Doug Potter: Hyundai demo legend

Mon 16 Apr 2018

Doug Potter: Hyundai demo legend

Doug first took to the controls of a purpose built piece of construction machinery in 1961, the machine was an early JCB 4 which Doug recalls having the five lever operating system, Doug said "it was a bit of a handful to operate thinking back" the machine belonged to Crossman development company.

Doug went on to operate a wide variety of machines which included a JCB3, Priestman Cub, and in 1963 Doug took the seat in a Massey Ferguson 450S which was then owned by a subsidiary company of Crossman Developments called North Essex plant. Doug briefly got into the demonstration game in 1968 when he demoed a JCB 3C for Ernest Doe. Over the next decade Doug went on to operate many more machines which included a second hand Hymac supplied by Ernest Doe, a JCB 3CX and a JCB 806 one of JCB's 800 series excavators which were launched in 1973. In 1984 Doug went on to work for a local groundworks contractor called JWD operating one of the last models that Hymac made the 141C, Doug recalls that these models were great little machines and that it was very sad that Hymac had finally designed a machine that was able to compete with the Japanese and Koreans but unfortunately it was too little too late for the Hymac company.

It was whilst operating the 141C that Doug caught the attention of the management at Ernest Doe who at that time were the main Hymac dealers, and very shortly after Doug was asked to become their 360-degree excavator demonstrator. But it was SED where Doug became truly famous with his antics on the heap of sticky clay with the latest models from Korean manufacturer Hyundai. In this shot Doug is seen with a cassette tape of his favourite jazz music while the machine is being refuelled before another performance.

Doug recalls that he made two appearances at the old SED Whipsnade venue, before it moved to the much loved and fondly remembered Fen Farm location in Milton Keynes. Doug has seen many changes over the years and suspects that it’s harder for demonstrators to get away with some of the stunts he used to pull on the machines back in the day, due to health and safety. His most famous routine being his “Eddie the Eagle” dismount from the top of the heap!

Whichever way you look at it, Doug always pulled in a crowd, which is exactly what Hyundai wanted back in those days when the brand was relatively new in the UK. Check out Doug in action at SED in 2009.

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