A OXFORDSHIRE man who set the land speed record for towing a caravan has died aged 69.
Eric Prue, of Bicester, died last week after a debilitating condition which he had fought for many months.
Mr Prue was interested in cars from a young age and got involved with caravan rallying in the 1970s.
Having revolutionised caravan design by creating a new more streamlined, aerodynamic shape Mr Prue earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by setting the world speed record for towing a caravan on October 14, 1980 He towed his own Alpha 14 caravan behind a Le Mans Aston Martin V8 saloon at RAF Elvington in North Yorkshire.
His friend and business partner Don Viney, who assisted Mr Prue on the design of the caravan said: "Before this all caravans were like boxes but he soon realised that they had no aerodynamics, which meant they fell over easily.
"Eric's concept laid the foundations for all modern caravans and he set the land speed record to show how safe the design was. It was revolutionary at that time and although it did not catch on straight away, quite a few manufacturers started to follow suit."
Mr Prue also played football for Abingdon Town.
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