Ron Hickman Ron Hickman Ronald Price Hickman OBE (21 October 1932 – 17 February 2011) was a South African-born, Jersey-based car designer and inventor who designed the original Lotus Elan, the Lotus Elan +2 and the Lotus Europa, as well as the Black & Decker Workmate. Hickman was born in Greytown, Natal, South Africa, where he worked as a courthouse clerk after leaving high school. He moved to London in the 1950s where he was employed by a music publisher. From 1954 Hickman worked for the Ford Motor Company at Dagenham first as a clay modeller and later he helped to style
Lotus Elan requirements (especially for Federal vehicles); model year enhancements; and the phase-in & phase-out of stock during the transition to the next Series. Lotus promoted the potential variation between vehicles by stating in its documentation: "Lotus policy is one of continuous product improvement and the right is reserved to alter specifications at any time without prior notice." The price of the Elan changed during its production lifetime. At announcement, in October 1962, the fully built cost was £1,499 (GBP), although between 1963–1966 the factory price was generally 5-10% lower. By the end of production, in April 1973, the fully built cost