- 74-year-old Ian Cameron designed the BMW Z8, Rolls-Royce Phantom and Ghost.
- Police found the power cables to the home’s CCTV system had been cut.
- Cameron’s wife fled to a neighbor’s property and called the authorities.
The former head of design at Rolls-Royce Ian Cameron was brutally stabbed to death at his home in Herrsching, near Lake Ammersee, Germany.
The attack took place on July 12. While authorities have not determined a motive for the crime, they discovered that the power cables for Cameron’s security camera system at his $3 million mansion had been cut. Cameron was known to keep a collection of valuable cars at the property.
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Cameron’s wife was able to flee to a nearby house and called police after the attack. Authorities immediately launched a manhunt for the perpetrator, describing him as roughly 5 ft 9 tall and wearing light trousers and a dark blue hooded sweatshirt.
STV News reports that police used a helicopter, sniffer dogs, and divers to search the local scene for clues but have been unable to trace the attacker’s whereabouts.
Cameron had a long career in automotive design, starting at Pininfarina in 1975 before moving to Iveco and BMW in 1992. He served as design director at Rolls-Royce from 1999 to 2012 and contributed significantly to the designs of the BMW E46 3-Series, BMW Z8, Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Rolls-Royce Ghost. He also played a vital role in designing the third-generation Range Rover and ran his own freelance design consultancy, Ian Cameron Design Partners.
“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,” Rolls-Royce said in a statement. “He created thoroughly contemporary motor cars that remained sympathetic to the marque’s design lineage. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
In a separate statement issued to Auto News, BMW said it was shocked by the news of Cameron’s death.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news about our former Rolls-Royce designer. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during these difficult hours.”
