Gordon Bruce 1947-2023
Gordon Bruce (right) chatting with Sir Stirling Moss (Photo: gordonbruce.co.uk)
Gordon Bruce, the well-known motoring writer and communications consultant, died a few days before Christmas. Bruce suffered a heart attack during a gym session, according to a Guild of Motoring Writers obituary. He was 76. He is survived by his wife Marilyn, children Alastair and Becky and his grandchildren.
Best known to us as a communications consultant to Kumho, Gordon Bruce had a long and impressive career within automotive communications. His extensive and varied career included time as Ford PR manager, “Motor” magazine road test editor and he was also known as a racing driver.
Gordon waved goodbye to his former careers at Ford and Motor magazine editor in 1982 to establish Gordon Bruce Associates. Two decades later, in 2005, Gordon hived off part of the business to concentrate on becoming a boutique consultancy, but still served the motor, motorsport, motorcycle and aviation sectors.
Bruce was also a fully qualified mechanical engineer. As Graham Payne, managing director of British Motor Heritage for which Gordon was still handling all BMH’s PR affairs, told the Guild of Motoring writers: “He held a lifelong passion for anything engine-powered, and was really struggling to get his head around anything to do with electric vehicles! His industrial training included researching and testing carbon fibre for the Concorde project (during which time he claimed to have helped make the world’s first carbon fibre golf club) and worked in the engineering department of Lotus Cars, where amongst other things he designed the base for Colin Chapman’s boardroom table!”
In recognition of his racing talents, Gordon was made an associate member of Silverstone’s elite British Racing Drivers’ Club. He was a founder member of the Duke of Richmond’s Goodwood Road Racing Club. Away from the circuits, he was also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and former chairman of the MIPAA PR association, now reborn as MICA.
On behalf of everyone at Tyres & Accessories, our sincere sympathies to all the family and friends.
Comments