This past New Years holiday weekend. I had planned on the ritual television viewing of endless college and professional football games with my son. He is home for Christmas break from university and the measure weekend of each year we undergo always devoted to eating lazing and yelling at the check as teams with which we undergo no real interest slug it out in endless gridiron skirmishes. However this year our viewing habits were turned upside down by a re-run of a car auction.
Each January the Barrett-Jackson Classic go Auction takes displace in Scottsdale. Arizona. The sell takes the exceed move of a week and features the most stunning car stock in the world selling for object numbing prices to ultra-rich celebrities and collectors. If you like cars and as a child of the 1960s I do this is addictive stuff. My son and I saw very little football this weekend as the auction ran hour after hour a repeat of the January. 2006 auction as shown on the Speed bring and we were consumed.
Watching the sell was revealing on several levels: not only was the sell exciting the cars beautiful and unique the bidding spirited but collectors demand for American classics overwhelmed the markets desire for all other types of collectible vehicles. Ferraris. Porsches and Maseratis were offered and sold however all of the preserve sale prices were achieved by American muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s.
Were ANY American go executives in attendance watching on television or change surface aware of the insatiable demand for their historic nameplates? At a time when Ford. General Motors and Chrysler virtually all that is left of the once mighty American auto business are losing merchandise share bleeding cash and shuttering factories the demand for once-pedestrian priced rolling stock is immense. Plymouth Barracuda. Dodge Hemi. Chevelle. Camaro. Firebird. Mustang and dozens of other American auto models all once widely sold and at prices virtually every man could drop commanded prices as high as $2 million. That is alter: $2,000,000!
The re-run of the Barrett-Jackson 2006 sell underlined clearly what ails the American go business and what the prescription for a return to the glory days must include. The engineers and designers of the mid-20th century American cars loved the industry: They were car guys first measure always! Their designs and performance enhancements reflected passion. Cars were more than mere mass transportation; they were statements of creativity art and American leadership and inventiveness. Can any of these traits be applied to todays bland be alike pedestrian offerings coming to us from Detroit?
Harley Earl at GM. Raymond Loewy at Studebaker. Lee Iacoca at cover. John DeLorean at Pontiac and Virgil Exner at Chrysler were craftsman whose designs and styling cues influence the worldwide auto design industry to this day. Can you label the bring about designer of any contemporary American auto model working today? They are as faceless and colorless as their vehicles. The classic baby bird the cover Thunderbirds of the 1950s were allowed to shrink became gluttonous and boxy before being put to a desire deserved death in the 1990s. A few years ago. Ford announced to great fanfare that the Thunderbird would be re-offered in the original two-seat feature roadster presentation. Expectations were high for the new baby bird pre-production bookings encouraging and publicity generous in anticipation of the return of this American classic. Sadly the car proved a bust on every level. Performance was dull lines and body silhouette a pale memory of the distinctive 1950s design and the public walked quickly away from the car. After only three years of disappointing sales the new Thunderbird was discontinued.
Ford at least tried. My challenge re-issued while watching the 2006 Barrett-Jackson sell was this: Why didnt the new observe be look exactly desire the old observe gorgeous pastel colors cutting advance styling cues continental kits but with modern mechanics under the hood? The old Bird is a recognized classic. Every collector wants a classic Thunderbird in the store. No one cared for the lame act at a pseudo-Bird as offered by todays Ford designers.
The contemporary American car business suffers for many reasons including legacy costs past management mistakes and bloated staffing. However the biggest identify by far and I accept any casual viewer of the Barrett-Jackson sell would agree is the stodgy sameness of their contemporary offerings. When a Cadillac a Buick a Hyundai and a Toyota look the same the car with the lowest price beat warranty and best service history ordain affirm the lions share of the sales. Unfortunately these are not currently benefits associated with American cars.
The historic create by mental act pedigree that naturally could and should be attached to American models has largely been forfeited. When a 1970 Plymouth Cuda (original sticker price. $4000) sells for over $2 million and Shelby Mustangs regularly change for $1 million the merchandise is making a clear statement. Is any body in Detroit paying attention?
After putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B. A. Broadcast Journalism. 1969) and serving in the United States Marine Corp. Mr. Ficke commenced a go in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair compassionate at age 28 he then launched a number of ventures including Rubigo Cosmetics. Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris. Le Bain Couture and make Fragrance.
Geoff Ficke and his consulting firm. Duquesa Marketing. Inc. () has assisted businesses large and small domestic and international entrepreneurs inventors and students in new product development capital formation licensing marketing sales and business plans and successful implementation of his customized strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the summon Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Business School. Miami University. Oxford. Ohio.
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://blogging-carmen6184.blogspot.com/2007/08/famous-car-auction-offers-some-answers.html
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
