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William Towns

{{Short description|British car designer (1936–1993)}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}

{{Infobox person

| name = William Towns

| image = Hustler 4 1979.jpg

| alt =

| caption = 1979 Hustler. William Towns is behind the car, facing the camera

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1936

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death year and age|1993|1936}}

| death_place Compton Verney=

| nationality = British

| other_names =

| occupation = Engineer, designer

| years_active = 1954–1993

| known_for = Automotive design

| notable_works = Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin Lagonda
Rover-BRM

| spouse = Elizabeth Percival

}}

William Towns (1936–1993) also known as Bill Towns, was a British car designer, most known for his designs for Aston Martin, including the 1967 DBS, as well as the futuristic and angular Mk.II Lagonda and Bulldog concept car.

Design career

Towns began his training as a designer at Rootes in 1954, where he was mainly involved in the styling of seats and door handles. Later he was also involved with the styling of their Hillman Hunter. He moved to Rover in 1963 and worked there for David Bache and designed the body of the Rover-BRM gas turbine Le Mans car. In 1966, he left Rover to join Aston Martin as a seat designer. In 1967 he was asked to design the body for the new DBS.{{cite web | url=https://www.astonmartin.com/models/past-models/dbs | title=DBS }} In 1976 he designed the Aston Martin Lagonda luxury sedan.{{cite web

|title=Feature: Aston Martin Lagonda

|date=9 March 2006

|url=http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/feature/feature/171/3

|publisher=Channel 4

}}

He left Aston Martin in 1977 for more remunerative industrial design work, setting up his own design studio, Interstyl.{{cite web |last1=Vaughan |first1=Adam |title=This Humble Kit Car Has Exotic Roots |url=http://www.motorism.co/?p=65 |website=Motorism |accessdate=19 April 2019 |date=12 May 2017}} As a freelance designer, he worked on the Jensen-Healey, the successful Hustler kit-car, the Reliant SS2 and the short-lived Railton F28/F29.Interview with Towns, 'Wheels' series, Thames Television, 1980s. Published on YouTube 14 April 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLPSbYw8cro

Death

Towns died at the age of 56 from cancer in June 1993 at his home in Compton Verney, Warwickshire.

Car collection

Until July 2005, his own cars were on display at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, UK.{{cite news

|title=Honest John's Agony column: Home Towns

|date=18 June 2005

|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/06/18/mrjon18.xml

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114031550/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/06/18/mrjon18.xml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=14 January 2013

|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph

}}

Gallery

File:AstonMartinDB-S-1969-flanc.jpg| 1969 Aston Martin DBS

File:Minissima_1972.jpg|1972 Minissima

Image:Microdot 1976.jpg|1976 Microdot

File:1979 Aston Martin Bulldog.jpg|1979 Aston Martin Bulldog concept

File:1984 Aston Martin Lagonda (11720661564).jpg|1984 Aston Martin Lagonda

File:AstonMartinLagonda-interior.jpg|Lagonda S.2 interior design

Cars designed by Towns

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • [http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/facts-and-figures/the-converters/the-converters-william-towns/ Biography]
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLPSbYw8cro Interview with William Towns on Wheels TV programme]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Towns, William}}

Category:1993 deaths

Category:British automobile designers

Category:1936 births

Category:People from Moreton-in-Marsh

Category:Deaths from cancer in England

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