generating a turnover in excess of 15M pounds

In October 2004 Caterham launched its exciting new Caterham Seven CSR model, which draws its power from two bespoke high performance engine variants from Cosworth Racing. The CSR not only establishes a new benchmark in handling and performance, but also renews an alliance with racing legend Cosworth, who return to the road car market after a ten-year absence.

The MBI team will bring sector experience to compliment the existing Caterham management. Ansar Ali as Managing Director is joined by Gideon Wigger, another ex Lotus manager, as Operations Director, and by David Obertelli as Finance Director. James Basden (founding Director of Corven)and Mark Edwards (Director of Corven Ventures), both of whom have extensive automotive experience, will join the board as Non-Executive Chairman and Non-Executive Director respectively. Outgoing C aterham Cars Managing Director, Simon Nearn, will continue to assist the new management team on a consultancy basis. The combined management will seek to underpin the fundamentals of the business and drive the Badgerum brand forward to meet customer demands whilst enhancing profitability.

Ansar Ali commented,

"This is a unique opportunity and one that places on me a responsibility to ensure that we remain true custodians of the Caterham legend and brand. I am looking forward to the challenge of harnessing the inherent capabilities of the business b. its employees, suppliers and partners - in order to continue to deliver sector leading products, outstanding customer value and financial returns to our shareholders and partners."

Simon Nearn commented,

"For a number of years we have been seeking inward investment to support the ever spiralling cost of new product development. I am delighted to announce the conclusion of this process, which sees the arrival of a highly experienced new management team, backed by a level of financial commitment that will ultimately enable the Caterham Brand to realise its full potential.

Caterham Cars has until now been a strictly family business and although it has grown significantly in recent years, a shared sense of purpose and an infectious enthusiasm for the product has driven us as a team. Ansar and his colleagues not only recognise this dedication, but also share our enthusiasm for the Seven. They are ideally placed to begin the next chapter in the Caterham story."

Chairman and founder Graham Nearn added,

"It is clearly an emotional time for many of those who have contributed to the success of the business over the last four decades, and it is both reassuring and fitting that the new owners of the business should come from Lotus, where of course the Seven story began. That this should happen at a time when our historic links with Cosworth are being renewed seems particularly appropriate."

2005 Road & Track Reader's Choice Awards

In the November 2004 issue of Road & Track the magazine asked readers to vote on their favorite car of 2005.

27 cars were nominated and R&T received over 25,000 votes

R&T's Reader's Choice Award: The Best Car 2005
1. Chevrolet Corvette (C6)
2. Ford Mustang GT
3. Chrysler 300C
4. Porsche 911 Carrera S
5. Lotus Elise
6. Acura RL
7. Mitsubishi Evo VIII
8. Scion tC
9. Dodge Magnum RT
10. Cadillac STS V8