Monday, August 6, 2007
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Yikes. That sums up my response to the announcement of the installation of Bob Nardelli as chairman and CEO of Chrysler this morning. As long as Bob Lutz holds on to GM, it's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles here in the D.
My dad worked for General Electric Locomotive Division some time ago. He never really talked about GE much, only to relate the occasional anecdote about the mystical manner in which GE was managed. The engineers weren't really in charge of much, to put it mildly. Justifying costs on a locomotive with safety instead of customer-inspired product upgrades means product planning isn't going the way it should. It's not happening at all. And when it comes to things that cost a lot of money, product is king. Bean-counting, Mr Nardelli's best skill, was making life hell for the guys who build the locomotives that keep the lumber moving from forests to homesites. It's a miracle the guy made it to Home Depot - cost cutting doesn't keep the locomotives rolling out of the factory, and it sure as hell doesn't make home centers the best places to shop. A quick survey at any Lowe's will tell you that. Our local HD is so bad that we call it Tent Depot in response to its lack of product and inventory. I'm sure it's efficient as all get out, though.
Bringing a cost accountant with expansionist tendencies into a business that already sets standards for efficiency and overcapacity looks like a recipe for a bad trip. Considering that Wolfgang Bernhard has been waiting inthe wings to return his successful formula for automotive branding and product planning (too successful for Hrs P&P of VAG, apparently), the choice of Nardelli is even more confounding. Bob Lutz has shown over and over that Car Guys are what it takes to turn around an automaker. Alan Mullaly harbors no misconceptions about the role of product in the product line. But Nardelli? Chrysler doesn't need his kind of Evolution.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Requiem for a brand
I'd be pretty remiss if I didn't comment on the end of things yellow and couch, too.
My role is more that of innocent bystander, but not a bystander and not innocent. Comments were made, tempers flared, and foci shifted. Motive is set to launch and it will be a bright new era in auto mags. The right things have happened for someone I respect and want success for.
Like Cherise, I won't be there. Not like I was on the couch, that's for sure.
I first sat on the couch about three years ago. I'd been partaking of its knowledge and collective automolove for a few years already when I was invited to sit down and come clean. Oh, the humanity, the joy, the fun. Most of the time when you write, you don't know 100% of your audience. You know their demographics, and you know the basic stats on the readers, but you don't know them personally. On the couch, it was different. We knew the people we wrote for - many of them personally, and we knew when we were going to get slayed for our words. I took a pasting from the design department at GM once. People I had to face at work and socially, no less. It was painful, but it was offset by the many times I got to scoop or be the loyal opposition.
I like the Car Lounge brand. No premise other than cars and car chat. No claims, no goals, no motives. I want to see it transition successfully. I'm afraid some of what made it special might get lost, though. That being the couch.
You see, the Car Lounge was automotive therapy - sometimes you were the doctor, sometimes you were on the couch.
My role is more that of innocent bystander, but not a bystander and not innocent. Comments were made, tempers flared, and foci shifted. Motive is set to launch and it will be a bright new era in auto mags. The right things have happened for someone I respect and want success for.
Like Cherise, I won't be there. Not like I was on the couch, that's for sure.
I first sat on the couch about three years ago. I'd been partaking of its knowledge and collective automolove for a few years already when I was invited to sit down and come clean. Oh, the humanity, the joy, the fun. Most of the time when you write, you don't know 100% of your audience. You know their demographics, and you know the basic stats on the readers, but you don't know them personally. On the couch, it was different. We knew the people we wrote for - many of them personally, and we knew when we were going to get slayed for our words. I took a pasting from the design department at GM once. People I had to face at work and socially, no less. It was painful, but it was offset by the many times I got to scoop or be the loyal opposition.
I like the Car Lounge brand. No premise other than cars and car chat. No claims, no goals, no motives. I want to see it transition successfully. I'm afraid some of what made it special might get lost, though. That being the couch.
You see, the Car Lounge was automotive therapy - sometimes you were the doctor, sometimes you were on the couch.
Chagall at the Mall - 29th Annual Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance
Today marked the 29th Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance, the midwest's annual tribute to cars that cost more than you could possibly imagine. It only costs $25 to look, unless you shop at the Somerset Collection, and then it's sort of free. Promotion of the Concours d'Elegance consisted of display of several cars from both this year's and last year's events at the local super-pricey shopping mall. The absolute star of the mall feature was a 1936 Stout Scarab, which I understand has been willed to the Smithsonian institution by its owner. Eight cars and a motorcycle made the trip to the shopping mecca in Troy. That wasn't enough for me, so I plunked down the cabbage and spent several hours on the golf course at Meadowbrook Hall with my family, admiring and twittering about everything from the effortless spunk of a tiny Topolino to the grand and imposing elegance of a massive Packard 180 Darrin.
The only damper on the show was the weather, and even Bob Lutz (chairman) couldn't manufacture sun. The rain held off to a now-and-then drizzle. It was just enough to keep the chamois going and the tarps on. I admire the many owners who let the raindrops fall on their beauties - it made the show that much more outstanding for everyone.
This year's show focused on Alfa Romeo. The constellation of little stars inside the juried area included the trio of Alfa B.A.T.s, brought to life by Bertone. The Berlina Aerodynamica Technica 5, 7, and 9 showed an exuberance of design that has long left the industry. Tall recurving tailfins graced each body, obscuring the view from the giant sloping rear glasses. My sons gravitated to the cars for their futuristic bent and simple lines. I wondered when Bertone would get a commission like that again. Nearly 25 little Italian stars graced the show field, each one waiting to stand up to the 8C Competizione sitting outside of the gate. With the bonnet of the 8C open, you had the feeling you were its food, and it was coming for you. The 8C's engine sounded nice. It didn't have any of the gritty rumbles or pops and burbles of the cars on the show field (Concours cars must be driven onto the field under their own power). It was a technical sound. Not bad, but not dangerous.
Our favorite Alfa? A tossup between the B.A.T.s, a very clean 1964 2600, and a 1952 1900C. The 2600 was Giorgetto Guigaro's first production design, and I am very partial to his work. The 1900C competed in the 1952 Mille Miglia, making it one of several honest-to-God racecars showing. Who can't love an Italian racecar?
Although Alfa was the marque of note, I also found several cars that felt the hand of Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. Several Packards showed, along with his last body, the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. Beating the Corvette to market by a month, it holds the title of first fibreglas car. The 1937 Packard Darrin Convertible Victoria featured a hood ornament that did double duty as an antenna for the car's radio. Darrin's styling could easily be the source of the word swank.
While this is indeed Vanity Plate, it's time to detour to Hood Ornament. No show I attend provides more variety and detail in this class than Meadowbrook. The illuminated class takes us from the crystal eagle on a 1930 Cord L29 Phaeton to the naked glass lady on a 1934 Duesenberg Model J. t's hard to run out of stuff to look at. Last year we were treated to the naval turret guns on a pair of DuPonts, but none were found this year. A mistake, if I may say so. Hood Ornament fest continued apace with the non-illuminated variety. Hood ornaments serving dual purposes as decoration and gauges of various sorts dominated the 20s and 30s brackets.
I was humored by a 1932 Ford V8 Convertible Victoria that was built in Germany and still had its original toolset. The 1923 Kissel 6-45 Gold Bug Speedster had a lock on "best feature ever" for its outrigger seats that slid out of the chassis and allowed a rider outside of the box on each side. More like mother-in-law seats, if you ask me. I learned that "fix-it" cars are not just FIATs and Fords - the 1910 EMF Model 30 Touring was known (by marketers, no doubt) as "Every Man's Favorite", however owners apparently designated them "Every Morning Fix-it"s. The placards at the Concours are excellent in their presentation of details and history of the cars they describe, frequently supplying humorous and family notes that bring the cars to life even in their museum-like conditions. They make the show very accessible for children and encourage extensive tale-telling when one has personal experience with a marque or particular model.
A second designer of note that seemed to pervade this show was Charles Knight, the designer of the sleeve valve. Unlike last year's unabashed noisefest, this year was all quite on the front nine. The little Alfas putted around. The Rolls Royces wafted imperiously. A Ford GT40 (help me, I'm going to faint!) noodled by. A deTomaso Magnusta sputtered about under its own power. Adding to the miracle of that, a second Magnusta was found in the parking lot, also apparently having arrived under its own power. Did the world stop rotating or something? Only a subdued Yenko Camaro tripped any car alarms.
Post World War II groups featured their own oddities and concepts. Two of my favorites at this year's event were the Jeffords AMX R and the 1966 Jensen FFII. The AMX R concept, executed and hopped up by Jeffords, featured a "Ramble" seat in place of a trunk. Taking its name from history and its concept from the original goals of the AMX program, the car was the 1968 equivalent of one of today's tuner specials. We also saw the AMX/3, the last of the AMX line, and a concept that would never see production. The Jensen is a sentimental favorite, being the first production car with ABS, AWD, and traction control, all things we take for granted 40 years later. The Chrysler Turbine, on loan from the Walter P. Chrysler museum attracted the usual crowd. More interesting to me was the La Femme (I wonder why?), recently restored and also on loan. The most interesting thing about the La Femme is not its lipstick case, but the eight gauges that dot its dashboard. Now we have idiot lights. Apparently women of the 50s were somewhat more capable than we are assumed to be today.
The Henry Ford offered up a Bugatti Royale with a very checkered history. The car had been junked due to a cracked engine block, and was rescued for restoration. Prior to being junked, it had been "sent for repair" during the rise of the Nazis in Germany, as it could only be worked on by the factory in France. A second Bugatti on the field was walled off in an underground garage, the driveway backfilled, and roses planted on the fill. These anecdotes serve as reminders of how universal automotive enthusiasm really is.
As usual, Meadowbrook includes a fashion show, in which models parade clothing while seated in cars from the field. My eight year old was entertained by one model's ensemble featuring pieces from design house Graham Paige - he pointed out that there was a 1928 Boattail Speedster of the same marque on the field and inquired if they were related. I promised to check on that.
I'll add pics as I get them uploaded. In the mean time, make plans to come to Detroit next year for the 30th annual Concours d'Elegance. bring your family and make a day of some of the most beautiful and influential cars you'll ever see up close. And no celebrities, either, unless you count ol' Bob.
The only damper on the show was the weather, and even Bob Lutz (chairman) couldn't manufacture sun. The rain held off to a now-and-then drizzle. It was just enough to keep the chamois going and the tarps on. I admire the many owners who let the raindrops fall on their beauties - it made the show that much more outstanding for everyone.
This year's show focused on Alfa Romeo. The constellation of little stars inside the juried area included the trio of Alfa B.A.T.s, brought to life by Bertone. The Berlina Aerodynamica Technica 5, 7, and 9 showed an exuberance of design that has long left the industry. Tall recurving tailfins graced each body, obscuring the view from the giant sloping rear glasses. My sons gravitated to the cars for their futuristic bent and simple lines. I wondered when Bertone would get a commission like that again. Nearly 25 little Italian stars graced the show field, each one waiting to stand up to the 8C Competizione sitting outside of the gate. With the bonnet of the 8C open, you had the feeling you were its food, and it was coming for you. The 8C's engine sounded nice. It didn't have any of the gritty rumbles or pops and burbles of the cars on the show field (Concours cars must be driven onto the field under their own power). It was a technical sound. Not bad, but not dangerous.
Our favorite Alfa? A tossup between the B.A.T.s, a very clean 1964 2600, and a 1952 1900C. The 2600 was Giorgetto Guigaro's first production design, and I am very partial to his work. The 1900C competed in the 1952 Mille Miglia, making it one of several honest-to-God racecars showing. Who can't love an Italian racecar?
Although Alfa was the marque of note, I also found several cars that felt the hand of Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. Several Packards showed, along with his last body, the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. Beating the Corvette to market by a month, it holds the title of first fibreglas car. The 1937 Packard Darrin Convertible Victoria featured a hood ornament that did double duty as an antenna for the car's radio. Darrin's styling could easily be the source of the word swank.
While this is indeed Vanity Plate, it's time to detour to Hood Ornament. No show I attend provides more variety and detail in this class than Meadowbrook. The illuminated class takes us from the crystal eagle on a 1930 Cord L29 Phaeton to the naked glass lady on a 1934 Duesenberg Model J. t's hard to run out of stuff to look at. Last year we were treated to the naval turret guns on a pair of DuPonts, but none were found this year. A mistake, if I may say so. Hood Ornament fest continued apace with the non-illuminated variety. Hood ornaments serving dual purposes as decoration and gauges of various sorts dominated the 20s and 30s brackets.
I was humored by a 1932 Ford V8 Convertible Victoria that was built in Germany and still had its original toolset. The 1923 Kissel 6-45 Gold Bug Speedster had a lock on "best feature ever" for its outrigger seats that slid out of the chassis and allowed a rider outside of the box on each side. More like mother-in-law seats, if you ask me. I learned that "fix-it" cars are not just FIATs and Fords - the 1910 EMF Model 30 Touring was known (by marketers, no doubt) as "Every Man's Favorite", however owners apparently designated them "Every Morning Fix-it"s. The placards at the Concours are excellent in their presentation of details and history of the cars they describe, frequently supplying humorous and family notes that bring the cars to life even in their museum-like conditions. They make the show very accessible for children and encourage extensive tale-telling when one has personal experience with a marque or particular model.
A second designer of note that seemed to pervade this show was Charles Knight, the designer of the sleeve valve. Unlike last year's unabashed noisefest, this year was all quite on the front nine. The little Alfas putted around. The Rolls Royces wafted imperiously. A Ford GT40 (help me, I'm going to faint!) noodled by. A deTomaso Magnusta sputtered about under its own power. Adding to the miracle of that, a second Magnusta was found in the parking lot, also apparently having arrived under its own power. Did the world stop rotating or something? Only a subdued Yenko Camaro tripped any car alarms.
Post World War II groups featured their own oddities and concepts. Two of my favorites at this year's event were the Jeffords AMX R and the 1966 Jensen FFII. The AMX R concept, executed and hopped up by Jeffords, featured a "Ramble" seat in place of a trunk. Taking its name from history and its concept from the original goals of the AMX program, the car was the 1968 equivalent of one of today's tuner specials. We also saw the AMX/3, the last of the AMX line, and a concept that would never see production. The Jensen is a sentimental favorite, being the first production car with ABS, AWD, and traction control, all things we take for granted 40 years later. The Chrysler Turbine, on loan from the Walter P. Chrysler museum attracted the usual crowd. More interesting to me was the La Femme (I wonder why?), recently restored and also on loan. The most interesting thing about the La Femme is not its lipstick case, but the eight gauges that dot its dashboard. Now we have idiot lights. Apparently women of the 50s were somewhat more capable than we are assumed to be today.
The Henry Ford offered up a Bugatti Royale with a very checkered history. The car had been junked due to a cracked engine block, and was rescued for restoration. Prior to being junked, it had been "sent for repair" during the rise of the Nazis in Germany, as it could only be worked on by the factory in France. A second Bugatti on the field was walled off in an underground garage, the driveway backfilled, and roses planted on the fill. These anecdotes serve as reminders of how universal automotive enthusiasm really is.
As usual, Meadowbrook includes a fashion show, in which models parade clothing while seated in cars from the field. My eight year old was entertained by one model's ensemble featuring pieces from design house Graham Paige - he pointed out that there was a 1928 Boattail Speedster of the same marque on the field and inquired if they were related. I promised to check on that.
I'll add pics as I get them uploaded. In the mean time, make plans to come to Detroit next year for the 30th annual Concours d'Elegance. bring your family and make a day of some of the most beautiful and influential cars you'll ever see up close. And no celebrities, either, unless you count ol' Bob.
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