April 1938 - July 6, 2019
James Neville "Jim" Randle became one of Britain's leading car designers, a former Jaguar chief engineer and designer of one of the world's fastest sports cars, the Jaguar XJ220. Currently director of the Automotive Technology Center at Birmingham University, he started as a 16-year-old apprentice and led his first full-fledged car project, the Rover 2000TC, at the age of 25. In 1965 he joined Jaguar Cars Ltd. in Engineering and was involved in the development of the Jaguar XJ Series 1 and later with Pininfarina and the Jaguar XJ Series 3. including the XJ40 sedan. In 1984 Jim Randle spearheaded, on an informal project, the development of the so-called "Saturday Club", a group of engineers and designers based in Whitley who volunteered to work weekends and after hours on a new Group B supercar that would later became known as the XJ220. He left Jaguar Cars Ltd. as the company's chief engineer after 26 years in 1991, just two years after Ford took control of Jaguar Cars Ltd. The American giant appointed his men to key positions, and Randle was removed from office. which later became known as the XJ220. He left Jaguar Cars Ltd. as the company's chief engineer after 26 years in 1991, just two years after Ford took control of Jaguar Cars Ltd. The American giant appointed his men to key positions, and Randle was removed from office. which later became known as the XJ220. He left Jaguar Cars Ltd. as the company's chief engineer after 26 years in 1991, just two years after Ford took control of Jaguar Cars Ltd. The American giant appointed his men to key positions, and Randle was removed from office.