Malcolm Sayer (21 May 1916 – 22 April 1970) was an aircraft engineer during wartime and later automotive aerodynamist. His most notable aerodynamic work was the engineering body development of the E-Type Jaguar and early style guidelines for Jaguar XJS. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aircraft streamlining and aerodynamic function to cars.
Early life and education
Sayer was born in Cromer, Norfolk. He was educated at Great Yarmouth Grammar School (where his father taught an unusual combination of Maths and Art). At age 17 he won the prestigious Empire Scholarship and attended at Loughborough College (later Loughborough University) in its Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, earning first class honours.
Early career
He worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company during the Second World War, which exempted him from conscription by way of reserved occupation protection.
Sayer travelled to Iraq in 1948 to work at Baghdad University where he was to establish the Faculty of Engineering, which on arrival he found not to be a realistic venture. While in Iraq he reportedly met a German professor who helped him recognise the mathematical relationship to curve shapes and identity. He worked instead maintaining the fleet of government vehicles. He returned to the UK in late 1950.
Career at Jaguar
Sayer applied for an engineering position at Jaguar. He was interviewed by William Heynes (Chief Engineer (1935) and Technical Director (1946)) who recognised Sayers' aerodynamic mathematical approach, having also been involved during wartime with aircraft production and was familiar with aircraft fuselage alloy construction. Sayer started work at Jaguar Cars Engineering drawing office in early 1951. He described himself as an aerodynamicist – he loathed the term 'stylist', saying he was an aerodynamicist, not a hairdresser.
His aerodynamic work at Jaguar concentrated on racing car air flow design. He assisted in the aero design of the competition cars during the 1950s: Jaguar C-Type (also called XK120-C, due to its being based on the Jaguar XK120) Jaguar D-Type Jaguar E-Type (early style proposals) Jaguar XJ13 racing prototype
His prime concern was that a car body 'worked' both aerodynamically and visually. Some of his particular contributions were the introduction of slide rule and seven-figure log tables to work out formulae he invented for drawing curves, work which is now undertaken by complex Computer Aided Design software.
Sayer's first aero contribution for a sports racing Jaguar was successful and the C-Type won Le Mans in 1951 and 1953. (Sayers 1952 long tail with lower frontal nose was not successful) He was responsible for the general layout, body and frame of the C-Type, and engine design was the responsibility of William Heynes, R J (Bob) Knight T C Jones. The C-Type has been lauded for its beauty and is still considered one of the world's most desirable car models.
To surpass the C-Type, Sayer worked on development of the D-Type Jaguar, initially using 1/8th scale windtunnel models tested in Loughborough and then on to full-size car tests at RAE Farnborough. The new to racing body alloy tub monocoque structure, was designed by Heynes and the engineering team of Knight Jones Emmerson Bailey who designed and developed the full car which was one of the most successful racing cars of all time, winning Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957. On the Mulsanne Straight, D-Type could achieve a speed of .
Following the success of the D-Type, work began on one of the 'bridge' cars between D- and E-type. Later dubbed 'E1A' (the 'A' for the aluminium construct), Bill Heynes drew up specification, and during 1956 Sayer drew up first design concepts. First running in May 1957, E1A was used for extensive testing of other facets of the car including steering, brakes and suspension, and unusually was shown to a journalist and used on public roads. Scrapped in late 1959, E1A led to the next project (dubbed E2A). Initially not of much interest to Lyons, he warmed to E1A and work on 'E2A' commenced, the project led by Heynes and designed by Sayer. which further showed Sayer's design bloodline from C-Type to E-Type.