ALEC RICE - ENGINEER PAR EXCELLENCE

Leaving school at fourteen, Alec Rice became one of the country's finest automotive (and other) engineers. in 1958 he became Chief Designer for Armstrong Siddeley Motors, and is perhaps best remembered by ASOC members for his work on the Star Sapphire.

Born in 1919 in Birmingham, Alec left school at the age of 14. His father having died the previous year, Alec had no-one to give him career guidance, and he took the first job that came his way as an office/errand boy with the electric vehicle maker Electricar. His duties about the works sometimes took him into the Drawing Office, where he quickly became fascinated by the work of the men in white coats standing intently at their drawing boards.

Alec took to sneaking into the Drawing Office during lunch breaks and studying the work in hand. One day discerning the intention of the draughtsman, Alec picked up a pencil and, (taking his life in his hands as he put it), progressed the drawing. The hue and cry following this mysterious change, and Alec's admission of his responsibility for it, had him on the point of dismissal, when the intercession of the Chief Draughtsman resulted instead in his being re-deployed as a trainee draughtsman. Alec then applied himself to night school and quickly progressed to Junior Draughtsman and then Draughtsman. Finding little opportunity to progress further, Alec then left to join the Singer Motor Company where he sought to work as much as possible on engine design.

Alec and his wife in front of the Star Sapphire proptype, which he bought from the company in 1962. This was taken at the ASOC National Rally at Billing Aquadrome, Northamtonshire.

During the war years Alec was involved in aircraft work, amongst other things being responsible for the design of the points in the geodetic structure of bombers.

In the Home Guard, Alec was put in charge of an experimental anti-aircraft missile unit. This was not a guided missile - it was targeted by optical sight just like a gun. None of the crew had much confidence that they could hit anything with it, but they never found out, as its loading method was so cumbersome that the aircraft had always gone before they were ready to fire. Alec did however admit to having once fired one off at some disappearing aircraft that was already well out of range.

After the war Alec remained with Singers, eventually becoming Chief Chassis Designer, until F.W. Allard, who having been with Armstrong Siddeley, came to Singers for a while before returning to Armstrong Siddeley as Chief Designer, suggested that Alec join him at Parkside. Alec accepted, as Singer's sales were falling and they could no longer get funding for development work.

Alec took up the position of Assistant Chief Designer at Armstrong Siddeley on the 28th November 1955. In 1956 Mr Allard retired and Alec succeeded him as Chief Designer.

Alec's first design for Armstrong Siddeley was the "Star Sapphire 346", essentially a 346 Sapphire with a then experimental Borg Warner gearbox (destined to become the D.G gearbox) and a body generally akin to the later "Star Sapphire" apart from a bonnet line about 2" lower at the front.

This vehicle only ever existed in prototype form, as a re-build of production 346 TDU 707. It was felt better (by the board) to wait for the 4 litre engine then being designed by Alec, before introducing a new model, in order to give a genuine 100mph car.

Alec then led the design of the "Star Sapphire" we know today (TDU 707 again being re-built as a prototype). Its Limousine version was conceived as a stop gap motor car with a planned production run of only 2,000. It was intended to keep Armstrong Siddeley's "prestige manufacturer" image alive in the market pending the introduction of a much more modern style of car in the "1960 project" planned for that year.

In late 1958 Alec was appointed Chief Engineer. The Chief Designer job was at the same time split into two, Chief Body Designer and Chief Chassis Designer. Neither new post was ever filled, so Alec did all three jobs until the end of motor car production.

The Board put the body styling for the 1960 project out to contract with Michelloti, who failed over several attempts to come up with anything acceptable to the Board. Alec then persuaded the Board to authorise a wholly in-house alternative. This was the "1962 Project", a range of cars with a total of 13 variants, which featured an exceptional degree of commonality of body components to keep the tooling costs of such an extensive range acceptable.

The Mark II Star Sapphire and its Limousine version were quickly designed to keep the "Star" saleable over the further 2 years, but in the event only one prototype of each was destined to be built.

Alec also led the Armstrong Siddeley design and building of the RAS 436 project - the Sunbeam Alpine - for Rootes, which he enjoyed both for the opportunity to do a very different kind of car, and for having a Rootes-style development budget.

Unfortunately, the profitability of the RAS work was an immediate cause of the end of the Armstrong Siddeley marque. The question was asked "why bother to make our own cars when we can make more money making other peoples - and without having to put up the capital". The answer was "don't", and, despite the 1962 Project design having been completed, and accepted by the board, the decision was taken to abandon Armstrong Siddeley production. At this time Alec purchased the prototype "Star Sapphire" TDU 707 from the company.

As the RAS work was gradually taken back "in-house" by Rootes, no new contract car work could be found, and those who had long argued for the car factory space to be devoted to the then very lucrative aero work raised their voices again.

Alec countered with various proposals for low-capital vehicle manufacturing projects under the B.S.E banner. These ranged from the B.S.E.8, a coach-building only job involving making security vans and motor caravans based on the Commer ¾ ton van, to the B.S.E.7, a complete vehicle in the shape of a simple, robust, low maintenance forward control pick-up truck. This was intended for that part of the Land Rover / Austin Gypsy market which did not require features such as four-wheel drive. By these means Alec sought to keep Parkside in the road vehicle business, hoping eventually to be able to get the 1962 Project, of which he had high hopes, re-instated, but the "aero" camp won the day and the RAS was Parkside's last car.

Alec transferred to Ansty, initially as Chief Designer of the SRM hydraulic transmission project. The company had the U.K licence to build this Swedish automatic gearbox , but had been unable to develop sales owing to high manufacturing costs. Alec was charged with re-engineering it to cut the costs by one third, which he achieved, and soon had a good order book, but the Company then took the opportunity afforded by profitability to sell the project off.

During this time Alec made many visits to Sweden, returning with tales of folk who indulged in strange practices. These included swimming in frozen lakes with no clothes on, emerging to consume bowls of swan's blood soup, in which goings on he felt obliged to participate, but not without misgivings.

Next Alec found himself offered the position of Chief Draughtsman on the gas turbine work at Ansty, to which he first protested that he knew nothing whatsoever about turbines, gas or otherwise. However, he was persuaded that he had the requisite skills and took the job. Over time he became particularly responsible for technical contracting and costing negotiations mainly on the project to convert the Royal Navy from steam to gas turbine propulsion.

On his retirement in 1981, Alec received from the Board the accolade of "the best organiser Rolls Royce ever had". A few months before his retirement Alec had been offered a technical directorship of Rolls Royce. But as this meant working for a further 5 years, and he was vaguely aware that something was not quite right with his health, Alec decided to decline and enjoy his retirement while he could. This proved a wise decision, as within a year he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, which after a few years became seriously disabling.

In 1994 Alec was extremely pleased to be asked by the board of the A.S.O.C. to become the Club's President. For the last 4 years Alec's health problems became so severe that he had to live in a nursing home. He continued to make his annual journey to the A.S.O.C. National Day, still travelling in TDU 707, to renew his acquaintance with the cars which represented that part of his career for which he had the fondest feelings.

Alec will be sadly missed by his family and friends, as well as the club members who continue to benefit from his distinguished career.