Do you have to be a guy to be a "son"? Speed is a function of cash.
Stopping is temporary. In Catapult1.jpg you see the raceboat I drove
winning the P2 Performance class title 2003 Regionals, that's me on
the right in the driver's seat while on the St Clair river, St Clair, MI
in the Silver Cup Series. Thumbsup.jpg is skydive pic shot this summer
14,000 ft over MI Intl Speedway near Tecumseh, MI. There's car race pix
laying around here somewhere. Do we need a chick club? Not for me.
Go Fast,
Colleen
Detroit, MI
I am Ken Lipka and I joined through Charlie when I was at Petersen Publishing with him in
1988 as Tom Ballou and Donna Jacobites will attest!
Scott Crago, drummer for the rock band the Eagles was inducted into the Sons of Danger in a private ceremony administered backstage at an Eagle’s show. In attendance were the usual backstage cast of groupies, roadies, entertainment directors and other various unknown by-standers.
Pat Schunk brought him aboard. Pat is another rocker who snuck in through Chuck Riley and a crazy motorcycle deal. Pat is obviously trying to infiltrate our sedate ranks with the wild ones.
However, it is not because of his music fame that got Crago into the SOD, (normally musicians and other entertainment people are shunned) it is because he is a true road warrior who chews up the pavement with his Harley or his Boss Mustang.
Scott Crago is now an honored member of the Sons of Danger and entitled to all the rights and privleges that membership allows.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (6/29/04) Exotic automobiles and high definition television are a natural fit. Subscribers to INHD and INHD2, cable’s most widely distributed all-HD networks, will get an eyeful starting July 8 at 7pm EDT, when “ The Chicago Auto Show: Dreams On Wheels” premieres on INHD2. The program repeats at 10:30pm EDT and reappears throughout the month.
SNAKE BIT The inside story of Carroll Shelby’s controversial Shelby Series 1 as told by Sons of Danger member, Eric Davison.
This is what autoextremist.com has to say about it.
Eric Davison. If you want the definitive, inside look at what happened with Carroll Shelby's last,
ill-fated sports car project, check out "Snake Bit - Carroll Shelby's Controversial Series 1 Sports Car"
by Eric Davison. The author was there from the blue-sky beginning, all the way to the bitter end, and
it's a fascinating account of everything involved in attempting to get this kind of project off of the
ground, let alone keeping it up and running - and solvent. It's at once uplifting and unbelievably frustrating
as the egos of all the parties involved spin out of control and crash together, leaving the project in a heap at the end.
There are real heroes in this story - dedicated people whose skill and determination save the project from
imminent ruin throughout the book, at times on a daily basis. And there are plenty of villains in the book,
too, and it exposes some of these malicious players as a virulent strain of incompetent slime who never
should have been allowed anywhere near the project. It's also amazing to read how Carroll Shelby himself
kept his distance from the project - almost "phoning it in" at times. If you think you know what it's like
to design, build and manufacture an all-new sports car from scratch, think again - this book will open your
eyes and have you laughing, wincing and shaking your head, sometimes all on the same page. It's exceptionally
well-written, too, which is a credit to Eric Davison - and we consider it a "must read" for car enthusiasts
and anyone even remotely connected to the industry. You can order it at The
Sons Of Danger.
Get an autographed copy for $24.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling.
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW GLEAMS IN HIGH DEFINITION DEBUT JULY 8
Bill Baker hosts with guest commentator William Jeanes
Roger Ward, RIP
Roger Ward, one of racing's greats died on July 5. Aside from being a great racecar driver, Roger Ward was a genuinely nice man who always had the time to chat about racing, provide autographs and tell wonderful stories. While he was a two time winner of the 500, the one exploit of his that we will never forget was that awe inspiring time when, in the late 50s, he took an Offy midget to Lime Rock and blew away a field of pretty impressive European road racing machinery.
He later said that it was a combination of a wide, smooth track and proper gearing that enabled him to pull it off. It was also the result of a great sense of humor to have been there on the first place and world-class ability.
Roger, we'll miss ya!
Terrible Crash of a Dear Friend
Now, it is my sad duty to relay news of a terrible crash by Steve Thompson, former editor of Road Test and Car and Driver and longtime contributor to AutoWeek. He's been a rider for most of his 56 years including racing the Isle of Mann and other UK venues.
He nearly bought it on Saturday. Here's the e-mail from Bob Sinclair.
Longtime pal Steve Thompson was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Friday, having collided head-on with an oncoming car. Here is a brief report I received from our mutual friend Paul Adams:
Steve Thompson was critically injured in a motorcycle crash yesterday PM. While returning from dinner on Adrian Page's Triumph Tiger, Steve, for some unknown reason, drifted across the road and impacted an oncoming car head on. He was heloed
to a hospital in Baltimore where he underwent 10 hours of surgery and is now in an ICU ward where he remains unconscious.
He, among other things, suffered a crushed pelvis, two broken wrists, a broken arm, compound fracture of a leg, and head
trauma of unknown intensity. Prognosis is not good.
The following report on the accident as published in the local paper: Motorcyclist critical in head-on wreck with car
A St. Margarets man was in critical condition this morning after his motorcycle ran head-on into a car last night near his home.
County police said Steven L. Thompson, who turned 56 yesterday, was eastbound on St. Margarets Road when he crossed the center
line on a curve, hitting a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina driven by Helio Teixeira.
Mr. Thompson was thrown onto the windshield of the Chevrolet, then over the length of the car before landing on the road. The
car veered off the road and hit a telephone pole.
Mr. Thompson was flown by state police helicopter to the Shock-Trauma Center at University Hospital in Baltimore.
Mr. Teixeira, of the Walnut Ridge area outside Annapolis, was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center with less serious injuries,
a county fire official said.
The accident occurred about 8:45 p.m. near Old Mill Bottom Road.
As of noon yesterday he was reported in a coma, perhaps induced by the hospital to stabilize his condition since I understand he was conscious and coherent, speaking with the ambulance personnel, when taken to the hospital.
When I hear more, I'll pass the info along.
Bob Sinclair
Santa Barbara
UPDATE 5/31
I just received the following report from friend John Stein. Pat Hall is the designated person in Maryland who is taking phone inqueries so Lanny doesn't get barraged with calls from Steve's concerned friends and associates. The e-mail addresses referred to by John are his short list. I'll forward anything new to everyone receiving this message from me.
Bob Sinclair
Santa Barbara
All,
I just talked with Pat Hall about Steve. As of Monday he's stable but still in critical condition. He opened his eyes and responded to Lanny and her daughter's presence today.
They say progress from here will be very slow - "measured in millimeters." He is breathing with a ventilator and is sedated to allow his system to tolerate this. Eventually sometime soon they want him off the ventilator. There is some concern over his kidney function at this point.
I am providing Pat with our email addresses and she will give us updates as she gets them. But basically the hospital has told Lanny that they will give her new information when his condition changes.
All for now, send him some good vibes.
John,
While Steve isn't an SOD, I'd like to so nominate him. I'm sure the news that he now is among our ranks will hasten his recovery. I don't recommend riding into oncoming traffic as a means of getting into this group however. Everyone, please send one up for him.
Baker #13
Click play button to see movie
If Detroit could figure out how to put one of these in every car, they could make nuthin' but UGOs.
FWD, RWD. What’s the difference as long as you have your health!
We can’t help but laugh at the dilemma that Chrysler faces over how to sell rear wheel drive cars. It is not like any domestic car dealer has been selling anything other than price for the past 20 years. Fwd, rwd; what’s the difference? What’s the rebate?
Front wheel drive was a cost expedient that had a side benefit of putting big weight on the d riving wheels thereby giving better traction in the snow. Fwd was cheaper but full-sized fwd cars sure didn’t drive any better.
I doubt that the average motorist has any idea what wheels are the driven ones. Automotive styling has never provided a clue. Cars have always been designed to look like regular rear wheel drivers so what the hell….?
Years ago the head of Renault spoke at an SAE meeting and wondered aloud how the US car companies could continue to make rear wheel drive cars when fwd was so much cheaper. The GM Opel management retorted with the reverse; how could Renault afford to build fwd cars.
Pretty soon fwd became the norm for US cars and us poor enthusiasts have been poorer for it.
So, how do you sell rear wheel drive Chryslers?
If we were Chrysler we would merely ask their partners at Mercedes. I mean has anyone ever seen an fwd Benz? Failing a response from M-B, Chrysler might try asking BMW, Lexus, Infinity or a few of the others who decided to keep the driver foremost.
What the hell, even Cadillac is catching on.
The bigger question is: how does Chrysler sell something so big and ungainly as their new behemoth?
Retro, schmetro!
Not too long after looking at the releases on the upcoming Mustang, we attended a Shelby American Automobile Club function in Las Vegas.
This is not to say that the new Mustang isn’t a pretty automobile and is not about ten times better than its predecessor but…
After looking at Mustang fastbacks from the ‘60s, it appears that Ford broke its butt to create something that looks like the originals but is not as good looking.
With a clean piece of paper and the opportunity to do something really great and really interesting, making a copy of the original seems a bit of a waste. It sure ain’t daring and it sure doesn’t push the envelope.
Mr. Shelby
At 81 and with a new Cobra being readied to go, the old Texan has a new lease on life and to judge by all the activity surrounding him, you would think he just had his 50th birthday. Maybe it’s the chili?
Are We Nuts?
When General Motors hired Harley Earl to add some zest to their vehicles, they made him the head of the “Art and Color” department. As time progressed and GM cars began to be better looking, a vast department called “Styling” emerged with studios for each of the car lines.
Eventually it was decided that ‘styling’ was not as appropriate as design. “Styling” implied something like fashion: styles that came and went like hemlines and Nehru jackets. Design was the new word. Design is far more worldly and implied such things as Eames chairs. Great design lasts and style fades.
To look at great automobile designs of the past such as the coffin nosed Cord and the Figoni et Falaschi Lago Talbots is to look at great design. There have been recent examples of great design. GM has especially made significant contributions. The ’71 Camaro with its Ferrari-like egg crate grill. The ’63 Sting Ray split window coupe. There are others that constitute great design. BMW had, until recently, classic design that was a visual interpretation of ‘great driving machines.’ The VW Jetta is a lovely example of great proportions in a small car.
It seems to us that we are returning to the past. Design has given way to fashion (style). SUVs with huge wheels and pinched green houses. (Angry appliances is what I recall Lutz called them.) The silly looking new Chevy Nomad and the bubble topped Chevy pick up. These are not design; these are fashion statements!
Since the entire car market is nothing but a bunch of relatively small niches, maybe this is correct.
But. The new Cadillac STS is a fine car. The best anyone can say about its looks is that “it’s different.” Since it is much easier to sell a good-looking car as opposed to an ‘iffy’ looking car you can’t help but wonder what they had in mind.
In the same vein, BMW appears to be trying an experiment to determine just how ugly the cars can get before people stop buying them. Is it arrogance? We recently read an interview with the genius Chris Bangle who was distressed that ‘people weren’t listening to his side of the discussion.’ There are not two sides. Either the car appeals to people or it doesn’t and Bangle can’t accompany every sales person to explain to the customer why he really should applaud the appearance.
Ah, well. The good side is that we can have a car for every possible use and taste. We just wish they wouldn’t use the word ‘design’ when describing the latest fashion.
Belated Happy New Year!
Let’s hope that 2004 brings good health, fast bikes and great racing to all.
Our dear friends at AutoWeek recently acknowledged the passing of our founder, Charlie Alexander, last year. It was nice of them to do so and we appreciate it.
Speaking of Alexander, yet another member turned
up who had been personally anointed by Charlie, but whose name escaped
the files that he turned over to us. So, another old member now back
on the list is Rick Fischer, car crazy, biker and Honda dealer from
Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Carroll Shelby has reached yet another couple of milestones. First of all, he just turned 81, a time when most people, legends or otherwise, would be slowing down. Not so our Mr. Shelby who’s recent re alliance with the Ford Motor Company has resulted in an all-new Cobra. What was revealed at the Detroit Auto Show was a ‘concept’ based on the 6.4-liter Ford V-10. This is guaranteed to be a genuine Shelby screamer.
While it was announced as a concept this one will probably make it into production within two years. Let’s hope so.
So, happy birthday, Mr. Shelby and we look forward to having your new Cobra chew up the pavement the way all your cars have done.
The auto show season is upon us and all the important and semi-important car journalists are getting their annual ego polish from the car companies. So far it all seems pretty ho hum. (Except for the new Cobra and the Chrysler “o my god” car).
How about you members identifying some nut cases worthy of our brotherhood of nutballs? Once we are all gone, the game is over. Think about it. Maybe Grandfathers of Danger?
The Iron-Bottom
Don’t know how we could have missed it but there is a rally
that has been ongoing for five years and is one of the few
events that is right down the alley of the Sons of Danger.
It is the Iron-Bottom and this year’s event (the sixth running)
will start form the Rose Bowl parking lot in Pasadena, California.
Be there at 7:00 a.m. It begins on April 8, 2004 and concludes
on April 10.
It sounds like it has all the organizational foo fraws and
traditions of a Sons of Danger event. The Iron-Bottom is a
creation of Ed Pasini who sort of organizes the affair. There
are no fees, no food, make your own hotel reservations. The
event is open to 1975-and earlier sports and GT cars but if
you show up in anything else, Mr. Pasini says there isn’t a
damn thing he can do about it.
Sounds like a hell of an event to us and Mr. Pasini sounds
like our kinda guy.
What’s With These Van Halen Guys?
A while back we reported that Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony had, according to the New York Times, the coolest car in California, a Shelby Mustang GT 500 convertible. Now, AUTOMOBILE Magazine reports that former Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar is the possessor of an XKE, a Shelby GT500, a Ferrari Daytona, a Ferrari 512Bbi and a ’55 T-Bird. His daily driver is a Ferrari 465 GT.
To think that we can’t carry a tune!
“Auto shows are important business and social events for the Sons of Danger.
Click Here to see all of the full slide show
(May need Powerpoint Viewer to see)
Funny is
funny!
Sometimes you never know if a comedian is really funny.
Sometimes they have an uncanny ability to read lines.
Since his show comes on way past our bedtime, it is hard to
judge whether or not his comic routines are funny. But…we recently
read that comic/car guy Jay Leno was given a Maybach to evaluate.
Jay Leno must be funny because he took the Maybach directly
through a drive-in window at McDonalds. Imagine returning it
to the factory with hamburger wrappers and old French fries
on the floor and catsup stains on the upholstery?
"Captain
Chaos"
Mistakes Made Lessons Learned
By Christopher A. Sawyer, Executive Editor
Automotive Design & Production
In his career, Herb Adams has pretty much done it all, and
made mistakes along the way. Those stumbles, he claims, not
only helped him grow, they are essential to the proper development
of individuals, teams, and organizations.
Besides being something of a mythic character to Pontiac Trans-Am
owners (see box, "Mistakes Along the Way"), Herb Adams is an
engineer at American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM; Detroit, MI).
There, he is deeply involved in the company's I-Ride program,
designing and developing independent suspension systems that
bolt in place of live axles on existing light trucks and SUVs.
Yet his experience and attitude are trusted commodities in
an industry that has seemingly put its collective faith in
younger employees. "There is a definite benefit to having ‘gray
hairs' in the organization," says Ron Schoenbach, director,
Chassis Engineering at AAM. "They don't have all of the answers,
but they can help guide some of the younger engineers in the
right direction." It doesn't hurt, Schoenbach adds, when that
mentor isn't someone who has been around so long that they
think they have seen and done it all. "You need a visionary," he
says, "a person with a ‘can-do' attitude." A person like Herb
Adams. Don't let the Sant a-like gray hair and beard, or the
drawing board fool you. Herb Adams understands the need for
modern design tools, but believes successful engineering requires
the proper use of all of the tools available, even when they
may seem out-of-date by some. A New Approach Developing I-Ride
is a study in fast, get-it-done teamwork and development. Realizing
that Ford's across-the-board application of independent rear
suspensions (IRSs) on SUVs locked it into a higher cost structure
and reduced differentiation of models, Adams put together a
team charged with investigating the creation of a bolt-in IRSn
module for live axle vehicles, one that requires no modifications
to the floor pan. The team consisted of Adams, his boss, Jim
Downs, two finite element analysis (FEA) people, two computer-aided
design (CAD) people, and two people from the shop. "We shared
resources with our Advanced Axle and Rear-Steer groups, and
traded things back and forth as needed." Team interactions
were comparatively ad hoc, what Adams describes as "Come over
to my pod and tell me what you think" sessions that would happen
during the development. "That kind of stuff," he explains, "draws
on the practical experience of the people working on the project." But
what about things like CAD and FEA? How do they fit into this
free-wheeling design process? Says Adams, "They're tools that
you have to learn to use correctly, just like you learned to
use a drawing board," (Adams does admit to oc casionally using
a drawing board), "though in many instances it's faster to
study the problem, design the part in the shop, and then transfer
that to the model." The information gained from this quick
development process is used to create simulations, and quickly
refine the model. Something, Adams admits, "that wouldn't be
possible if you had al l of the hours in the world with a drawing
board and calculator." And advanced technology notwithstanding,
it's worth noting that the first I-Ride module–which underwent
changes and further development before it became an actual
product–was actually manufactured on a lathe and mill in Jim
Downs' garage. The initial I-Ride independent rear suspension
module was created in the project director's garage, though
experience and little bureaucracy guarantee that new designs
can go from an idea to the street in three months. The program's
premise is simple: to offer OEMs the benefits of IRS with little
hassle, much lower cost than an all-IRS platform, and greater
differentiation among related brands. Experience Matters This
approach was refined during Adams' racing days, but draws upon
a deeper well of experience. One that, he feels, often is overlooked. "You
learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes," he
says. "If you're not pushing the boundaries, you're not making
mistakes. And if you're not making mistakes, you're not learning." Cognizant
of the fact that corporations are risk-averse, Adams admits
that turning engineers loose without any guidance is self-defeating.
He suggests pairing new recruits with more experienced hands,
while making sure there's room for them to grow. "It's important
to have someone guide you along the way," he says, "who is
flexible enough to let you make some mistakes as you proceed." As
Adams sees it, this lets the new recruit–who may be an experienced
engineer in a new position, or a recent college graduate–gain
experience without threatening the successful completion a
project, or putting a company in financial jeopardy. "There
are two ways to approach a project," he says. "You can be very
exact, very precise, and dead-perfect the first time. Or you
build it, test it, and redesign it. Usually it takes a combination
of the two approaches to be successful, but you often learn
much, much more the second way." Adams also believes it is
necessary to build a team made up of younger and older members
who come from more than one discipline, and create an atmosphere
in which each member is willing to learn from the others. In
addition, bureaucracy must to be minimized to allow the team
to focus on its task, and make the most out of its inevitable
mistakes. "If you're working on a brand new product," Adams
says, "you'd better get used to the fact that you'll need to
go through four or five iterations before you get something
good out of it," but that this learning curve means, "it's
easier to zero-in on the correct answer the next time around." It's
a lesson he learned on the race track. "Good engineering is
like racing," Adams says. "Don't talk about it. Do it. Because
they're not going to delay the race for you." Mistakes Along
the Way Best known as a father of the Pontiac Trans-Am and
the division's Super Duty V8, Herb Adams has a fondness for
racing. While at Pontiac, he and his engineering team wanted
to go racing, but knew their bosses would never stand for–or
fund–an effort built around Pontiac's pony car. Undaunted,
legend has it that they took Mrs. Adams' 80,000-mile 1964 Pontiac
Tempest, de-stroked the 389-in.3 motor, and brought the car
up to race spec. It was entered in the opening round of the
Sports Car Club of America's 1971 Trans-Am championship to
howls of laughter from better funded competitors with newer
vehicles. Unable to qualify, the car was allowed to start from
the back of the pack, whereupon it moved through the field,
and was running second behind eventual winner Mark Donohue's
factory-supported Penske Racing AMC Javelin when the engine
quit. The publicity that followed the unfunded, after-hours
racers was enormous, as were the repercussions. In short order,
and reportedly with some "help" from Roger Penske, the project
was shut down by Pontiac's chief engineer. This wasn't Adams'
only defeat. His X-4-powered small car program – one of as
many as 19 small car research programs coursing through GM
in the late 1960s and early 1970s–fell afoul of Ed Cole's drive
to make GM an all-Wankel car company. Both Adams and the program–GM's
second X-4 engine design (Charles Kettering built the first
in the 1930s)– were transferred to GM's Tech Center where it
continued development as a two-stroke diesel before its eventual
cancella tion. Caught in the post-John DeLorean backwash (Adams
was seen as one of DeLorean's guys), he joined DeLorean's brother
Jack to design vehicles for Grand Prix of America, a go-kart
racing venture that quickly went bust. Next came a series of
eight matched cars commissioned by Pontiac for an International
Race of Champions-style racing series that never got off the
ground. This work, however, catapulted Adams into the automotive
aftermarket with VSE, and set the stage for Adams and his son
to begin building AC Cobra replicas in California. "Then my
son decided he wanted a chance to run that business himself,
and I got a job offer from AAM," says Adams. He may have been
fortunate to not be asked to work on John DeLorean's failed
sports car project, but that hasn't turned Adams off to automaking.
The word on the street suggests he may produce a vehicle of
his own design once his time is up at AAM. When asked about
the prospect, all Adams did was smile as he covered up the
stunning red car in the photo on his cubicle wall.
"BILL BAKER
TO RETIRE AFTER A 30-YEAR CAREER IN AUTOMOTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS "
IRVINE, CA, November 17, 2003 – William E.“Bill” Baker will
close a 30-year career in automotive
public relations when he retires December 31, 2003 from his
position as Director, Special Projects for Land Rover North
America, Inc. Baker was one of the original eight executives
who founded the company that brought the Range Rover to America
in 1986 leading to the luxury sport utility phenomenon.
Baker, 59, served as Vice President of Corporate Communications
from 1988 until taking up a three and a half year assignment
in Britain in 1997 to chair the global 50th anniversary celebration
for Land Rover and to launch the compact Freelander and Discovery
Series II vehicles. He returned to the US after Ford Motor
Company acquired Land Rover in 2000, relocating to Irvine,
California in 2001 when Land Rover was merged with Jaguar and
Aston Martin under the Premier Automotive Group.
Baker has spent nearly 18 years with the company directing
product launches, retailer communications, media relations.
He served on the Operating Committee of Land Rover North America
and is best known for staging expeditions to exotic parts of
the world to demonstrate Land Rover capabilities and to promote
their safe, environmentally responsible use.
“Bill was instrumental in getting the media to pay attention to a small company
selling niche products by using innovative and creative techniques to involve
the press in the world in which Land Rover is used,” said Mike O’Driscoll, president
of Aston Martin Jaguar Land Rover. “I would like to pay tribute to his long,
varied and distinguished career and wish him a long and happy retirement with
his wife Marylynn.”
Larry Rosinski, 36, will succeed Baker, becoming Director of
Land Rover Communications O’Driscoll announced. Rosinski has
been with the Land Rover organization since 2000 as the Market
Research Manager, having joined from an 11-year career at Maritz
Research. Rosinski is a 1989 graduate of Miami University of
Ohio with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and statistics.
“Larry’s a solid manager and team builder who understands the product and the marketplace,” said
O’Driscoll. “We’re counting on him to lead communications through what will be
the most dramatic product introduction program in Land Rover's history in the
US market, in the next few years. To do this he will work very closely with me
and the Land Rover North American and HQ management and Pr teams, to provide
the best possible service to the media."
Bill Baker began his working career as a broadcast newsman
in Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. A life-long car enthusiast, Baker
started a road test series in the sports segment of WEWS-TV
news in Cleveland. It caught the attention of Ford Motor Company
which hired him in 1973 to be part of its broadcast media relations
and communications department.
Bill moved from Ford to join Volvo as manager of public relations
in 1975. In 1978 he moved to Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari North America
where he served as Director of Corporate Communications. When
Fiat left the US market, Baker became Vice President Corporate
Communications for Sony Corporation of America where he was
credited with leading the industry coalition that won the historic “Betamax
Case.” In 1983, Baker established his own public relations
firm serving Chrysler and other accounts on the East Coast
until joining Land Rover in 1986.
Baker was a Founder of Tread Lightly! Inc., a non-profit organization
created to protect public lands; a Founder of the Washington
Automotive Press Association and a past Director of the International
Motor Press Association. He currently serves as a Member of
the Board of the non-profit Drive Around the World organization
of Los Gatos, California which is staging a global expedition
to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease research.
Baker attended the University of Illinois and Kent State University
as well as various professional seminars including crisis communication
and conflict resolution at Harvard University. He was a guest
lecturer at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business
and at the University of Maryland School of Journalism. Baker’s
role in launching a premium British vehicle in the North American
market, and the company’s subsequent success, is a case study
at the Harvard Business School.
Calling on his film and video communication skills during his
years at Land Rover, Baker produced and narrated numerous documentaries
about Land Rover expeditions. These included the Great Divide
Expedition, ESPN, 1989; La Ruta Maya, espn2, 1994; Mongolia:
An Expedition of Discovery, The Learning Channel, 1997; Adventure
Quest , espn2; 1995. These, and other productions, have taken
Baker to nearly 70 countries and earned him membership in the
prestigious Explorer’s Club. In 1999, he participated in a
humanitarian relief effort to Bosnia-Herzegovina and was instrumental
in getting Land Rover vehicles for relief work to Albania during
the Kosovo war.
“ To be able to combine one’s passion - cars - with one’s vocation makes the
job so much more rewarding. To havehelped grow the Land Rover brand and be a
part of its legend, has been a great privilege, “ said Baker. “I’ve met many
dedicated people within the company and fascinating characters all over the world.
I can only say ‘Thank You,’ to those who had confidence in me, and to my wife
and family who had to eat quite a few dinners alone over the years.“
Baker and his wife Marylynn will remain in Laguna Niguel, California
where he plans to do documentary production, spend more time
on his sailboat and be able to visit their two daughters and
two grandchildren.
Cheers!
Bill
Don't know
who he is but with Viagra,
he would be sure hell."
"Good One"
From the state where drinking and driving is considered
a sport, comes this true story from Fall River , Massachusetts
.
Recently, a routine police patrol parked outside a local neighborhood
bar. Late in the evening, the officer noticed a man leaving
the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled
around the parking lot for a few minutes with the officer quietly
observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys
on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his own
car, which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as
a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally,
he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was
a dry night), flicked the hazard flasher on and off, tooted
the horn, then turned on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward
a few inches, reversed a little, and then remained stationary
for a few more minutes as more patrons left in their vehicles.
At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive
slowly down the street.
The police officer, having patiently waited all this time,
now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights,
promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer
test. To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence
of the man having consumed alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the
officer said, "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the
Police Station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken."
"I doubt it," said the man, "Tonight, I'm the designated decoy."
WE Baker
Added Rant
In his delightful column “Auto Extremist” fellow SOD member
Peter Delorenzo takes the whee out of BMW, Mercedes and Jeep
for losing track of their mission in life. We couldn’t agree
more except that we would add VW to the list.
From the makers of the ‘peoples car’ we now get $50,000 SUVs
and $70,000 Phaetons. Hopefully the quality of these ‘rich
peoples’ cars will be entitled to more quality than the common
folk are able to purchase with their Jettas.
We can remember being told by the VW Germans that the Rabbit
advertising wasn’t good enough because, in their belief, the
VW Rabbit that wouldn’t start in the winter and was priced
more than $1200 more than a Honda Accord was, in fact, a better
car.
automotive
public relations when he retires December 31, 2003 from his
position as Director, Special Projects for Land Rover North
America, Inc. Baker was one of the original eight executives
who founded the company that brought the Range Rover to America
in 1986 leading to the luxury sport utility phenomenon. 
marketplace,” said
O’Driscoll. “We’re counting on him to lead communications through what will be
the most dramatic product introduction program in Land Rover's history in the
US market, in the next few years. To do this he will work very closely with me
and the Land Rover North American and HQ management and Pr teams, to provide
the best possible service to the media."
