Loose ends

["Mahoney, John" <JMahoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey, it's Friday and the end of American motors.  (Oops, that should read the end of the week.)  After losing over $50 BILLION since 2000 (despite asset sales, division spin-offs, plant closures and hauling Olds to the junkyard), the greatest name in American auto history is likely to go bankrupt.  Not next week, next month, or next year, but, even if GMAC is sold to keep the wolf from the door awhile longer, something terrible may happen in and to America.  During the half-decade that GM's global sales rose 1%, Toyota's grew by 30%, so as November ends, Toyota's US sales share reached almost 15%.  The end of Studebaker at South Bend came in December of 1963 and the end of Pacer by AMC came in December of 1980.  The beginning of another "end" could be coming in December, 2005.  We will see history.  
  
http://tinyurl.com/azjgm

There'll always be an England and there'll probably always be a GM --- neither will be what they were at their greatest.  They reorganize and move on.  That makes American Motors more special.  AMC will always be dead and gone. 

>>added a '73 Jensen Interceptor to my stable of post-retirement toys

What do George Graham, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Mick Fleetwood, Cliff Richard, Johnny Rutherford, Princess Anne, Farrah Fawcett, Donna Summer, and Cher share?  English Avantis, the other cool cars that just wouldn't die.  (Or an ability to look in the mirror and clearly see AMC content.)     

http://tinyurl.com/cdyrw

http://tinyurl.com/7fgc3

http://www.jcc.ch/images/Int-Mk3.jpg

$15 each?  Or AMC for 99 cents/pair?  

http://tinyurl.com/9s5zp

http://tinyurl.com/dbjph

We envy you: may the "Prince of Darkness" -not- be your best friend!

(Just in case, radiator fan and wiper motor kits are Lucas 54701528...)

>>
My slightly fuzzy memory doesn't recall the designers name, but an independent designer showed George Mason a small car design circa 1948 (or so). Mason told him he'd get back with him. Well, the designer thought enough time had passed without hearing from Nash, so he showed the design to Ford. I don't recall if Ford made a deal right there or just didn't wait long, but got back with the designer before Nash did! Mason found out the hard way -- he saw a preview of the new 1950 Ford, and realized it looked like what he intended the new (and smaller) 1950 Rambler to look like! He was hopping mad and called the designer, 
and discovered what had happened. So the Rambler has no "bullet" nose and got some last minute restyling. Don't know what old George was thinking, maybe he intended to "borrow" some ideas and not pay the man? Or just negotiate piece-meal payment for ideas used? At any rate, he sat on the ball to long! Look at a 1950 "shoebox" Ford and the 1950 Rambler and you c! an see a resemblence.
<<

That's what I thought Frank was remembering, but I didn't want to jump in and "write a book" about it.  It is true and there's an interesting Ford-Nash-Studebaker story to be told.  Tales of nighttime intrigue in dungeons (OK, in a guy's home basement), of secret portfolios and cars carried around under cloaks (OK, in shoe boxes): several of the world's most memorable cars started out as something different than they ended up.  No doubt you've all seen General Motors baby Cadillac Duesenberg, Chrysler's Karmann Ghia, LaSalle's Hooper Riviera and a Ford Airflyte Nash.  Maybe I -should- write something on what didn't happen way back when.  (If not "show-and-tell" about the Duesenberg Pierce-Arrow Ambassador by American Motors built by Ghia to a very famous Chrysler designer's plan...)

Ah, so much fascinating stuff to share: so little time for doing that.  "When I'm retired," I keep imagining, "I'll do everything I now can't."  So Spirit, Ambassador, Roadmasters, and Full Classics [!] sit in silence: hopefully to live on long after I've given up on such wild hope.

And hopefully someone will go wild going though my boxes of car paper --- unless they first go blind (if not crazy) trying to figure it all out.

Ah, but that's how history is lived, lost, found, and brought back to life.

And you may see it before your very eyes.