Roy Lunn
| Roy Lunn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 (age 91–92) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Automotive engineer |
| Years active | 1946 - 1987 |
| Employer | |
| Notable work | |
| Awards | Society of Automotive Engineers Fellow |
Roy Lunn (born 1925) is an engineer in the automotive industry. He has forty-one years in the design development and production of vehicles and most notably served as the head of engineering at American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1971 to 1987.
Roy Lunn was educated in England with degrees in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. Lunn was in the Royal Air Force for two years as a pilot. Trained as a jig and a toolmaker and designer, he entered the auto industry in 1946 when AC Cars hired Lunn as a designer. After one year, he moved to Aston Martin as the assistant chief designer and was responsible for the DB2 program. He joined Jowett in 1949 as chief designer and was involved in a variety of projects, including the first plastic-bodied car. Lunn also participated in automobile races. He was the co-driver with Marcel Becquart, winning the 1952 RAC International Rally.
In 1953, Lunn joined Ford Motor Company in England and was assigned the task of starting a new Research Center in Birmingham. This center made the first prototype of what became the 105-E Anglia. Lunn transferred to Ford plant in Dagenham as the car’s product planning manager to follow the 105-E into mass production.
He emigrated to the United States in 1958 and became manager of the Ford Advanced Vehicle center. He participated in the development of a 170,000-pound (77,111 kg) gross vehicle weight rating highway truck, as well as the Cardinal, Ford’s first front-wheel drive automobile that became the 15-M Taunus.
In 1962, Lunn became a U.S. citizen. In 1962, Lunn and his team of engineers developed a two-seat Ford Mustang I prototype in just 100 days. He was also put on a special assignment to design and develop a GT racing car along with Ray Geddes and Donald N. Frey. Ford's CEO, Henry Ford II, conceived this racing program after his attempt to purchase Ferrari collapsed. In 1963, under the direction of Lunn, work began on an all-new racecar, loosely based on the Lola GT. In April 1964, the Ford GT40 was presented to the press for the first time.
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