They Found Our Engineer
The Story of Arthur Goddard. The Land Rover's first Engineer
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How do you find someone that you do not know is missing?
It is a strange question. The more one thinks about it, the more one goes around in a circle. Often the ‘missing’ person does not even realise that they are. Hard to believe, but that is what happened. Arthur did not know that he was missed and that a vital part of the Land Rover history was missing. To be truthful, Arthur was not actually found. It is more accurate to write that he was stumbled upon. Alex Massey and I did not realise this until we really started looking. For this story to miraculously unfold, it required people from across the world, previously unknown to each other, to cross paths. Unbelievable, but that is how it happened. Yet, in some ways, it did not “just happen” and, still, good fortune played its part in the crossings and connections.
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About the Book
The British Land Rover 4x4 has grown from 1948 to become one of the world's leading automotive brands. Exactly how it all came together back in the late 1940s and early 50s has been the topic of interest and debate for many years. This was until two Australian enthusiasts, Michael Bishop and Alex Massey quite literally stumbled across senior member of the original Land Rover development team, Arthur Goddard living in Brisbane, Australia in 2009. The discovery led to many of the myths and tales surrounding the early vehicles to be heard as it happened from Arthur’s point of view. Then to a trip by Arthur to visit his old work place in Solihull and to the vehicle that he helped bring to life back in 1948. The book contains both a technical and human side to this incredible story as well as a great reunion between Arthur and his old colleague Spen King who went onto design the Range Rover in the 1960s. This is truly a unique story from the time of post War World two Britain to modern day Australia and how the iconic 4x4 grew up so quickly in the 1950s to become the world leader that it is today.
About the Author
Michael Bishop is an Australian who has been driving and collecting Land Rovers since he was a teenager. He has collected and restored many of the rare early models. His interest in the early models lead to him researching deeper into the history of the make and how the car evolved technically in the first years of its development. The research led to him writing articles about his findings in club and Classic Car Magazines. He was one of the first to publish Land Rover technical articles on the internet in the 1990's and his passion for motoring goes well beyond his own area of expertise.