Gilbert "Mac" McIntosh has died. He played a significant part in the early days of Lotus....
I can do no better than to refer you to this obituary by his old friend Peter Ross.
http://www.historicl...Intosh#mcintosh
'Mac' McIntosh has died
Started by
David Beard
, Nov 22 2006 17:18
2 replies to this topic
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#2
Lotus11Register
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- 116 posts
- Joined: September 06
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Posted 23 November 2006 - 17:53
To appreciate what Mac McIntosh brought to Lotus will help one understand how the name LOTUS so quickly became synonymous with cutting edge, high performance engineering. Even recently, at age 80 he was dynamic, forceful and clear. Every answer he gave held up like a well constructed bridge. What a powerful impression he must have made fifty years ago !
Mac was one of the unsung heroes at Lotus who stayed behind the scenes, and only people who study technical drawings were likely to see his name. But his structural engineering surrounds anyone in a LeMans Mk 9, an Eleven, 12 or 7. He worked one-on-one with Colin Chapman in taking a concept to a successful plan and there was no shortage of respect between them. His meetings with Chapman were all business and after serious consideration of forces, space and weight, Mac would go off to do the calculations that would make the structure work. Look at the chassis of a Lotus Eleven and know that it was Mac who designed it that way.
In his last interview Mac emphasized something he wanted all of us to remember about Lotus, and what made this against-all-odds effort succeed. What is it that you want to do, boy? was the question Chapman put to anyone around him who tackled a project or faced a challenge. It was a question both Colin and Mac had learned from their fathers, but with Lotus it took on new meaning as the company first revolutionized the racing car world and then turned to passenger cars. “Ask your self what it is that you want to do,” Mac would say, rapping his knuckles on the table, “and don’t get caught up in distractions. Remember the question.”
Colin Chapman was lucky to have someome of Mac's caliber volunteer and take concepts to reality. A dynamic individual, a man of uncompromising honesty, and an engineer par excellance , Mac McIntosh will be fondly remembered.
Mac was one of the unsung heroes at Lotus who stayed behind the scenes, and only people who study technical drawings were likely to see his name. But his structural engineering surrounds anyone in a LeMans Mk 9, an Eleven, 12 or 7. He worked one-on-one with Colin Chapman in taking a concept to a successful plan and there was no shortage of respect between them. His meetings with Chapman were all business and after serious consideration of forces, space and weight, Mac would go off to do the calculations that would make the structure work. Look at the chassis of a Lotus Eleven and know that it was Mac who designed it that way.
In his last interview Mac emphasized something he wanted all of us to remember about Lotus, and what made this against-all-odds effort succeed. What is it that you want to do, boy? was the question Chapman put to anyone around him who tackled a project or faced a challenge. It was a question both Colin and Mac had learned from their fathers, but with Lotus it took on new meaning as the company first revolutionized the racing car world and then turned to passenger cars. “Ask your self what it is that you want to do,” Mac would say, rapping his knuckles on the table, “and don’t get caught up in distractions. Remember the question.”
Colin Chapman was lucky to have someome of Mac's caliber volunteer and take concepts to reality. A dynamic individual, a man of uncompromising honesty, and an engineer par excellance , Mac McIntosh will be fondly remembered.
#3
Paul Rochdale
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- 1,281 posts
- Joined: September 04
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Posted 23 November 2006 - 18:12
A beautifully told story. Thanks for that. As a one time engineering draughtsman, its nice to hear of people who really enjoyed their day-to-day work and had such spectacular successes to show for it.
