I discovered Michael Furman’s photography whilst covering the Ralph Lauren car exhibit at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The two men were made for each other. Furman’s photographs portray automobiles as perfect objects: gleaming, seamless sculptures that exist outside the confines of entropic reality. Lauren’s collection IS perfect, restored to a level of flawlessness that makes an airbrushed cover shot of Britney Spears look like a photo booth snapshot. And then painted to a gloss to shame Adriana Lima’s luscious lips. When I talked to Furman about Lauren’s collection (Furman shot the catalogue), the artist showed an encyclopedic knowledge of GM’s design heyday. And now, here it is. The publisher was kind enough to send me a couple of copies [full description of the book after the jump]. One goes to Eddy for his birthday (today!). One goes to the commentator who can best tell me, in ten words or less, how GM can turn around its business. Thank you, in advance, for your submissions. [NB: to see the horizontal images properly, please click on them a second time]
“Produced with superb production values and complete editorial independence, Art and Colour is a must-have book for auto aficionados young and old, and will appeal to everyone who has a love affair with the style, elegance and excitement that have characterized General Motors cars, and with the design, romance and beauty of all great American automobiles.
Featuring the photography of Michael Furman, considered the world’s leading photographer of classic cars, and original essays by a virtual all-star team of America’s most distinguished automotive historians and journalists, the book was honored via a gala pre-publication introduction on August 17th at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the most prestigious classic car event in the United States.
With more than 280 pages of stunning color photographs and archival illustrations throughout its 320 pages, Art and Colour examines landmark General Motors designs from the inception of GM’s historic “Art and Colour Section” to the best of modern day and “future” automobiles, and presents most of the major cars–including one-of-a-kind concept cars and iconic cars–that have created General Motors’ legacy for the past 100 years.
The book features the early Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks that launched GM; the “Motorama” dream cars that defined a generation of post-war American culture; the Corvettes, Pontiacs and Chevys that powered automotive imagination in the ‘60s; and the latest concept cars, representing the leading edge of automotive design.
Distinguished essayists include Phil Patton of the New York Times, Ken Gross from Playboy magazine, Tracy Powell of Automobile Quarterly, Jerry Burton from Corvette Quarterly, and noted automotive historians Richard S. Adatto, Terry V. Boyce, Jeffery I. Godshall, Lawrence R. Gustin, Tony Hossain and Michael Lamm, as well as Ed Welburn, Vice President for Global Design at GM.
The book also features an introduction by Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of General Motors, and a forward by world renowned jeweler and car collector Nicola Bulgari. Noted automotive author Jonathan A. Stein served as the book’s editor–his third collaboration with Michael Furman–and design commentary is provided by Stewart Reed, Chairman of Transportation Design at the prestigious Art Center College of Design.”
It cant.
C-11: Fire Rick, No Union, Bondholder Haircut, Build Good Cars.
It might if a bankruptcy judge forces changes, drops brands.
John
remove retiree benefits, many dealers, current leadership. Find better designers.
(unfortunately, liquidation is more likely than ending retiree benefits)
Better cars. Better management. Better marketing. Better world. God.
Build a superior family of vehicles; the profits will follow.
Why the british spelling of Colour for an American company?
Build a time machine so you can undo past mistakes.
Just built a car that people want to buy, not a car that you want the people to buy.
Bankruptcy. Restart with new management, new dealers and no UAW.
Make like a Phoenix and let the old bird burn.
Screw Creditors
Bust Unions
Modular Car Platform
One Truck Platform
Start cutting infected limbs and repeat until solvent
Hire Hyundai marketing, Honda engineers, and bust up the Union.
sell everything and give the money back to the shareholders
Click heels together three times,
“I wish it were 1963…”
Eleven reorganization
Treasury flexibility makes it work
Chevrolet Cadillac profit
Bring European cars, kill union, give Farago and me millions.
“Fatten your animal for sacrifice, but keep your muse slender.”
Build quality, reliable, well designed vehicles with efficient manufacturing procedures.
Streamline product line and dealer network,pay wage and benefit package comparable to competition.
Stop bullshitting. Take bankruptcy, then build reliable cars with soul.
Note: Dictionary.com lists “bullshitting” as one word, not as two (bull shitting). Thank you for allowing me to use the BS word, and thank you for allowing me to explain it, I enjoyed that!
Dump Hummer, Saab, Saturn, Buick, GMC. Keep Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac.
No simple answer
can overcome the absence
of dedication.
ignore UAW, outsource production, build cars people want
Dazzle Dino-juice Diggers, Quality Questing Quants and Electron Evangelicals Everywhere.
Invent time machine. Set dial to 1955.
Continue beatings until morale improves.
ditch unions, upper management, saturn, pontiac, buick, saab
File bankruptcy, fire current management, get rid of unions.
“No, Mr. Bond… I expect you to DIE.”
Move corporate HQ to Alabama / Tennessee – Federal bailout will follow. :)
Act like our life depends on making the best cars
BETTER product than the competition. “As good” doesn’t cut it.
No simple answer
can overcome the absence
of dedication.
Haiku – nice. I’ll try.
GM stinks badly,
That is certainly no lie,
Bankruptcy it is.
Who dont believes in miracles is not a realist
Goodbye Buick, Pontiac, GMC and Saturn. We hardly knew ye.
Pray to God, light a candle and sacrifice Wagoner!
gather all inputs in big pile, detonate 20 megaton nuke.
—
BTW: LOVE the constraint idea! FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trucks only, visionary leadership, put me in charge. Not really
Rewind time to 1950 and start over.
When better cars are built, General Motors will build them.
My Entry #2:
Do the opposite of whatever you were doing.
Pay retirees, management with excess cars. Cut white collar jobs drastically.
Offer the company for free to Toyota or Honda.
5Y/60K BB, 10Y/100K PT and 3-6K tax credit. For all the working people.
:1 Product
:2 productivity
:3 customer service
:4 cost control
:5 focus
:6 goto :1
With Washington’s legislative help, keep Chevrolet & Cadillac. Dump dealers & union.
Make Cadillac great again. Sell Chevys to everyone else. Period!
To everybody working at GM:
Do the opposite of what Rick Wagoner orders.
The phoenix can only rise from ashes.
Prepackaged Bankruptcy, Chevy Cadillac, improve quality, competitive cars, UAW concessions.
Now I can replace Rick.
Get on all fours and become Toyota’s bitch for help.
This is fun! I sure hope we are allowed more than one try.
A program to guarantee resale value wouldn’t hurt either. It could be administered similar to warranties, with insurance or self-insurance. Such a guarantee would almost certainly bump up resale value. Because they have the option of that guarantee, car owners will demand more money for their used cars. I’m not sure if it would work better as a closed program, available only if they trade in for another GM product, or to guarantee the value regardless of how they sell/trade the car. Either way has its own advantages.
Seek the truth and become what you find.
Ronnie Schreiber :
That’s 78 words too many.
Stop squirming, start hacking, take back your dignity.
Plan beyond next quarter and make cars people will buy.
Quit while your ahead-less foolish company far behind everyone else.
Give me $20,000 a day.
I will turn it around.
Go bankrupt. Get rid of unions. Stop selling crap.
Give me $20,000 a day.
I will turn it around.
I’ll do it for $10,000 a day…
Ask yourself, “What would Brian Boitano do?”
a divine death
rebirthed hope from ash
success by gumption
Yes I know, Haiku Fail…
Give up; sell re badged camcords
Make the best that cost less. Throw poop at Wagoner.
Ten words? I can do it in two: Chapter 7.
After hearing about the vandalism in Michigan against imported cars, I will never even consider a UAW/CAW-made car. Put them out on the street so they can get a dose of reality. High school education with poor work habits does not get you a 6-figure salary in the real world.
Cars made with purpose, that don’t fill the UAW purse.
Note for those not familiar with the Sloan years:
GM – “A car for every purse and purpose.”
Lessons from designing and building Vette applied across the board
Run GM with engineers and marketing, not beancounters and Union.
Use the bailout to start new auto manufacturer down the street.
How to turn GM around part II:
Do not use
eight eight words
if market
demands ten.
Change name to Toyota.
It’s all about corporate culture. Change that, you change everything.
Hold gun to governments head, “BUY GM OR ELSE!”
I can do it in 3 words.
adopt. corker’s. compromise.
Build…me…a…car…that…I’d…actually…like…to…drive…
Do a 180.
Chuck Wagoner
Lighten Lutz
Dump all but three lines
Work!
A can of gasoline and a book of matches.
VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS…Return to Greatness is the answer.
Ten words? Can’t do it. I need at least…oh.
It can’t, but if it could: sublime product.
It can not be explained in 10 words or less
OK, all ready now. Detroit needs to change their…. damn!
Get rid of their stupid cars or import stupid people.
general motors best become specific with regard to motor vehicles
Force Union Enema.
Encourage Engineering Bulimia.
Allow Executive Seppuku.
Done.
Build cars that you would buy with your own money.
Third try:
What GM does in ten words, Toyota does in seven.
Repeal the government laws that murdered them.
(But the first poster (autonut) is far more accurate and only 2 words)
Through Process of elimination, Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and lots of Imagination.
Clone Bill Mitchell and fire the management.
Less brands & dealers, less labor & management, better marketing, cars & warranty.
Offer free oral sex for the lifetime of the car. Kidding.
That’s 78 words too many.
Robert, scroll up to 3:21. I count 8, not counting line numbers.
The second comment wasn’t a contest entry.
What, me prolix?
Reorganize in bankruptcy; be like Tesla — preorder the 2010 models.
Get:
-bankrupt,
-lean,
-new management,
-good marketing,
-rid of union!
Prepackaged Bankruptcy
Nationalize Healthcare
Can Wagoner
Chevy & Cadillac only
Make distinctive cars, keep cost and quality on par with competition.
Develop variable mobility, variable ownership, fast.
When better cars are built, Buick will build them.
If revenue = insolvency, then goto chapter 11.
Excellence without compromise.
Cut brands. Focus messages. Continually improve. Innovate. Don’t cut corners.
Flexible production. Non-combative supplier relations. Customer focused products. Babes.
Not quite what you asked for, but I’ll go with a quote:
“You see, I bought the Red Car so I could *dismantle* it.”
Cut lean as well as fat. Then be patient.
Make good cars and don’t saturate markets, isn’t it obvious?
Build cars people will buy. Sell them at a profit.
hang a U
Ego and hubris
prevent collective efforts.
Fuel is a poison.
or,
resurrect Harley Earl
Do what is right and do not fear failure.
Simple really: “Work Smarter, Not Harder.”
GM entered life
as a holding company.
No Entrepreneurs?
Holydonut: I really liked your first haiku. My vote goes to you…
Workers: Socialist Revolution
Bob Nardelli, Rick Wagoner: Special Prosecutor
FTW