Features editor
We don’t generally do obituaries in The Engineer, but an item in this week’s newspapers caught our eye as a life worth celebrating. Ron Hickman, who died last week aged 78, almost certainly touched the lives of every reader — possibly every British family — in some way, but it’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of him. Certainly none of us had.

Hickman has been described as an inventor and car designer, but in fact the word engineer, in all of its derivations, fits him much better. The two achievements which mark him out for greatness are one of the quintessential 1960s sports cars, the Lotus Elan, and one of the only pieces of DIY equipment that might deserve the description ‘iconic’, the Black and Decker Workmate.
Growing up in South Africa in the 1930s and 40s, Hickman didn’t train in engineering but he was obessed with cars. Although he spent his time learning to play the piano and, later, training in law, he also constantly sketched pictures of cars and whittled them out of wood. Completing his legal training in 1954, he still wanted to work in cars, so he borrowed £100 from his father, hopped on a boat to Britain, fetched up in Dagenham, and got a job as a clay modeller in Ford’s styling department.
Soon after, Hickman met the founder of Lotus and a legendary engineer, Colin Chapman, and joined his new company as a production engineer and general manager, working on Chapman’s first car, the Elite, and later on the Elan. The Elite had proved too complicated to build to be practical, and Hickman was instrumental with coming up with the idea of using commercial off-the-shelf parts — a Ford Classic engine block here, the steering rack from a Triumph Herald there — which made the Elan affordable to many, unlike most of today’s sports cars. He also originated the car’s ultra-stiff backbone chassis, the lightweight unimould glass-fibre body, and the cute pop-up headlights which made the car almost as sleek and eye-catching in The Avengers as its driver, Diana Rigg’s catsuited Emma Peel.
While working at Lotus, Hickman was also designing and building furniture, and it was an unfortunate mishap which led to the invention of the Workmate. Using whatever was around as a sawhorse while building a wardrobe, he ended up cutting the leg off a rather expensive Swedish chair. Determined not to damage any more of his household fittings, he came up with the combination sawhorse and vice on a foldable alloy frame, later signing an exclusive deal with Black and Decker which saw him receive a three per cent royalty on each unit sold: a deal which allowed him to build a house in Jersey and amass a large collection of gorgeous cars, including a Cadillac V16 that had belonged to a maharajah and, of course, a Lotus Elan.
For those of us growing up in the 1970s, the ads for the Workmate are as indelibly inscribed on our memories as Emma Peel and her car were for the 60s generation. In fact, I’m pretty sure I can remember the ads popping up in the commercial breaks in Avengers repeats. I had no idea that one man had been instrumental in both. Hickman’s name deserves to be irrevocably linked with both of those achievements and, although his life was undoubtedly full and happy, it’s a shame his name wasn’t better known.
An all round top fellow, RIP.
A true unsung hero….I can say this as an Elan and workmate owner.
I hope his family see the kind words written about this great engineer.
It is quite fitting that you did this piece, since indeed, Hickman’s engineering know-how touched so many people on both sides of the pond and around the world. I had the pleasure of driving one of the Lotus’s here in the States some years ago, and I have certainly made use of the Workmate. Thank you for sharing this piece on Mr. Hickman.
Very sad to hear of Ron’s death.
Ron invented the Workmate, a well-engineered, durable, UK made tool.
The Black and Decker Workmate is altogether another thing – manufactured in low-cost economies out of inappropriate materials (the tops last about a week!)
It is wonderful to learn that as an inventor Ron was able to earn a substantial reward for his clever invention.
So many inventors miss the boat and let others benefit from their insparation.
Those who love their profession as a hobby seldom become visible. People who are utmost satisfied with their creative work remain permanently in solitude. People in general may feel such people are recluse. They live closer to their work and keep away from party crowds. Ron Hickman certainly deserved your editorial tribute for his contribution to car industry.
It,s funny that it takes somebody to die before it takes their names come up as to what they have achieved in life, amazing guy!
There are those who have heard of Ron, myself included, and it is typical of todays society that many have not heard of him. If he were from a vanity led environment such as a footballer or other media led performer he would doubtless regularly be in the spotlight.
Here lies the problem, those contributing to society for the benefit of the majority often remain unheard of until their obituary. Ron was a prime example, how many other unsung heroes are there like Ron? and how many will remain uheard of.
Sincere condolences to his family.
What? No one at The Engineer had heard of Ron Hickman??? I despair – and you didn’t even mention his potty!
Thanks for highlighting the achievements of a brilliant engineer.
Having owned a Lotus Elan S3 for many years and used a Workmate during the cars restoration I never realised Ron’s creativity was behind both.
Excellent Elan photographs.
A great inventor engineer and self made man. Unfortunately those like Ron seldom cross our paths.
Still have an original two stage die cast Workmate and, apart from a few saw cuts in the wood it is still working great.
Amazing product
I can honestly say that the Lotus Elan completely changed my life here in the USA. From the day I first spotted one at the impressionable age of 16, to now some forty years on, this car has always been near and dear to me as I have owned 2 and presently own one. To say that Ron Hickman was ahead of his time is an understatement. Just take a look at an original Lotus Elan and ask yourself, does it look old? Does it look dated?
The car is an icon in part because the design is timeless. Thank you Mr. Hickman for coming up with this most extrodinary means of transportation that most all of us could afford. While I doubt you were compensated enough for your efforts on the Elan, it’s nice to know that Black and Decker rewarded for your work on the Workmate of which I am a proud owner as well.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Hats off !
When I was a little girl, my next door neighbor had a yellow lotus. He used to say, when taking a hot woman on a date, “he had to get out of the mood to get out of the car.”
I was young enough it took me 5-8 years to even understand what he meant. But I really loved going for a ride in that snazzy car, and it was the beginning of my love for older (to me) cars.
I didn’t know who Hickman was either. RIP.
Ron took his workbench idea to lots of manufacturers before B&D took it up.But without the marketing and volume power of B&D it might have died a death if one of the others had taken it up.
Interesting Obituary on BBC radio 4 ‘Last Word’ this weekend. Worth a listen.
A real engineering star.
BTW Ed – How about a feature on Trevor Bayliss ? or a series about the personalities in engineering.
A great loss to our profession.
I am not lucky enough to have even driven an Elan let alone owned one, bbut have always admired them as a ‘proper’ sports car that was affordable to many people. the workmate is another story, i was given one for my 21 birthday (34ish years ago) and I am still using it. It has been used for all sorts of things – an engine stand during car rebuilds, a working platform during house restoration, and everything inbetween. The original units seem to be much more robust than the later types.
My he RIP.
I was Ron Hickman’s secretary when the Lotus organisation was located in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. He was an amazing innovator – an exciting and dynamic person to be around.