William Towns

William Towns (1936–1993) also known as Bill Towns was a British car designer.

William Towns
1979 Hustler. William Towns is behind the car, facing the camera
Born1936
Died1993 (aged 56–57)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Engineer, designer
Years active1954–1993
Known forAutomotive design
Notable workAston Martin Lagonda
Rover-BRM
SpouseElizabeth Percival

Design career

Towns began his training as a designer at Rootes in 1954, where he was mainly involved in the styling of seats and door handles. Later he was also involved with the styling of their Hillman Hunter. He moved to Rover in 1963 and worked there for David Bache and designed the body of the Rover-BRM gas turbine Le Mans car. In 1966, he left Rover to join Aston Martin as a seat designer. In 1967 he was asked to design the body for the new DBS.[1] In 1976 he designed the Aston Martin Lagonda luxury sedan.[2]

He left Aston Martin in 1977 for more remunerative industrial design work, setting up his own design studio, Interstyl.[3] As a freelance designer, he worked on the Jensen-Healey, the successful Hustler kit-car, the Reliant SS2 and the short-lived Railton F28/F29.[4]

Death

Towns died at the age of 56 or 57 from cancer in June 1993 at his home in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Car collection

Until July 2005, his own cars were on display at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, UK.[5]

Cars designed by Towns

References
  1. https://www.astonmartin.com/models/past-models/dbs
  2. "Feature: Aston Martin Lagonda". Channel 4. 9 March 2006.
  3. Vaughan, Adam (12 May 2017). "This Humble Kit Car Has Exotic Roots". Motorism. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  4. Interview with Towns, 'Wheels' series, Thames Television, 1980s. Published on YouTube 14 April 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLPSbYw8cro
  5. "Honest John's Agony column: Home Towns". The Daily Telegraph. 18 June 2005. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013.
  6. Berridge, Declan (1 January 2016). "The converters : Guyson E12 by William Towns". aronline.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  7. Adams, Keith (1 December 2015). "The converters : Towns TXC Tracer". aronline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
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