A RAWDON man says he has landed his dream job after being appointed as the design director at McLaren.

Rob Melville, 39, has been handed the title with the prestigious motor company, best known for its Formula One division.

But his work will not see him rub shoulders with the sport’s superstars including Fernando Alonso, but instead work in McLaren’s separate automotive section.

This includes designing its supercars, which are available commercially.

Mr Melville joined the company in 2009 as a senior designer, before being appointed chief designer in 2014.

He has previously worked on McLaren’s P1, the 650s, the 675LT. He has also worked on its Sports Series and has led the design of the 720S, the first model in the second-generation Super Series.

He says the process of designing a McLaren super car takes up to three years and they retail from £125,000 to £2million.

In his new role, Mr Melville is responsible for further developing the firm’s design strategy and principles and working with the engineering and manufacturing functions, and customer insights team.

But despite working at the company’s base in Woking, Surrey, and travelling the world in his glamorous role, he says he comes back to Rawdon to see his family on a regular basis.

Mr Melville said: “I am thrilled to be given the title of design director for McLaren Automotive. It’s been a long journey to get to this point.

“I had to pinch myself the other day that I worked here. It feels incredible. I am sat here with a massive smile on my face.

“I dreamt as a kid of designing a car and had a picture of a a McLaren car on my bedroom wall when I was younger.

“These cars are incredible pieces of equipment.

“We walk past the Formula One cars, but we don’t work with those guys directly.

“I still come back to Rawdon, and the surrounding areas, every couple of months to see my family.”

Mr Melville has previously worked for Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors, the latter firm as senior designer.

The former Benton Park School, Rawdon, student also completed a masters course in vehicle design, which was sponsored by Land Rover, at the Royal College of Art in London.

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