Light week this week but here are your #AutoFactoids for the week of May 21, 2017.
May 22, 1929 – Goodyear Blimp took its maiden flight. Still provides some of the best auto racing coverage!!!
 Goodyear Blimp. |
 First Goodyear Factory |
Mr. Goodyear
May 23, 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan Jr. was born in New Heaven Conn. He headed up GM as President and guided it through some iconic car designs. He was instrumental in establishing the idea of make styling changes annually and planting the idea of (something we consumer dislike) planned obsolescence. He also established a pricing structure by sub-brand (Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Caddy) —referred to as the ladder of success, so that they did not compete with each other, and buyers could be kept in the GM “family” as their buying power and preferences changed as they aged.
 Alfred P. Sloan – Time Magazine Dec 1926. |
 Alfred P. Sloan |
May 26, 1906 – Mauri Rose born in Columbus, Ohio. This Racing Hall of Famer driver, placed second in the 1927 Indy 500. Actually won the Indy in 1941, but that was a tough victory, spanning two Maserati-powered Elgin Piston Pin Specials cars, after the first one had mechanical issues. He tossed a fit and the car owners pulled one of the other drivers from the race and give Rose that car.
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The Pin
The Elgin Pin
What powered that thing? The Elgin’s “Power Plant”
The Pin’s power plant.
Mauri in the Blue Spark car!
Thanks for reading.
Tim
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Auto Factoids and C.N.N for week of Sept 6th 2015 – TBird and Studebaker
I wonder what Slone would say today to his ‘ladder’ being ‘obsolete’. Pontiac and Olds are evidence of the ‘ladder’ failure at GM.
I often wonder if GM had merged Saturn and Olds and kept the formula of customer focus that made Saturn such a runaway success the ladder might have continued.