KMII
[Montblanc Moderator]
51050
Automotive executives from the past…
Wouldn’t want to discuss the managerial prowess here - something that’s mostly exceedingly difficult to do from the outside (for ages Jack Welch was considered a prodigy) - but in terms of coolness the old days definitely had something to offer.
Pictured here is Bob Lutz, after crashing an Opel he test drove and waiting for the rescue effort to arrive. From a certain seniority level onwards a sense of unflappability becomes standard 😉
Any other specimen you can think of?
Picture from: The Truth About Cars
Automotive executives from the past…
Wouldn’t want to discuss the managerial prowess here - something that’s mostly exceedingly difficult to do from the outside (for ages Jack Welch was considered a prodigy) - but in terms of coolness the old days definitely had something to offer. Pictured ...
Bernd Pischetsrieder…
He managed to crash a rare McLaren F1 on a country road nr Munich. The accident, which involved the chairman, his wife, and a friend, caused slight injuries but resulted in a significant amount of damage to the car 😱 ...
That looks like a tad more damage than the Opel suffered 😁
Cool picture and thanks for digging it up 👍🏻 The episode jogs the memory vaguely - didn’t seem to damage his career, though (these things never do). Even after in hindsight questionable Rover acquisition he went on to a career at VW. Not sure if there are...
Indeed 😊👍🏻
Classic Murray, driver in the central position and a passenger on each side, set back a bit 👍🏻
Indeed, here I am alone but you can see the seats
“My elbow would be in her lap” unless both my hands were on the wheel ...
I Admire Greatly the L'Avvocato
His Life is a Cautionary Tale for Me. An Automotive Executive I also admire is Luca di Montezemolo Source: www.thegentlemansjournal.com ...
I beg to slightly differ on the latter…
Having had a handful of first hand experiences, he was anything but a gentleman 🤷🏻♂️
'Maximum Bob'....
is easily in my top 3 automotive executives of all time, his book Car Guys vs Bean Counters is likewise a favorite 🤘😃
Lloyd Reuss & his son Mark
True car-loving execs within General Motors. “June 3, 2018, Reuss crashed the Corvette ZR1 pace car that he was driving in the first corner of the first pace lap at the 2018 Detroit Grand Prix, leading to a lengthy delay, and unwanted publicity … Reuss an...
I was hoping you would chime in 🤞🏻👍🏻
Thanks a lot for this - definitely deserving members that you added. The Buick alone was a great piece and doing the records oneself is of course cool 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Any others from your vast experience?
My favorite is Bob Lutz who was already mentioned
I’ve seen him at many events; always with something interesting to say. ...
Next to him would be Carlos Ghosn
Formerly the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors. Whatever the situation, he found a way to make things change and usually for the better. Most nota...
Most certainly a complex character…
And as you say, the stories are still unfolding 😁 Remember the story from his early Nissan days. He had a translator who was parallel translating for him whenever he went. She seemed to take to the role with enthusiasm, to the point, where the story went ...
The Wikipedia article says he spoke 4 languages well and a smattering of others (but a translator is a useful ally at all times)
When I was doing business in China (Nineties) I would tell a joke to the translator in English, and if my contact laughed before the joke was translated I knew he’d have enough English that I had to be careful what I said... Dealership service department ...
How very cool 👌🏻🙌🏻
Things have changed dramatically indeed. As for the joke - I know well what you mean 😉
