Charles Spencer King, also known as Spen King, the man in charge of new vehicle projects at Rover since 1959, has passed away at the age of 85.
King first began his automotive engineering career in 1942 when he joined Rolls-Royce as an apprentice. Three years later, King joined Rover, which at the time was being run by two of his uncles – Spencer and Maurice Wilks – according to The Telegraph.
Some of the first projects King tackled as an engineer with Rover were the JET1 and T3 gas turbine engines. King later went on to become the head of new vehicle projects in 1959, allowing King to assert himself as the head and “feather” of the original Range Rover in 1970.
King eventually went on to become a chairman at British Leyland Technology, after the company took over Rover. King was deeply involved in the development of a concept study known as the ECV, or Energy Conservation Vehicle, which helped create technology later integrated into production vehicles.
Range Rover honored King in 1990 with a special edition Range Rover CSK two-door model.
References
1.’Range Rover creator Charles Spencer…’ view
