Jeffery Macandrew-Uren (17 October 1925 – 6 April 2007), was a British engineer, racing driver, race team manager, tuner, customiser, and entrepreneur. He won the British Saloon Car Championship in its sophomore year. He was a driver and team manager for Ford Motor Company's rallying efforts, team manager with John Willment's racing division, and team manager for AC Cars' 1964 Le Mans team. He later created a series of performance-oriented engine-swapped custom Ford models.
Early years
Uren was born on 17 October 1925 in Brentford, Middlesex. He had four siblings. He was raised in Cornwall, and was of Cornish descent.
While working for Ruston-Bucyrus demolishing World War II (WWII) air raid shelters in London, Uren met demolition contractor Charles Willment. Later Uren and his brother Douglas started a contract plant hire business, leasing out heavy equipment.
Racing career
Rallying
Uren's first direct exposure to racing in general and rallying in particular came after preparing a car for brother Douglas and teammate Donald Bain to drive in the Monte Carlo Rally held in mid-to-late January, 1955, and then becoming a late addition as co-driver. The team entered an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire.
Uren appeared several more times in the Monte Carlo Rally. He partnered with Douglas for appearances in 1956 and 1958. He was teamed with Ian Walker in 1959, and with Tommy Wisdom in 1962. He made an appearance in the RAC Rally the same year, driving with Wisdom again in a Cortina 1200 registered as TOO 528, the first appearance of the model in a rally. Also in 1962, at the request of Triumph's public relations department, Uren partnered with Wisdom as a fourth Triumph team in the Coupe des Alpes in Triumph TR4 6VC, a car normally kept as a spare. The pair finished eleventh.
Uren's involvement in the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally was in the role of team manager rather than driver. In 1964 he made another appearance in the Monte Carlo Rally, driving with Constantine John Manussis in a Ford Cortina GT.
He appeared in other rallys, including the 1957 Tulip Rally partnered with Douglas in a Jaguar 2.4. He also made two appearances in the East Africa Safari Rally: in 1960 driving with Mike Armstrong the team finished second in class, while in the 1961 event he and Armstrong finished third in class. He finished fifth in class at the 1960 Rally to the Midnight Sun (Midnattssolsrallyt) in Sweden.
Saloon and sports car racing
In 1955 both Uren brothers became active in saloon car racing. While often appearing in the same events, Jeff became a professional driver, while Douglas remained an amateur.
In 1956 Uren bought Ian Walker's Ford Prefect. The car had been prepared by John Willment, son of Charles, and later received a Willment Powermaster inlet-over-exhaust cylinder head conversion designed by Bob Yeats. Uren and Willment partnered as "Scuderia Throttollo Bendori" to field the car. The two later ran a Ford Anglia 100E, also with the Willment cylinder head. Although they talked about forming a more formal racing team, the two men eventually parted ways to focus on their respective businesses; Willment and his Ford dealership, and Uren and his plant hire business.
In the late 1950s Uren ran some races in Jaguar models. He drove a 2.4 L in the Sprints at Brands Hatch in 1957. He also drove a 3.4 Mk1, as did his brother Douglas.
Uren drove a Ford Zephyr MkII in the inaugural season of the British Saloon Car Championship (BSCC) in 1958, finishing sixth on points and achieving the first win in a Ford at Mallory Park. In 1959 he became champion in the second year of the BSCC driving an upgraded Zephyr with a Raymond Mays aluminium cylinder head fitted with triple carburettors in Group C, finishing ahead of the works Ford drivers.
For the 1961 season Uren drove a GSM Delta sports racing car to several class wins.
In 1963 Uren became the chairman of a committee formed by the British International Saloon Car Racing Drivers to represent the drivers' interests and concerns to other groups that included racing clubs, promoters, the automotive industry, and the Royal Automobile Club (R.A.C.).
Uren raced competitively in saloon and GT events until 1964. He held class lap records at Aintree, Goodwood, Brands Hatch, and Snetterton in his Zephyr. He continued racing in various historic race events until 2000.
Racing team manager
Ford
In 1959 Uren was appointed Competition Manager for Ford of Britain's Dagenham Rally Team, originally on a consulting contract basis with a one year term.