- Royal Automobile Club awards Dewar Trophy to McLaren Automotive for the development and launch of its advanced sell-out McLaren P1™ supercar
- The Simms Medal is also awarded, with Lord (Paul) Drayson receiving the prize for setting four Electric World Land Speed Records with his revolutionary all-electric race car
- Ceremony held at Pall Mall Clubhouse earlier today with 100 VIP guests in attendance
PALL MALL, LONDON – The Royal Automobile Club is delighted to announce that the 2013 Dewar Trophy for outstanding British technical achievement in the automotive industry has been awarded to McLaren Automotive for its work on the conceptualisation, development and commercialisation of its pioneering sell-out McLaren P1™ supercar.
This prestigious accolade was presented to Dan Parry-Williams of McLaren Automotive, along with members of his project team, during a ceremonial lunch at the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, London.
The Dewar Trophy, which has a lineage of winners dating back to 1906, recognises the best of British engineering in the automotive industry. Previous winners have included Rolls-Royce in 1907 for its 40.5hp engine; Dunlop in 1957 for work developing disc brakes and modern tyres; the British Motor Corporation and Alec Issigonis for the original Mini in 1959; Jaguar in 2003 for its ground-breaking all-aluminium chassis; and the Ford Motor Company for its EcoBoost drivetrain in 2012.
Awarding the 2013 trophy to the McLaren P1 team was a unanimous decision made by experts on the Dewar Technical Committee, chaired by John Wood MBE. The McLaren Automotive team was recognised for setting themselves very challenging and visionary targets, using an advance hybrid system to not only achieve a dramatic reduction in CO2 levels, but also to use the system to boost the performance to make the car faster.
McLaren has achieved all that it set out to do with the P1, with all 375 examples of the model – set to be built at the advanced McLaren Technology Centre in Woking – already pre-sold. The lucky owners of these P1s will have the ability to change driving modes at the flick of a switch between various modes, ranging from Normal, Sport, Track, E Mode and Race, with the latter mode lowering the car’s ride height by 50mm.
The McLaren P1’s aerodynamic package is particularly innovative, and the McLaren introduces other novel features such as SiC impregnated brake discs and hybrid pack cooling system. It is a remarkable example of the integration of novel and advanced systems.
McLaren’s receipt of the 2013 Dewar Trophy follows the Dewar Technical Committee recognising the company’s ongoing contribution to advanced automotive construction techniques for the McLaren 12C last year, with a Special Commendation given to the McLaren Group in 2012.
The Simms Medal, recognising a genuine contribution to motoring innovation by individuals or companies that also exemplify the spirit of adventure, has this year been awarded to Lord (Paul) Drayson for setting four Electric World Land Speed Records for sub-999kg vehicles.
Lord Drayson, the CEO and Team Principal of Drayson Racing Technologies, along with members of his engineering team, was awarded the 2013 Simms Medal by Ben Cussons, Chairman, Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee. This year’s Simms Medal recognises Lord Drayson for championing new automotive technologies, and daring – very successfully – to go out and demonstrate their potential in the most extreme manner.
Lord Drayson and his team have successfully attacked the EV Land Speed Record for electric vehicles in an outstanding display of the capabilities of electric vehicle technology. Under Lord Drayson’s visionary direction, he and his Drayson Racing Technologies team have created and built the Drayson B12/69 EV LMP-type race car, aimed at the sub-999kg category, and featuring Drayson’s own high performance electric drivetrain.
Lord Drayson used this car to set a new flying mile record for the category at 205.139 mph, becoming the holder of the British Land Speed Record for cars of any propulsion type driven by their wheels. He also set a new standing start quarter mile record of 9.742 seconds.
These records are an outstanding display of the capabilities of electric vehicle technology, of which Lord Drayson has been a consistent champion, being a leading supporter of the Formula E movement, acting as a scientific advisor, and declaring his intention of entering a team when Formula E commences in 2014.
Ben Cussons, Chairman Motoring Committee of the Royal Automobile Club, said: “We are pleased to recognise outstanding achievements by the British automotive industry. Part of the raison d’être of the Royal Automobile Club has always been the promotion of all things motoring, never more so than in tough economic times. Drawing attention to automotive innovation is an important part of our contribution to this vibrant part of the manufacturing industry.
He added: ” The Royal Automobile Club has celebrated many Land Speed Records achieved by historic British drivers over the decades, from Segrave to Cobb; Campbell, Noble and Green, with Drayson now joining this illustrious list. We have honoured Land Speed Records set by petrol, diesel, steam and gas turbine powered vehicles, and we are now delighted to add our first electric Land Speed Record to this list.”
About the Dewar Technical Committee:
The Technical Committee has existed for more than a century and is made up of leading industry experts. It currently includes:
John Wood MBE, Chairman (ex-Chief Executive of MIRA, past President of IMechE)
Charles Armstrong-Wilson (freelance journalist specialising in motorsport)
Ben Cussons (Chairman, Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee)
Karl Ludvigsen (best-selling motorsport author)
Alec Osborn (engineering consultant, past president of IMechE)
Pat Symonds (Chief Technical Officer, Williams F1)
Steve Cropley (leading motoring journalist and European Car of the Year juror)
About The Royal Automobile Club:
Founded in 1897, the Royal Automobile Club’s continuous support and promotion of the development of motoring in Great Britain began with the famous 1000 Mile Trial in 1900. In recent years the Royal Automobile Club has focused on running the largest annual free-to-spectate motor shows in the country.
A weekend of free motoring action recently took place with the annual Regent Street Motor Show, held on Saturday 2 November 2013. Here the world’s premier concours event for veteran cars was joined by iconic vehicles from Aston Martin and Porsche to celebrate the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries of motoring. There were also displays, stage shows, award presentations and passenger rides, making the Regent Street Motor Show an excellent free family day out.
The world’s oldest motoring event, the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, took place on Sunday 3 November with more than 400 vehicles built before 1905 participating.
The Royal Automobile Club also awards a series of historic trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Tourist Trophy, the Dewar Trophy and the Simms Medal. The Club continues to recognise excellence in the motoring world with the presentation of the Dewar Trophy and Simms Medal for technical progress in automotive engineering.