I am proud to have played a tiny part in that programme,
Me too. During my apprenticeship in 1970 I did a stint in the NC machine shop at Strand Road, where the 'spectacle frames' for the engine housings were produced for the prototypes. I was put on 'tape proving', machining blocks of solid foam (much cheaper than alloy) to check the programming, loading 1/4" tape on a reel to reel machine by the miller. The programmer usually watched the first runs, as we had to be quick with the kill button when the cutter ploughed into the jig or the clamps. It was usually ok by issue 3 or 4 (hence the foam)