19 replies to this topic

[elansprint72]

I just heard that Ron Hickman has passed away.

[kayemod]

I just heard that Ron Hickman has passed away.

A very nice bloke, and a very talented one. He made much of his fortune from successfully sueing companies, many of them in the Far East, who illegally copied his Workmate concept, which he had the foresight to protect with patents that covered every loophole. I think he made far more millions in this way than he ever did from the Workmate itself, though his original royalties deal with Black and Decker when he sold the design to them, was a major contributor to the Hickman coffers. I last saw him many years ago, driving his SJ Duesenburg along the seafront in St Helier, where he was effectively a tax exile. RIP Ron, now he'll be able to continue his occasionally heated discussions with Colin Chapman, assuming that both of them end up in the same place of course.

[Mistron]

The news on the radio ruined my drive home. Sad that another link to the past is gone.

[Bloggsworth]

A very nice bloke, and a very talented one. He made much of his fortune from successfully sueing companies...

No, he demanded royalties on things that he held patents and copyrights on, when they didn't pay, he went to court.

Ron Hickman was the sort of designer who would be headhunted by any major corporation with an ounce of common sense. His genius was his practicality, he designed things which could be made for a sensible cost and which were eminently marketable, a perfect combination. RIP.

[kayemod]

No, he demanded royalties on things that he held patents and copyrights on, when they didn't pay, he went to court.

Maybe, but Ron's version was that in most cases, those on the receiving end hadn't even asked permission in the first place, usually because they thought they'd been clever enough to work around his patents. He always said that the most important thing for any inventor to get right was finding the best patent draughtsman/lawyer, but no matter, it all comes under the general heading of 'Patent Infringment'.

[elansprint72]

In a most enjoyable discussion with Ron and the late Peter Cambridge at Donington a while back, Ron told us how he had developed a career as a patent infringement specialist-witness and was globe-trotting in this role, being wined and dined in the best hotels!
Incidentally, I think that the "Duesenburg" might have been his 1931 dual-phaeton V16 Caddy.

Edited by elansprint72, 17 February 2011 - 21:37.

[RTH]

On radio 5 this morning they said Stanley tools turned down the workmate telling Ron Hickman it could only ever sell a few dozen.

It sold 60 million in various forms and models ( maybe not all official ) over 40 plus years

[Paul Rochdale]

I met Ron Hickman briefly a few years ago at the funeral of his good friend Richard Parker who had designed both the Rochdale GT and Olympic. Richard left Rochdale Motor Panels in about 1962 and went to work for Colin Chapman at Lotus where he and Ron became firm friends. Knowing he was seriously ill, Richard, Ron and their wives travelled to Russia where they had a joint liking of Russian choral music. A nice man and like probably everybody on here, I also have a Workmate, 35yrs old and still going strong.

[David Birchall]

Didn't I read on this forum a couple of years ago that Ron Hickman's patent wording for the B&D Workmate was so clever and all encompassing that there is no room for anyone to copy it. The patent is used as an example of how a patent should be written by law schools I recall reading.

[M bennett]

We were able to entice Ron Hickman OBE and his wife Helen to Adelaide to be the guest of honour at the bi-annual national Lotus meeting during Easter 2007. We had discovered that Derek Jolly, as the Australian Lotus importer, during one of his visits to the Lotus factory had sat down and recorded a formal interview with Ron Hickman. The interview was conducted on Feb 7th 1963. At this time Ron was the leading design/development engineer at Lotus having completed the Elite and having just launched the Elan. The interview covered Ron's life from his arrival in the UK through his time at Ford and Lotus.
The tape had remained untouched in Derek's care. We were able to play the tape to Ron and Helen during the opening dinner and present him with a CD copy of the recording. Ron did not even remember recording the interview and needless to say was delighted at the surprise of hearing his voice from 44 years earlier.
During the judging of the Lotus cars concours we also had Ron judge a Workmate concours, a few immaculate early alloy examples were presented, some even had the original instruction manuals.
It was a great thrill to spend the Easter weekend with Ron and Helen, he drove some laps of Mallala and did some runs up Collingrove as well as driving my Elan around the Adelaide Hills.
Certainly a leader in the halcyon days of Lotus when a "can-do" attitude was essential.
Ron will be fondly remembered by all who met him that weekend.

Mike B Adelaide

[Robin Fairservice]

Here is an Obituary for Ron from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian....ickman-obituary

[kayemod]

I'm a bit late mentioning this, but a very good full-page obituary for Ron appeared in The Times last Saturday, clearly written by someone who knew him, there were no errors as far as I could see, which is not always the case with these things. I can't add a link as their website is subscriber only, I buy the paper and think they get enough out of me that way, I'm too mean to subscribe to their site as well.

[Tony Matthews]

Here is an Obituary for Ron from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian....ickman-obituary

"As well as devising the car's famous vacuum-operated pop-up headlamps and its distinctive bumpers..." (From the Guardian article, so copyright..)

I was under the impression that the Elan bumpers were ex-Ford Anglia. Am I wrong? I met Ron several times when Jim Allington and I, as an apprentice, made frequent trips to Cheshunt. Nice man. I'm also on my third Workmate, this one modified with a larger work surface and large-section aluminium angle screwed underneath to extend thhe gripping depth of the jaws. I hope he would have approved.

[David Birchall]

Tony, you are thinking of the Elite. The Elan just had simple fg bumpers.

[kayemod]

Tony, you are thinking of the Elite. The Elan just had simple fg bumpers.

Partly right, the Elite had dinky little chromed quarter bumbers with a chrome grille surround, and the Elan had moulded plastic ones, but the Elan+2, which is probably what Tony was thinking of, used an inverted Ford 105E bumper. A replacement for that would be rather cheaper from your local Ford dealer than it would have been from the Lotus parts department, as was also the case with the myriad other bought-in components on all Loti of that era.

[Tony Matthews]

... but the Elan+2, which is probably what Tony was thinking of, used an inverted Ford 105E bumper.

Thanks Rob, you are right, the Elan +2 was what Tony was thinking of.

[elansprint72]

Such a shame that the Guardian chose Martin Buckley to cobble together one of his re-gurgitations of other writers previous mistakes; that's what passes for journalism so often in the classic car magazines these days. Ron deserved better.

[Mistron]

Did Mr Buckley manage to write something without comparing lots of '70s / '80s Italian 'luxo-barges'? hard to see how these would fit into the Ron Hickman story, but I'm sure he'd manage.

If he didn't, I am surprised..........

[David Birchall]

Thanks Rob, you are right, the Elan +2 was what Tony was thinking of.

And also what David was thinking of....

[David Birchall]

Such a shame that the Guardian chose Martin Buckley to cobble together one of his re-gurgitations of other writers previous mistakes; that's what passes for journalism so often in the classic car magazines these days. Ron deserved better.

I think we should start a thread on all the "Bloopers" that so-called automotive journalists perpetrate.