Obituary

Obituary - Harry Webster

Apprenticed to the Standard Motor Company from 1932, Harry Webster rose to Engineering Director and became one of the most influential men in the British Motoring Industry. This tribute to him was published in the Daily Telegraph on Feb 9th. It is reproduced by kind permission of Graham Robson

HARRY WEBSTER, who died on February 6 aged 89, was a much admired and respected automotive engineer whose team inspired the birth of successful Triumph sports cars such as the TR2 family, the Spitfire and the Stag, and was also responsible for the Herald, Vitesse, 2000 and 1300 family car ranges; in the same period, he supported the building of special cars which raced successfully in the Le Mans 24-Hour race. Although all these cars have now become icons of the classic car movement, Webster always insisted that this was never the intention when they were designed. He once remarked: "Can you imagine a product planning proposal of the 1950s and 1960s saying that: 'Finally, in making this proposal, I expect to receive an avalanche of greetings on my 80th birthday'. After all, I was only doing my job."  Henry George Webster was born on May 27 1917, and educated at Welshpool County School. Aged 15 he was apprenticed to the Standard Motor Company in Coventry. After spending six years in Standard's aircraft engineering operation as an inspector during the Second World War, he returned to the chassis design department in Coventry in 1945 and rose rapidly through the ranks. By 1948 he was chief chassis engineer, and from 1952 was responsible for the design and refinement of the Triumph TR2 sports car which, along with its successors, was a great sporting, commercial and export success.

Having become director of engineering in 1957, Webster assembled an enthusiastic team which produced a series of charismatic new models to near impossible development schedules, even though investment finance was always very limited.

It was Webster who discovered the mercurial little Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti in 1957, signed him up as a consultant to Standard-Triumph and ensured that a new generation of Triumphs would have much more flair than their ancestors. Webster (a fast and enthusiastic driver) would often drive from

Coventry to Turin and back in a weekend to confer with Michelotti about future products. Because Webster was so successful with his new products, and could always convince his bosses (Alick Dick until 1961, Stanley Markland and Donald Stokes thereafter) of their worth, that generation of new Triumphs showed much innovation. In 1959 there were several types of new Herald, with a taxi-like turning circle. The 2000 saloon brought real refinement to the middle-class sector, while the TR5 was the first British sports car to have fuel injection as standard equipment. At the same time Webster's team produced TRS racing sports cars which won the Team Prize at Le Mans, and later developed sleek, very fast little Spitfires which also won their capacity classes at Le Mans. Webster was director of engineering at Standard-Triumph for more than a decade. After the formation of British Leyland he was moved to Longbridge to bring order to the faltering engineering operation at Austin-Morris.

But his six-year term was hampered by a lack of corporate vision and by industrial action, so in 1974 he moved on to become group technical director of automotive products in Leamington Spa. He retired in 1982, then was chairman of SKF Steel UK for five years.

A modest man, Webster was astonished to become an icon of classic car enthusiasts. Three years ago, when the two oldest TR2s of all were reunited, he was enormously proud to have them parked outside his house at Kenilworth for commemorative photographs to be taken.

So popular was he among his former colleagues at Standard-Triumph that a thriving appreciation society was founded in his honour.

He was appointed CBE in 1974.

Harry Webster married, in 1943, Peggy Sharp. She and their daughter predeceased him.

Graham Robson