David Brown ( Eng. David Brown ; May 10, 1904, Huddersfield - September 3, 1993, Monte Carlo ) is an English industrial entrepreneur, managing director of the family company David Brown Limited [1] . Also during a certain period he was the owner of the automobile company Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd and the shipbuilding company Vosper Thornycroft .
| David brown | |
|---|---|
| David brown | |
| Date of Birth | May 10, 1904 |
| Place of Birth | Huddersfield |
| Date of death | September 3, 1993 (89 years old) |
| Place of death | Monte Carlo |
| Citizenship |  Great Britain |
| Education | |
| Company | David Brown Limited |
| Position | managing director |
| Company | Aston martin |
| Position | co-owner |
Biography
David Brown was born in Huddersfield ( Yorkshire , England ) on May 10, 1904 . Immediately after graduation, he entered the family business as a student. In 1931 , after the death of Percy Brown (uncle David), he became the managing director of David Brown Limited, and his father Frank became chairman.
Brown sought to collaborate with foreign firms. So, in 1934, cooperation began with the Australian company Richardson Gear Ltd. In 1935, he patented a Merritt Brown tank transmission. Brown also began working with Irish engineer Harry Ferguson to produce tractors in 1936 , however, he soon took up this business on his own, since he and Ferguson had different views on the design. During World War II , Brown's company produced about 10,000 gear units for tanks 000 000, the war years were a period of activity of the company.
In 1946, Brown saw an advertisement in The Times for the sale of Aston Martin for a total of ; he managed to acquire the company for . A year later, on the advice of a friend, Brown acquired Lagonda for 52 500 pounds and combined it with Aston Martin. In 1954, the production of Aston Martin Lagonda cars moved to a plant in Newport Pagnell , which at that time belonged to Tickford's car body design and manufacturing company acquired by Brown the following year - in 1955.
It was under David Brown that the abbreviation “DB” appeared in the names of the new Aston Martin. When it was released DB1 , DB2 , DB4 , DB5 and others. At the same time, while at the helm of Aston Martin, Brown used a competitor's car, the Jaguar XJ Series I, as his personal transport.
Due to financial difficulties experienced by the company, in 1972, Brown sold Aston Martin to the Birmingham Consortium Company Developments, then led by William Wilson .
In the 1980s , David Brown Ltd focused on manufacturing parts for warships . About 120 gearboxes were made for 64 ships.
Sir David Brown passed away on September 3, 1993 in Monte Carlo .
Notes
- ↑ The company is named after Grandfather David Brown, the founder of the company, who was his namesake.
Sources
- David Brown History. History of David Brown Ltd
- Aston Martin History. History of Aston Martin