This extremely rare 1951 Vincent White Shadow (one of 15) in Chinese Red sold for $434,000 at the Bonhams Las Vegas motorcycle sale, setting a new high mark for Vincents at auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ General Motors reports it sold a record 9.84 million vehicles worldwide in 2015, closely trailing Volkswagen with 9.93 million and Toyota with 10+ million. More at The Detroit News.
+ Ford will include automatic start-stop as standard on all F-150 pickups equipped with EcoBoost turbocharged engines in 2017, including the high-output Raptor. More at Forbes.
+ Volkswagen announced it will not duplicate its U.S. compensation program for diesel owners in Europe, rejecting a demand from the European Union’s industry commissioner. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ For the first time in its history, the Indianapolis 500 will have a presenting sponsor in 2016 with PennGrade Motor Oil signing a three-year deal worth $5 million. More at the Indianapolis Star.
+ Configured especially for the sports car purist, the 475 hp Porsche 911 R will reportedly debut at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. More at Motor Trend.
+ In a visit to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, President Barack Obama touted the resurgence of the U.S auto industry, citing record sales and 646,000 new jobs. More at CNN.
+ In the first federal trial over a faulty General Motors ignition switch, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman urged the parties to resolve the case after evidence surfaced that cast doubt on plaintiff’s testimony. More at Reuters.
+ At the annual Bonhams Las Vegas motorcycle auction, classic Vincent V-Twins swept the top six spots, led by a rare White Shadow that sold for a record $434,000. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ In a blunt interview with Sirius/XM Radio, Sprint Cup owner/driver Tony Stewart called on NASCAR chairman Brian France to take a more active role at the racetrack. More at USA Today.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from January 18 here.
Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
I am glad to see GM in the running as far as vehicle sales is concerned. It should never have been kicked out of #1 as far as I’m concerned. I worked for a small town GM dealership for a number of years and I was astounded at the negative press and public opinion(s) that came out. Throughout the 70s and early 80s I heard so much negative comments and press yet I hardly ever experienced any of those incidents first hand. I remember bantering with an import dealer who confronted me with: ‘Domestics are always breaking down and Imports run forever.’ I simply asked him why his dealership employed four more mechanics than the GM dealership across the street when the GM shop was actually selling more product. That all but ended the argument. I added that the stories about imports being better and more reliable than domestic cars was a fabrication by the imports themselves as I (and many others) hadn’t seen any incriminating evidence, and we were in the trenches working on the stuff.
Another burr under my saddle is this stuff about ignition switches. From what I’ve seen the failures are usually in vehicles where the driver has got a ring with at least as many keys as the average high school janitor has. I’m surprised that the steering column doesn’t collapse. Yet it’s GM’s fault? And, I might add that it seems odd that GM is being drug through court for installing an ignition switch that (to my knowledge) is also installed on other makes as well. Why aren’t those users getting their backsides hauled into court?