On Friday September 17th a much loved and respected gentlemen, Ralph Douglas Broad passed away peacefully in Lagos after a long illness that he had endeavoured to conquer by maintaining a full and active life.
Ralph was a legend in the world of motor sport, an entrepreneurial and eccentric visionary, with a relentless drive for perfection. Ralph was a renowned motor racing innovator, and a talented pioneer in speed and engineering design.
Broadspeed Engineering Ltd. and Broadspeed Ltd. of Sparkbrook, Birmingham were formed by Ralph in 1962 to specialise in performance engine tuning. Team Broadspeed successfully campaigned Mini Cooper racers and manufactured the 1966 Broadspeed GT Coupe based on a Mark 1 Austin Mini Cooper 1275-S. Broadspeed Engineering Limited and Broadspeed Limited were sold in 1995.
60s MINI COOPER RACE CAR AND WAGON >
In his retirement years in the Algarve his drive and enthusiasm barely faltered. Ralph observed that wood burning fires were not efficient converters of energy so he formed Fogo Montana Lda. whose fires recover over 70% of the energy that is normally lost up the chimney. The double skin, seam-welded construction convects this heat to the farthest corners of the room. The large area, heat resistant glass panel radiates heat to the area immediately in front of the fire. Once again Ralph's logical engineer's approach gave the company world wide success.
Despite his illness, Ralph's determination to document his life in his autobiography is a testament to his keen mind and is a legacy to a engineering genius.
Ralph's beloved partner Pamela Elson and family, wish to sincerely thank, all those many friends, who enriched his life, and are helping them through this difficult time. Ralph will be sadly missed.
