{"id":139949,"date":"2024-08-10T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T06:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autocar.co.uk\/car-news\/features\/40-years-prodrive-tracing-story-motorsport-success"},"modified":"2024-08-10T07:00:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T06:00:49","slug":"40-years-of-prodrive-tracing-the-story-of-motorsport-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/10\/40-years-of-prodrive-tracing-the-story-of-motorsport-success\/","title":{"rendered":"40 years of Prodrive: tracing the story of motorsport success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Prodrive<\/a><\/p>\n

\n David Richards started Prodrive in 1984<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We visit Prodrive’s Banbury HQ for the inside line on its creation, rise to racing prominence and what’s next<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s hard to find a definition that adequately covers every part of David Richards\u2019 Prodrive firm \u2013 and that\u2019s awkward, as this year it celebrates 40 years of more or less continuous business success, including some of the greatest moments in UK motorsport history.<\/p>\n

Prodrive\u2019s own brochure description of itself as \u201cthe world\u2019s leading independent motorsport company\u201d only goes partway towards doing the job.<\/p>\n

It certainly encompasses the company\u2019s best-known successes, such as winning enough WRC rallies (46) for Subaru in 18 years to change the entire shape and public perception of the Japanese brand and scoring seven Le Mans class wins and 11 GT titles for Aston Martin<\/a> since setting up a race programme in 2004.<\/p>\n

Yet it fails to cover a plethora of other activities. Your long-wheelbase Range Rover<\/a> Autobiography might well have a mechanised cocktail cabinet made in Banbury. Your Gazoo Racing sweatshirt, your e-bike or your Ian Callum-designed driving simulator could all have had their beginnings there. Maybe Prodrive\u2019s composites department made the immaculate carbonfibre body parts for your \u00a3100,000-plus British luxury saloon too.<\/p>\n

About 15 years into its existence, explains Richards, Prodrive started seeing opportunities in high technology and quality manufacturing and has specialised in such things ever since.<\/p>\n

In the beginning, there was no plan. Richards\u2019 business career started when he received a last-minute offer to rush to Kuwait and finish organising a car rally for Rothmans, the sponsor. The timing was perfect: at the age of 23, he had just finished his accountancy articles and was having \u201ca kind of sabbatical\u201d co-driving in rallies with Tony Pond.<\/p>\n

The deal needed instant commitment: he needed to be on the plane the following day. But there was a downside: the previous organiser had been shot. Still, Richards accepted, and things went so well that Rothmans was soon back on the phone asking him to organise a bigger series of events in Qatar. And that worked too.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n