Born in 1921, David Ogle was an amazing chap who died far too young in a road accident in 1962 aged just 41.<\/p>\n A hugely talented designer both of industrial items and cars he\u2019d founded his eponymous company David Ogle Associates in Stevenage in 1954 and this was rapidly becoming the \u2018go-to\u2019 design house in the UK.<\/p>\n David Slingsby Ogle was educated at Rugby School before studying law at Oxford University. In 1940 he joined the Fleet Air Arm and flew Supermarine Seafires (the Royal Navy\u2019s version of the Spitfire) in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the South of France. He rose to the rank of Lt Commander.<\/p>\n He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for service and gallantry during the allied invasion of the South of France in March 1945. The DSC was followed by an MBE in June 1946.<\/p>\n He also had \u2018RNVR\u2019 after his name indicating that he was a member of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve.<\/p>\n Post-war he enrolled at the Central School of Art & Design in London studying Industrial Design, where he would have met Tom Karen. He then joined electronics company Murphy in 1948, before joining rivals Bush, where he designed the TR82 radio.<\/p>\n He set up his eponymous design studio \u2013 David Ogle Associates \u2013 in 1954 and his good friends Sir John Whitmore and John Ogier were not only directors of the company, but they provided funding, too.<\/p>\n Ogier was among other business interests owner of Essex Racing (he lived in the county), which is why Ogle\u2019s own range of cars was always pre-fixed by \u2018SX\u2019 which was a tongue-in-cheek tip of the hay to \u2018ESSEX\u2019.<\/p>\n Ogle\u2019s design studio created a wide array of products from gas ovens to heaters; from exhibition stands to product packaging. You name it, they could design it.<\/p>\n Talking of his own cars, a separate division called David Ogle Ltd was set up in 1960 to handle sales of their Ogle Riley 1.5, SX250 and SX1000 (aka Ogle Mini). A commission for a bespoke car from the larger-than-life character Boris Forter, MD of Helena Rubenstein cosmetics, based around Daimler Dart mechanicals.<\/p>\n Ogle had form with Forter as he already had a lucrative contract to design perfume box designs for Helena Rubenstein. Although Forter persuaded Ogle to build a dozen \u2018specials\u2019 he guaranteed that he could get his friends to buy them with the caveat that if he couldn\u2019t persuade them to buy them, he promised to buy them himself. Unfortunately, he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The car was completed after Ogle\u2019s death but only two were sold \u2013 one for Forter and the other for his girlfriend. Daimler was approached to take the concept on but wasn\u2019t interested although it did later form the basis of the Reliant Scimitar GT (aka Reliant Sabre).<\/p>\n \u00a0Sadly, David Ogle\u2019s life ended on May 25, 1962. Having created the Ogle Mini also known as the SX1000 he was heading for Brands Hatch circuit to demonstrate the Lightweight version to a gathering of journalists. He had sold 69 SX1000s by the time of his death.<\/p>\n Tom Karen described what happened: \u201cDavid got into a dice with another vehicle on the A1 at Digswell Hill, near Welwyn in Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, he lost control at 85mph and hit an oncoming van head-on. The car burst into flames on impact and was a fireball. Poor David never stood on chance\u201d.<\/p>\n A tragic loss. A gifted man who clearly had so much more to offer.<\/p>\n Tom was always very complimentary about Ogle whom he described as: \u201ca very popular and generous man\u201d. I\u2019ve often seen him described as charismatic and charming.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, within three days of his death, Ogier and Whitmore had headhunted Tom Karen from electronics company Philips to take over at the revised David Ogle Design Ltd in Letchworth as MD and chief designer. Karen had already had s short spell at Ogle in 1959 and his reputation had grown since. Tom steered the company until his retirement in 1995.<\/p>\n OGLE\u2019S CARS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.totalkitcar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Photo_2023-01-05_200257.jpg\")
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