Richard Parry-Jones

"[7] Parry-Jones has been noted for suggesting that "building a supercar is much easier than creating excellence for the millions.

"[9] Born in Bangor, North Wales,[10] the descendant of a North Wales slate quarry worker,[10] Parry-Jones got the idea to become an automotive engineer after seeing the RAC Rally (now Rally GB) pass through the forest near his childhood home.

[10] Parry-Jones joined Ford product development in 1969 as an undergraduate trainee, and was awarded a first class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Salford University, Manchester in 1973.

[10] He was appointed Manager of Small Car Programs in 1982[11] and was named Executive Engineer of Ford's Technological Research in Europe in 1985,[11] before adding responsibility for Vehicle Concepts a year later.

[11] Fluent in English and German,[11] Parry-Jones's international experience includes an assignment as Director of Vehicle Concepts Engineering in the United States in 1988,[11] before taking charge of Manufacturing Operations at Ford's Cologne, Germany, assembly plant in 1990.

While at Ford, Parry-Jones had been courted by Ferdinand Piëch to head the product development group at Volkswagen AG.

[10] In 1995 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Loughborough University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the motor industry and engineering education.

[14] In 2021, Autocar gave him a Lifetime Achievement award for his services to the automotive industry, informing him of it just two weeks before his death,[15] which occurred in an accident involving a tractor on private land near Barmouth in Wales.

[16] On October 20, 2022, Ford Motor Company announced that a building used for the improvement of driving dynamics on Ford's Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium will from now on be known as the Richard Parry-Jones Appraisal Center, in honour of the company's renowned engineering leader.