| This past New Years holiday weekend, I had planned | | | | alike, pedestrian offerings coming to us from Detroit? |
| on the ritual television viewing of endless college and | | | | Harley Earl at GM, Raymond Loewy at Studebaker, |
| professional football games with my son. He is home | | | | Lee Iacoca at Ford, John DeLorean at Pontiac, and |
| for Christmas break from university, and the last | | | | Virgil Exner at Chrysler were craftsman whose |
| weekend of each year we have always devoted to | | | | designs and styling cues influence the worldwide auto |
| eating, lazing and yelling at the screen as teams with | | | | design industry to this day. Can you name the lead |
| which we have no real interest slug it out in endless | | | | designer of any contemporary American auto model |
| gridiron skirmishes. However, this year, our viewing | | | | working today? They are as faceless, and colorless |
| habits were turned upside down by a re-run of a car | | | | as their vehicles. |
| auction. | | | | The classic "baby bird", the Ford Thunderbirds of the |
| Each January, the Barrett-Jackson Classic Automobile | | | | 1950's, were allowed to atrophy, became gluttonous |
| Auction takes place in Scottsdale, Arizona. The | | | | and boxy before being put to a long deserved death |
| auction takes the better part of a week and | | | | in the 1990's. A few years ago, Ford announced to |
| features the most stunning car stock in the world, | | | | great fanfare that the Thunderbird would be |
| selling for mind numbing prices to ultra-rich celebrities | | | | re-offered in the original two-seat sport roadster |
| and collectors. If you like cars, and as a child of the | | | | presentation. Expectations were high for the "new |
| 1960's I do, this is addictive stuff. My son and I saw | | | | baby bird", pre-production bookings encouraging and |
| very little football this weekend, as the auction ran | | | | publicity generous in anticipation of the return of this |
| hour after hour, a repeat of the January, 2006 | | | | American classic. |
| auction as shown on the Speed Channel, and we | | | | Sadly, the car proved a bust on every level. |
| were consumed. | | | | Performance was dull, lines and body silhouette a pale |
| Watching the auction was revealing on several levels: | | | | memory of the distinctive 1950's design and the |
| not only was the auction exciting, the cars beautiful | | | | public walked quickly away from the car. After only |
| and unique, the bidding spirited, but collectors demand | | | | three years of disappointing sales, the new |
| for American classics overwhelmed the markets | | | | Thunderbird was discontinued. |
| desire for all other types of collectible vehicles. | | | | Ford at least tried. My question, re-issued while |
| Ferrari's, Porsches and Maserati's were offered and | | | | watching the 2006 Barrett-Jackson auction was this: |
| sold, however, all of the record sale prices were | | | | Why didn't the new "Bird" body look exactly like the |
| achieved by American muscle cars from the 1960's | | | | old bird, gorgeous pastel colors, cutting edge styling |
| and 1970's. | | | | cues, continental kits, but with modern mechanics |
| Were ANY American automobile executives in | | | | under the hood? The "old Bird" is a recognized classic. |
| attendance, watching on television or even aware of | | | | Every collector wants a classic Thunderbird in the |
| the insatiable demand for their historic nameplates? | | | | garage. No one cared for the lame attempt at a |
| At a time when Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, | | | | pseudo-Bird as offered by today's Ford designers. |
| virtually all that is left of the once mighty American | | | | The contemporary American car business suffers for |
| auto business, are losing market share, bleeding cash | | | | many reasons, including legacy costs, past |
| and shuttering factories, the demand for | | | | management mistakes and bloated staffing. |
| once-pedestrian priced rolling stock is immense. | | | | However, the biggest mistake by far, and I believe |
| Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Hemi, Chevelle, Camaro, | | | | any casual viewer of the Barrett-Jackson auction |
| Firebird, Mustang, and dozens of other American auto | | | | would agree, is the stodgy, sameness of their |
| models, all once widely sold and, at prices virtually | | | | contemporary offerings. When a Cadillac, a Buick, a |
| every man could afford, commanded prices as high | | | | Hyundai and a Toyota look the same, the car with |
| as $2 million. That is right: $2,000,000! | | | | the lowest price, best warranty and best service |
| The re-run of the Barrett-Jackson 2006 auction | | | | history will claim the lions share of the sales. |
| underlined clearly what ails the American automobile | | | | Unfortunately these are not currently benefits |
| business and what the prescription for a return to | | | | associated with American cars. |
| the glory days must include. The engineers and | | | | The historic design pedigree that naturally could, and |
| designers of the mid-20th century American cars | | | | should be attached to American models has largely |
| loved the industry: They were car guys first, last, | | | | been forfeited. When a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda (original |
| always! Their designs and performance enhancements | | | | sticker price, $4000) sells for over $2 million and |
| reflected passion. Cars were more than mere mass | | | | Shelby Mustangs regularly sell for $1 million the |
| transportation; they were statements of creativity, | | | | market is making a clear statement. Is any body in |
| art and American leadership and inventiveness. Can | | | | Detroit paying attention? |
| any of these traits be applied to today's bland, look | | | | |