Bugatti lecture to focus on a distinguished life in the motor industry

Feb. 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Professor James Randle has had a long and distinguished career in the motor industry. He worked for Jaguar Cars for 27 years, 14 of which were spent as the director of engineering.

On Thursday 3 March, Professor Randle will be delivering the Bugatti Lecture talking about his early career as an apprentice, focusing on the motor industry and looking at the story of British Leyland in the post war years.

Professor Randle was closely involved with the development of the Series III E-type Jaguar and designed the suspension for its successor, the XJS.

Jaguar also patented his design for the inboard brakes on the XJ series.

One of his most famous projects was the Jaguar XJ220, a limited production hypercar which was designed to feel at home both on the road and the racetrack.

Professor Randle was also the chief engineer of the XJ40. He developed the automatic gearbox operation known as the J-gate, which was subsequently nicknamed the ‘Randle Handle’.

The Bugatti lecture: ‘My Life in the Motor Industry’ is free to attend and takes place in the Goldstein Lecture Theatre in the Alan Berry Building at Coventry University (opposite Coventry Cathedral) at 6.30pm. Light refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.

Admission is by ticket only, so to reserve a place, go to www.coventry.ac.uk/events and click on the Bugatti Lecture 2011 on 3 March.

Details regarding parking, directions and campus maps can be found on the University’s website at www.coventry.ac.uk

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For further information, contact Ali Bushnell, External Press and Media Relations Officer on 024 7688 8245.

Note to editors:
The Bugatti Lecture
Coventry University has long established links with the charitable foundation the Bugatti Trust.
Members of the Trust have been impressed by the work of Coventry University students for many years and already sponsor individual student prizes at the final year degree show. The sponsorship of the Bugatti Building also extends to provision of a prestigious Bugatti Lecture series based at the University.
The Bugatti Trust

The Bugatti Trust is a registered charity dedicated to the preservation and study of the works of Ettore Bugatti. A key aim is to encourage research into his works and raise awareness of the importance of integrated design in engineering.

For more information about The Bugatti Trust go to www.bugatti-trust.co.uk

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