Lotus chassis guru joins Aston Martin

Lotus chassis guru Matt Becker has left the Norfolk sports car firm to take up a similar role at Aston Martin.

Becker will take the role of chief engineer VAE (vehicle attribute engineering) at Aston from 5 January. His role at Lotus as chief engineer, vehicle test and development, will be filled by Dave Marler, a 17-year veteran of Lotus Engineering.

New Aston chief Andy Palmer has given Becker responsibilities including vehicle dynamics, NVH (noise, vibration, harshness), aerodynamics and vehicle durability and proving. He will report directly to Ian Minards, Aston’s product development director.

Becker will play a key role in developing the next generation of Aston Martins, which are due to be launched from 2016 with a new architecture and powered by Mercedes-Benz V8 engines. He had spent 26 years in Norfolk, following in the footsteps of his father, Roger. 

At Lotus, Lotus Motorsport technical manager Gavan Kershaw will take on extra responsibilities with road cars to assist Marler in his new role.

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