Rod Mansfield
John Roderick Mansfield (born 29 May 1934)[1] is a British engineer and business executive, influencing British motorsport, and ultimately many British boy racers.
Early life
[edit]He belonged to the 750 Motor Club.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/1987_Ford_Sierra_RS500_Cosworth_Group_A_-_Allan_Moffat_Bathurst_%285061454124%29.jpg/220px-1987_Ford_Sierra_RS500_Cosworth_Group_A_-_Allan_Moffat_Bathurst_%285061454124%29.jpg)
Career
[edit]Ford
[edit]He created the Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) department at the Dunton Technical Centre in Essex in 1980,[2] and ran it until 1990. It produced the more-powerful roadworthy versions of the Ford Sierra.[3]
Dieter Hahne took over the department in January 1991; he had been manager of the Medium Cars programme for Ford.[4]
Lotus
[edit]He became Managing Director of Lotus Cars on 14 August 1995, when Lotus was owned by Bugatti, who had bought the company from General Motors in 1993.[5] He left Lotus in February 1996.[6] Group Lotus employed around 900 people at its Norfolk factory.
Personal life
[edit]He lives in Little Burstead in Essex. He married Valerie Jones in 1958 in Surrey.
References
[edit]- ^ Companies House
- ^ Ford of Europe
- ^ Independent October 1995
- ^ Cambridge Weekly News Thursday 24 January 1991, page 25
- ^ Independent October 1995
- ^ Autonews 1996