The man credited as being the father of Aston Martin’s new V12 engine has joined Castrol subsidiary NEXCEL as technical director.
Dr. Brian Fitzsimons was previously chief engineer for powertrain at the British racing pedigree brand.
He is touted as being the mastermind behind Aston Martin’s new V12 block, launched last year in the new DB11.
The supercar maker’s Vulcan model was the first production car to include the NEXCEL system -a self-contained, sealed cell that contains the correct grade of oil and specification of filter.
By reducing the volume of oil in the engine, the NEXCEL system allows faster warm-up.
NEXCEL claim this will increase occupant comfort and reduce emissions during increasingly short, typical real-world journeys.
Dr Fitzsimons said: “Through my experience in the early implementation in the Aston Martin Vulcan and the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 race car, I became convinced that the NEXCEL technology is an essential step forward in engine management.
“As a powertrain engineer, NEXCEL is a very significant development at a vehicle level, but there are also the substantial environmental advantages that currently cannot be achieved in any other practical way. I’m tremendously excited about helping to introduce a new technology that will bring such wide-ranging benefits to our industry.”
The Castrol subsidiary has also won accreditation to one of the most demanding quality system management standards, ISO 9001:2015.
NEXCEL programme director Steve Goodier said: “All kinds of businesses in the automotive industry are working towards the approaching deadline for gaining ISO 9001:2015. This is the halfway point in the three-year period allowed for transition to the new quality standard.
“We are delighted to have achieved recommendation for ISO 9001:2015 accreditation so early in our life, confirming to our customers that NEXCEL operates the same, robust processes as they do, to ensure the same quality throughout our operations.”
Changing the cell takes just 90 seconds and can be achieved entirely from above, releasing the packaging volume protected for a traditional filter and the space required to remove it during servicing.
The benefits also include the elimination of spills and greatly simplified oil recovery. NEXCEL claims the closed ecosystem, with garages incentivised to return the used cells, will help to eliminate the one third of drained engine oil (worldwide) that currently disappears into the environment.