Chris Flavell ...

[richkaz]

Although I never meet Chris in person, he serviced my 1950's Solex carb and I found
him to be a goldmine of information. When DHL mislaid the carb, rather than just call their office
he spent the best part of an afternoon in their office trying to locate it. Eventually it was discovered
that DHL thought the best way of shipping a small parcel from Chris's premise to Southampton was
of course via Berlin and Frankfurt. The parcel was eventually delivered to me on special consignment the next day.
Nice to see that he went the extra mile ---- most wouldn't. Very nice refurb as well.
I also appreciated his post's on DDK as well.
He will be sadly missed. RIP

[SeanP]

Sad News

Heard through a friend this afternoon. Shocked

I have great memories of being in the company of both Chris and Paul Heales discussing Porsches and projects a few years back. Always great to be in his company and he always was very keen to help and share his knowledge. I spent many an hour on the phone to him when I need advice on one thing Chris would talk me through the process of the entire job and insist on staying on the phone whilst I carried out the work.

It was always a great day out going up to Fenn Lane to meet Chris and see what he was up to and what he had going on and developing parts wise.

He will be sadly missed. RIP Chris

Sean

[Dougieboy1]

I didnt know Chris personally, but being involved with mental health support at work, I hear of this all too often. My sympathies go out to Chris's friends and family.

However, i have a personal interest as my local garage had sent one of my rear trailing arms to Chris to be checked for straightness. And at the risk of sounding callous, i am obviously keen to find out how i get it back. Am sure i am not the only person who has stuff at Chris's workshop, some people may even have complete cars.......but i have no way of knowing who to contact or how to retrieve it as i am not local and never visited Fenn Lane......

Does anyone have any suggesdtions for people who may be in the same situation....

I feel terrible raising this so soon.......

[Simon Rudge]

So sad to hear of this, the world is a poorer place without Chris.

My thoughts are with those close to him that are left behind.

God bless.

[Barry]

Just been told about this tragic news. It's so sad.

Seems odd in retrospect that I never met him, never spoke to him in all these years (other than a couple of exchanges here), and yet always felt as though I knew him.

If Chris ever wrote a technical post on a thread, you'd know it would be well written, well judged and based on the most impeccable engineering background. It just shone through: no filler, no BS. First hand knowledge gathered from decades at the sharp end. If you didn't learn something, you probably should have had another look.

A much loved and respected talent.

RIP Chris.

[inaglasshouse]

I learned a huge amount chatting with Chris in that untidy office, and greatly enjoyed my visits to Fenn Lane. In recent months we spoke on the phone about once a week, and our last conversation was only two days before his death. I feel very shocked and deeply saddened.

Chris was not a model of efficiency, project management excellence or marketing sophistication. But such a great problem solver, proper engineer, encyclopaedic authority on anything bolted to a Porsche that rotates or oscillates and (ideally) is made of metal.
I don't think he ever listened to a word I said about engineering (fair enough), but I found him well informed and ready to engage with/ debate alternative views on economics and politics, among other subjects.

He was, without doubt, a highly intelligent man who contributed a great deal to engineering in general and our community in particular. Despite his outward confidence in his own technical abilities, I don't think Chris realised the respect and affection in which he was held by many. Such a shame.

RIP Chris, I will miss you. I'm so sorry I didn't know the full extent of what you were going through, and help more.

Richard.

[impmad2000]

Sad news. Chris was a sound engineer and never afraid to find his own solution to thing perceived by others to be problems. RIP Chris.

[DustyM]

Sad news. He was a character. I too am among those who popped in every now and then for ten minutes to collect parts only to leave two hours later after chatting about new products he had in the pipeline. He manufactured an amazing amount of things but never really publicised them well. I think the engineer in him enjoyed the design, finding solutions and creating the product but when it was done he was already on the next thing. RIP.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nine One One]

Yep, the smallest office I ever knew filled with one of the largest characters I've ever met.

How true that is, but he seem to know exactly where everything was, even though it looked like a bomb had exploded in there.

When I visited he showed me all around the cars he was doing work on, and how he had engineered work arounds. We spoke on the phone several times, and had a common thread, in that both our mothers were not well. I last spoke to him in late November, and again he was talking about a lot of new products he was going to market, thinking of getting them on the internet, and extending the business for sales via that route. He had a lot of contacts to make things, and seemed to know where to go to get these things done.

What went so wrong?

His expertise, as already mentioned was immense, as was his kindness and ability to help anyone with advise, either on this forum, on the phone or in person. He was just a very genuine guy.

He will be very sadly missed.

R.I.P. Chris

[Kneeslider]

This is so sad. I didn't know Chris personally, but I always enjoyed his posts on here, and it was plain to see that here was a guy who had been there and done that, and was a great source of knowledge about many things.

It is also sad that this is the second time that I have had this sort of news in a little over a year, and this time of year seems like a particularly tough time for many.

Hey, lets keep on talking to each other, that's what matters.

[IanM]

I’m saddened to hear this.

For many years Chris was an active contributor to the 911 Engine Rebuilding Forum at Pelican (chris_seven). I enjoyed reading his posts and learned a lot. He was a talented engineer.

RIP Chris.

[Lightweight_911]

I first met Chris around 2003/4 when he was running Stourbridge Motorsport, the mainstay of which was rally preparation, & where you'd invariably find a few rally-prepared Imps - plus a variety of other interesting competition vehicles.

A switch to competing in an early 911 around that time (Chris was quite an accomplished/successful co-driver) led to an increased involvement in early Porsches & a move to the bigger premises in Upton.

As others have said, there was no such thing as a 'quick visit' - you'd be lucky if you got out in less than 2/3 hours !

Typically when you entered the 'office' Chris would be on the phone & he'd throw you a small shiny object & ask you if you could identify it - sometimes the part was vaguely familiar but something was different ...

Then Chris would produce a cardboard box containing hundreds of identical parts - the latest obscure part of an early 911 that he'd re-engineered, produced engineering drawings for & then had manufactured in titanium ...

He was an extremely clever & incredibly knowledgeable person with a tendency to take on (& promise) too much ...


.

[72911E]

Very sad to read this.

RIP Chris

[Bootsy]

Hey, lets keep on talking to each other, that's what matters.

Ditto. Us blokes are the worst at this but it’s so important. Lost too many friends and colleagues this way and sometimes just talking about how you are feeling can make the difference

[leedurrant73]

I’m deeply shocked of the news and had spoken to Chris before Christmas, he mentioned he’d been ill and think in hospital?

Great guy and will have to try and find a replacement for parts, I knew something was wrong as I never got a reply to my emails. Very sad and heart goes out to family.

RIP Chris.

Lee D