Gordon Murry should be up there... as for design, Brabham triangular chassis and lobster claw design Fan car... great idea - blew opposition away 1977 - 78 Alfa engined Brabaham aero package & oil coolers mounted at edges of chassis & ground effects rear wing Surface mounted radiators - did not work out but was a great idea, needed more aero testing thin line Brabham BMW turbo's & small fuel tank & pit stop strategy transformed F-1 High pressure fueling Tire warmers / ovens to keep average lap times up. Lay down Brabham - pre curser to the Mclaren of 1988... Rocket Mclaren F-1 & GTR's - won LeMans 1st time out. While not as completly innovative as Champman, he is up there. his influence on the McLaren team after 88, was more on overall design, but race strategy was his, as well as developing a "design team" approach in F-1. I met him in Detroit once, he was super cool, show us around the lay down Brabham, and how the oil surge was not working etc... really nice guy. very shy.
Hmmm, every article I have read that he has wrote has made himself out to be the only person that could think and have ideas in F1. You should read what he wrote in the AutoCourse 2000-2001 book I have, rubbished nearly all old designs. Gee there is a thing called hindsight Gordon. We are all brilliant when we look back, not just you . Lost all respect for the man after that article, sorry. Pete
I have that autocourse and did re read it. I see what you are saying but I took his take on modern F-1, and the lack of technical free thinking. still, having met him, he was a super nice guy.... but that was before all the Mclaren stuff.
The best designer, that's a toughy.... lets see... Calvin Klein for his yummy off the shoulder look. Christian Dior and the scrumptious colors. Donna Karan with her sense of feminism. Giorgio Armani and his DE-licious flowing gowns. Oh, poo, typing this and I broke a nail. [/weird post]
IMO i lost admiration for GM when he said "that Ferrari didnt need to copy his ideas" Seems to forget he copied the dino three seater with central driving postion!!
