Land speed racer Walt Arfons (right, with driver Bobby Tatroe in the JATO-powered Wingfoot Express 2) has passed at age 96, following his brother Art, who died in 2007. Get this industry news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ The U.S Treasury is selling off another 30 million shares of General Motors stock worth $1.03 billion. More here at the Chicago Tribune.
+ Chrysler is pushing back against the federal government’s call to issue a recall on 2.7 million Jeeps to correct an alleged fuel tank defect. More here at USA Today.
+ Auto production in Brazil edged upward in May to establish a new record, with Fiat leading and VW and GM virtually tied for second. More here at Reuters.
+ GM will offer free maintenance for 24 months/24,000 miles on 2014 Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC models sold in the USA. More here at The Detroit Bureau.
+ Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has blasted Mercedes and Pirelli following their controversial private tire test. More here at the UK Mail online.
+ BMW and Mercedes will skip the traditional summer production break to meet sales demands outside Europe. More here at Bloomberg.
+ Walt Arfons, pioneering drag racer and land speed record contender, has passed away at 96. More here at the Akron Beacon Journal.
+ A British group in Surrey called TVR Motor Cars Ltd. has secured the rights to produce TVR automobiles. More here at Autocar.
More people have died from Jeep rear collisions resulting in fire than did from the infamous Ford Pinto. For that matter, more died from “unintended acceleration” in Toyota’s recall a few years ago.
I’m stunned to hear that TVR is still in business. They’re using the Morgan business model. Develop one popular chassis and sell it for the next eighty years. Is SAIC still building from the MGB chassis?
“GM will offer free maintenance for 24 months/24,000 miles”
What’s that involve these days? Two oil changes and one tire rotation?