Ogle Mini SX1000

David Ogle (1922–1962) was a charismatic designer with a remarkable presence. He joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1940 and flew the Supermarine Seafire in missions across North Africa, the Mediterranean, and southern France.

Rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he earned both the DSC and the MBE. He had previously studied at Rugby School and briefly pursued Law at the University of Oxford.

After the war, Ogle enrolled at the Central School of Art and Design in London, focusing on industrial design. He later worked at Murphy Radios before founding his own industrial design firm in 1954.

His breakthrough came in 1959 with the hugely successful Bush TR-82 radio, marking the start of a new chapter for the company. In 1960, he expanded into automotive design and manufacturing, beginning with a four-seat coupé built on Riley 1.5 underpinnings. Only eight examples of the Ogle 1.5 were produced.

Far more successful was the Ogle SX1000, a striking and innovative coupé with a sculpted GRP body using Mini mechanicals, built from 1962 to 1964.

Ogle also styled the elegant SX250 body for the Daimler SP250. Debuted at the 1962 London Motor Show, it impressed Reliant so strongly that they adapted the design into the Scimitar GT Coupé.

Ogle later reworked the Scimitar into the Triplex GTS, an estate car created to showcase Triplex heat-absorbing glass. Wearing the registration 66OGLE, it was even owned for a time by HRH Prince Philip.

Tragically, David Ogle died in 1962 in a car accident while driving an Ogle SX1000 to the Brands Hatch circuit. His death also marked the end of the company’s involvement in car manufacturing.