Car Designer Murdered In Possible Heist

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Ian Cameron, the former head of design for Rolls-Royce, was recently found dead at his house in Bavaria, Germany. The man leaves behind quite the legacy in the automotive industry, but there are many questions about why he was murdered.

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As reported originally by Automotive News, authorities seem to have ruled out suicide or an accident, concluding he was stabbed in a violent attack which took his life. His wife, fellow car designer Verena Kloos, witnessed the assault and fled to a neighbor’s house to call for help, so that helps with concluding what happened.

But the nagging question is the why. One theory investigators are vetting is the possibility the attacker was trying to steal one or multiple of Cameron’s impressive and rather valuable cars in his large collection.

What police do know is someone severed the cables to the house’s surveillance cameras, so someone didn’t want video evidence of what they were doing. And to us that sounds like a real professional, not an amateur.

Nothing in the report indicated a single vehicle or anything else was stolen. But it also doesn’t say no personal property was taken from the residence.

Among Cameron’s impressive achievements, he headed up the revamping of the entire Rolls-Royce lineup after BMW bought the storied brand in 2003. Starting with the Phantom, he helped to reshape and revitalize the ultra-luxury rides, bringing them into their modern era of success.

Rolls-Royce provided the following statement to Automotive News: "Ian played a significant role in shaping Rolls-Royce from when it was first acquired by BMW Group and moved to its Home at Goodwood, West Sussex. He created thoroughly contemporary motor cars that remained sympathetic to the marque's design lineage. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

His first auto industry job was with Pininfarina back in 1975 before he moved on to Iveco. Then in 1992 he came onboard with BMW, staying an employee all the way until 2012. He’s credited with designing the Z8, among other iconic vehicles.

Image via Rolls-Royce