#GM J-car

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

What a difference 44 years makes juxtaposition of Cadillac Cimarron, 1981 & Cadillac Optiq, 2025. The Cimarron was a new entry-level Cadillac based on GM's J-car platform, it was a marketplace failure and was cited in a 2007 list of the Worst Cars of all Time. The Optiq is a new entry-level electric SUV for the brand

[americaisdead]

radwood socal 2022. torrance, california.  november 2022

© tag christof

[automotiveamerican]

The 1929 "Pregnant Buick" Harley was not Happy!

The 1929 Buick, particularly the sedan models, featured a more bulbous body design compared to earlier, more angular and upright automotive styles. This design, with its rounded and somewhat protruding contours, led to the “Pregnant Buick” nickname. Harley Earl, who began his tenure at General Motors in 1927, was instrumental in transforming automotive design from a purely functional aspect to…

[seat-safety-switch]

They laughed at me, but I knew in my secret heart that I was having the hottest import night of all. The year was 2000, and owners of Honda Civics were watching their own cars duking it out with the cops on the nightly TV news. Lisa Kubo had just struck a blow for women’s rights everywhere by being the first lady in history to replace four head gaskets in one evening.

Front-wheel-drive, high-horsepower compact car drag racing was finally in style, and I was right there to enjoy it in my fibreglass-and-neon-clad 1984 Cadillac Cimarron. Totally stock, of course. Sure, the entire NHRA-mandated roll cage was filled with nitrous oxide, and the original engine had been gone over a few times by GM’s in-house performance team called “the Tim Hortons dumpster,” but basically the same car that Grandma Hitler picked up in late 1983.

There were a lot of differences between traditional NHRA drag racing and the new breed. For one thing, nobody would race a Cadillac over at the traditional tracks. And if they did, they’d know instinctively that any weirdo showing up in a rebadged Cavalier is either really slow, or extremely fast. Here, I was surrounded by racers who could quote every line of Vin Diesel’s most famous role, and knew a Honda Civic factory service manual back-to-front, but were completely unaware of the power potential of my humble luxobarge J-body, even clad in neon stripes and with a then-new Garrett ball-bearing turbocharger sticking out of the hood where the windshield washer bottle used to be.

Of course, even the best-laid plans can go awry. The Christmas tree had barely blinked the green when I saw a set of the parts store’s finest Corvette roller rockers go flying past my windshield, followed by about three-quarters (by volume, not area) of the cylinder head. That night, my chances of becoming an international compact-car racing celebrity came to an abrupt end. I did get the phone numbers of some import models at the after-show, but all of them hung up on me when I asked them if they knew anyone selling any fresh 2.2 litre blocks.

[radrage]

Fallout Companions and the Jobs They'd Have in a Modern AU

Cait: Physical Therapist. I feel like she'd be either a PT/OT or an actual therapist. Specifically for sportspeople. Though this is if Sole meets her post-boxing career. If not, well, she's a Boxer.

Curie: School Nurse. No doubt in my mind. She loves working with kids. Thinks they're the "future we all need". Also thinks they're adorable and the stories they have for her are always really sweet. She's adored by the entire school (which is probably an elementary/middle school) and always gives her patients a lollipop.

Codsworth: Butler/Nanny. That's a given. I mean, he's programmed to be a butler. Think an Alfred type-beat. Loves to cook on the side and his employers always love when he cooks for them.

Danse: OSHA employee/Safety Inspector. Another pretty obvious one. Is really vigorous and the GMs he shakes down always despise getting him for checks. Takes his job very seriously. Post BB (TBD what that translates to in a modern AU), he works as a freelance mechanic. Always some form of grease/oil on his uniform.

Deacon: Makeup Artist, duh. Or a SFX artist. Loves his craft, probably cosplays on the side. I don't have much to say for Deacon, but he probably holds competitions with his fellow artists for "best wig" and things like that. He hoards the entries to those comps.

Dogmeat: Instagram dog. 600k followers, MINIMUM. We love Dogmeat here, he deserves the best. Spends his days chasing ducks and barking at cars, much to Sole's (and DM's follower's) delight.

Hancock: Laid-back Gas Station employee. Sells weed on the side. Always zoinked out of his mind and probably needs a detox. Doesn't do much on the clock, but when his higher-ups come in, he straightens out. Pretends to not see the homeless people swiping ramen/chip packets because "Fuck capitalism. Homies need to eat."

MacCready: The homeless person Hancock refuses to call the cops on (/j). In seriousness, MacCready probably works as a freelance builder. For my Aussies, think a Tradie. Doesn't like his job and wants nothing more than to be a stay-at-home Dad, but needs to work for Duncan's sake. Very dusty, all the time.

Valentine: Grief Counsellor. Helps those who lost loved ones to manage their emotions. Always dreamed of being a detective, but never got the chance. I feel like that helps him connect with his patients as he lost something close to him as well. Maybe worked as a detective in his early days but had to retire after Winter's End?

Piper: English Teacher/assistant. Maybe works at the same school Curie does. Buys weed from Hancock. She wants to be a reporter, but a stable job is more important to her so she can care for Nat. Adores her kids, but despises the workload. Teaches night classes for those who struggle with English.

Preston: Works in the community department of the local government. Organises homeless drives, soup kitchens, etc. Really into charity work and probably volunteers on the side. Aggressively nice to everyone who comes into his office. "HAVE SOME TEA. PLEASE, EAT. EAT."

Strong: Works under MacCready. Demolitions expert. That or a Personal Trainer, for obvious reasons. He'd be really into whatever he does and keeps his head down for the most part. Goes to Piper's night classes.

x6: The manager who hates Danse. Probably works in a government-sanctioned building, so he actually works with Danse a lot. Sits in his office that probably has a catwalk over the actual building and looks down on his peasant employees. Think Lord Farquaad.

[rabbitcruiser]

Drive Your Corvette to Work Day

Many Corvette owners own other cars as well, and often only drive their Corvettes on special occasions. Corvettes are regularly driven on beautiful days or are taken to car shows, but usually aren’t used as commuter cars for work. But, today is different—today is Drive Your Corvette to Work Day. Sponsored by Mid America Motorworks, a supplier of aftermarket Corvette parts and accessories, the day has taken place since 2001. The goal is to get as many Corvette owners as possible around the world to drive their car, in order to show how popular the car is. It takes place on the Friday closest to June 30, the day in 1953 when the first Corvette came off the General Motors assembly line.

Harley J. Earl was no stranger to designing cars. He redesigned the LaSalle in the late 1920s, designed the Buick Y-Job—which is seen as being the first concept car, and also designed the GM Le Sabre. He then began working on “Project Opel,” which would turn into the Corvette. In its design, he took inspiration from the Jaguar XK120. On January 17, 1953, the Corvette was introduced at GM’s traveling Motorama display, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Later that year, on June 30, the first Corvette for consumers came off the assembly line at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan. Tony Kleiber, a worker at the plant, drove the first car off the line. The Corvette had been named by Myron Scott, a photographer for Chevrolet. After looking in the dictionary for a word that started with a “C,” in order to give the make and model phrase an alliterative effect, he found “corvette,” the name for a small warship that was fast and easy to maneuver.

At a time when most cars were built out of steel, the Corvette was the first sports car with a body made completely of fiberglass. There were only 300 built the first year, all of which were white convertibles with red interiors and black canvas tops. They otherwise used standard Chevrolet parts, such as the “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine, and the two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. Still, they could go from the speed of 0-60 in 11 seconds and could reach a speed of 110 mph. They had no exterior door handles, and no windows as well, just plastic curtains. They had a sticker price of $3,513, which is $32,979 in 2018 dollars. All were equipped with a $91 heater and $145 AM radio, which was added to the sticker price. 1953 models are worth much more now: the third Corvette produced was sold for 1.06 million dollars in 2006.

As of 2018, there have been seven generations of Corvettes (C1-C7). V8 engines were an option beginning in 1955, and 9 out of 10 buyers selected the option that year; all Corvettes have since been equipped with V8s. By the 1960s, the Corvette was known as America’s favorite sports car. The second generation (C2) of the car was produced from 1963-1967 and was known as the Sting Ray. One of the most popular Corvettes of all time is the 1963 model, which is unique for having a split rear window.

Corvettes have been produced in Flint, Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri, and since 1981, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where the National Corvette Museum also is also located. There were issues when making the 4th generation of the car, thus only one 1983 model exists, and production was continued with the 1984 models. The lone 1983 model can be seen at the Corvette Museum. Years after the first Corvette rolled off the assembly line, they still are towards the top of the pack for speed and acceleration. They have also been continually produced longer than any sports car or passenger car in the world.

Drive Your Corvette to Work Day is being observed today! It has been observed the closest Friday to June 30th since 2001.

Source

[sarahharmonbranding]

Product diffusion from the past -- Is it a bad sign that I've barely heard of these?

I really enjoyed this week's case, which covered the early product diffusion process of four offerings: a pre-packaged slice of peanut butter, a silver-lined bandage, Sirius/XM radios, and an "odor printer". I was struck by the absurdity of most of these offerings, despite the very real coverage they earned at the time, and the fact that with the exception of one, I'd never even heard of them. The case asked for our ranked analysis of which products will diffuse most quickly/broadly. Here are my thoughts:

Sirus/XM radio. While known to me as a single entity, Sirius and XM were once competitors in the emerging pay-for-radio space. The business case is clear: commuters and drivers who spend significant time in their car each day were unsatisfied with the unreliable, ad-riddled, and un-customizable radio experience. Sirius/XM had insight into their customer base, size, and could estimate who was willing to pay for more targeted, high quality content. Pair this with a deal to offer the service with car purchases from GM, Ford, and Chrysler, and you've removed significant barriers for customers to adopt the product. No wonder this is the only offering I've heard of.

Westaim Biomedical silver bandages. As someone who grew up in the small town of Exeter, NH I was excited to see a company from Exeter represented in the case. The bad news: I, nor my friends or family, have ever heard of it. However, that does not mean it was all bad for Westaim. While anecdotally it seems the silver bandages did not reach OTC consumer appeal, the company had insight into its addressable market and proven efficacy in medical applications like chronic wounds. My guess is that the patent was acquired or is maybe used in more specialized hospital settings today, which is still a relative win for diffusion.

Pre-packaged slice of peanut butter. This offering feels like nothing more than a spoof food item, and I doubt it had mass diffusion in the consumer market. On the plus side, the company did appear to try and solve a problem faced by its consumers (peanut butter pulled on soft bread when making a PB&J) and thus had a better chance of diffusion than one less researched. While I believe society is always looking for a shortcut, this might be one step too far and too unnecessary. Maybe the better product is the R&D put into non-stick packaging--now THAT could be useful in several applications.

"Odor spray/printer". This idea was both ridiculous and broad. Who were they appealing to? The article mentioned "foodies", or people with a heightened appreciation for the value of good smell, but overall the product strategy felt directionless and unattainable. Seeing as I've never heard of such a thing, I imagine this idea died before there was even a product to test.

Doing these types of thought exercises has been valuable as my Branding group thinks about our project addressing Peloton. Peloton has most likely reached its peak diffusion when it comes to its hardware bike. Peloton now has to re-brand to diffuse a new product offering, its fitness software, and gauge a whole new group of customers for potential adoption. This won't be easy, as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and even gyms have begun offering similar content.

[aiautos]

After the Hopper name went defunct in 1958, Hector Smith, the man behind the J-10, began shopping what was the J-15 to potential other companies, including General Motors. GM liked Hector's ideas, and wound up modifying the J-15 heavily to become a 4 wheeled micro-amphibious car known as the Chevrolet C-1, sold as a cheap runabout with an optional amphibious drive. The first generation C-1 sold from 1961 to 1968, and was sold globally with total sales rounding to around 850,000 during the entire production run.

[arcticthef0x]

I bring to you all: an entire fucking conversation between me and three others lmao

GM is me, H is my partner, GTP is one of my friends, and D is also one of my friends shsnsvsjsb-

The italicized part is the DMs btw

H: “chat is meowing furry behaviour”

GM: “Yeah kinda”

H: “your cooked”

GM: “I'm literally a furry (and worse)-”

GTP: “me too but i don't deadass meow (i would only say it if i send a funny picture of my cars)”

H: “I've been meowing for the last 10 minutes”

GTP: “😭”

GM: “I mean me and Henry are just straight up sending fucking "meow" at each other LMAO”

H: “meow bacl”

GM: “I am but I can't do so verbally because my nephew is like 10 feet from me”

H: “chat grey just hates me”

GM: “NO-”

H: “*mediummediumhardsigma.jpg*”

GM: “Yk nevermind maybe I do (/j)”

H: “fuck you taylor”

GTP: “*fortheloveofgodyoustupidassmfs.jpg*”

H: “idklooksfemaleenough.jpg*”

GM: “I'm”

GM: “I'm going to fucking scream”

H: “guys he does hate me”

H: “*gmdms.jpg*”

H: “translate pls”

GM: “What am I, a fucking translator”

H: “yes”

GM: “Okay if it was SHORTER I would but like”

GM: “No”

H: “FHRAHAHAHHHHHH”

GM: “It is INSANELY long”

GM: “I ain't typing all that”

H: “that's the equivalent of “i aint reading alla that””

GM: “Yeah pretty much”

GM: “I AM NOT TYPING OUT AN ENTIRE ESSAY WORTH OF MORSE CODE”

H: “YOU ARE”

GM: “NO”

H: “im goijg to twinkify you”

GM: “Do it coward”

H: “5'2 skinny white boy ahh”

GM: “I am fat and 5'10/5'11 idfk”

GTP (Reply to H: “idklooksfemaleenough.jpg*”): “WHAT”

H (Reply to GM: “I am fat and 5'10/5'11 idfk”): “tay tay 😵😵”

H: “bro is 5'3 now 😞”

GM (Reply to GTP: “WHAT”): “THAT'S what you're saying "WHAT" to? THAT?”

GM: “>:(“

GTP (Reply to GM: “THAT'S what you're saying "WHAT" to? THAT?”): “STFU!!!”

GM: “NO”

H: “no cause im pretty sure Keith is 5'4 since”

H: “now he said hes not shorter than taylor and he was at 5'5”

H: “if you need that dumbed down im saying 5'5 was over his hight and 5'3 is under his”

H: “cause i could barely understand tja”

H: “tjat”

GTP (Reply to GM: “I am fat and 5’10/5’11 idfk”): can i steal your height, i shall cure my height dysphoria

GM: “I KNOW THAT HENRY SHEBS”

H (Reply to GTF: “can i steal your height, i shall cure my height dysphoria”): “shut up queer”

GTF (Reply to H: “shut up queer”): “GET OUT”

H: “I LIKE WOMEN”

GM (Reply to GTF: “can i steal your height, i shall cure my height dysphoria”): “No please my only sense of euphoria is from my height”

H: “*RAHHHH.png*”

H: “bpd ahh word”

GM: “And I like”

GM: “.”

GM: “Fictional characters and exactly one (1) real life human being”

GM (Reply to GM: “Fictional characters and exactly one (1) real life human being”): And computers for some ungodly fucking reason”

GM: “Idfk anymore”

H: “chat is being a catfish a bad thing”

GTP (Reply to GM: “No please my only sense of euphoria is from my height”): “IM SICK OF MY HEIGHT DYSPHORIA GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN HEIGHT”

GM (Reply to H: “chat is being a catfish a bad thing”) “Depends on the context”

GM (Reply to GTP: “IM SICK OF MY HEIGHT DYSPHORIA GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN HEIGHT”): NO

H: “hight”

GTF (Reply to H: “I LIKE WOMEN”): “LESBIAN AHH”

H (Reply to GTF: “LESBIAN AHH”): “IM NOT A GIRL”

GTF (Reply to GM: “NO”): “YES”

GM (Reply to H: “hight”): “I mean I fucking guess”

GM: (Reply to GTP: “YES”): “NO”

GM: “MY HEIGHT”

H (Reply to GM: “I mean I fucking guess”): “i did lie sometimes guys”

GTP: “I'M GOING TO SAW OFF YOUR FUCKING LEGS GREY”

GM (Reply to H: “i did lie sometimes guys”): “Mood”

H: “HEOP”

GM (Reply to GTP: “I'M GOING TO SAW OFF YOUR FUCKING LEGS GREY”): “DO IT COWARD”

H (Reply to GTP: “I'M GOING TO SAW OFF YOUR FUCKING LEGS GREY”): “YOUR TAKING IT UP THE ASS”

GM: “LMAO?”

GM: “Chat what if I fucking

Objection . lol this LMAO”

GTP (Reply to H: “chat is being a catfish a bad thing”): “to a innocent person, yes but to a creep/PDF file? no, it's funny how they fall for it”

H: “lance i love you boo boo bear 🎀��”

H (Reply to GTP: “to a innocent person, yes but to a creep/PDF file? no, it's funny how they fall for it”): “what”

GTP (Reply to H: “YOUR TAKING IT UP THE ASS”): “YOU'RE GONNA GET IT BY A TRAIN”

H: “im hight catfishing”

H: “wja”

H (Reply to GTP: “YOU'RE GONNA GET IT BY A TRAIN”): :(

GTP (Reply to H: “what”): for if catfishing is a bad thing

GTP (Reply to H: “im hight catfishing”): “GET OUT”

H: “HELL”

GM: “What the fuck did you just fucking say to me, you little kittypet? I'll have you know I became the best warrior out of all of my family in ThunderClan, and I have been involved in numerous secret raids on ShadowClan, and I have fought over 200 battles. I am trained extensively in all aspects of combat, and I am the top warrior in the entire forest. You are nothing to me but another rogue. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision that not even StarClan has witnessed, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with calling me that shit in this forest? Think again, kittypet. As we stand here I am contacting my assassination patrol across the forest and your scent is being tracked right now so you better prepare for the storm, crow-food. The storm that wipes out the measly little thing you call your kittypet life. You're fucking dead, kittypet. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over 200 different ways, and that's just with my sheathed paws. Not only am I extensive-”

GTP (Reply to H: “lance i love you boo boo bear 🎀💙”): “👅👅👅👅”

H: “im actually like 7 inches shorter than i say guys”

GTP (Reply to GM: “What the fuck did you just fucking say to me, you little kittypet?”): “GETBOU”

GM: “Vejsbsu”

H: “only reason i wear platform shoes”

GM (Reply to H: “im actually like 7 inches shorter than i say guys”): “I don't even know my height I'm just guessing lmao”

H (Reply to GM: “I don't even know my height I'm just guessing lmao”): “5'9 - 7 honey”

GM: “My dad says he's 6'1 and I'm like 2 inches shorter than him or something idfk”

GTP (Reply to H: “HELL”): “i do it when a guy tries to harass me and creeps me tf out, i do it then expose tf out of them <3 but i would never catfish an innocent person”

H (Reply to GTP: “👅👅👅👅”): “🎀🎀”

GTP (Reply to H: “5’9 - 7 honey”): “😔”

GM: (Reply to H: “5’9 - 7 honey”): “5'2 ass-”

H: “yeah”

GM: “Damn”

H: “even taylor taller tf 😭”

H: “shitting”

GTP: “😭BT”

GM: “You're almost my sister's height and she's like 4'11-”

H: “I jate you”

GM: “BT???”

GM (Reply to H: “I jate you”): “:(“

H: “SHOVE IT IP YOUR ASS”

GM: “Kinky”

H: “*RAHHHH.png*”

H: “im blocking you on Spotify”

GM: “:3”

GM (Reply to H: “im blocking you on Spotify”): “:(“

H: “and roblox”

GTP: “*fortheloveofgodyoustupidassmfs.jpg*”

H: “and messages”

GM: “:(((“

H: “and Instagram”

GM: “:((((((((((“

H (Reply to GTP: “*fortheloveofgodyoustupidassmfs.jpg*”): “don't make me pull this again”

H: “and discord”

H: “and wigit”

H: “and twt”

H: “and YouTube”

GM: “Hold on I need to do something real quick-”

H: “no”

GM: “.”

GM: “:(“

H: “its all fun in games till i make your favourite song not available in your liked songs”

GM: “NOOO”

GM: “You fool”

GM: “I have SEVENTY ALTERNATE ACCOUNTS (/ref)”

GM: “(it's actually like one)”

H: “CHAT I AM NOT THE REASON PPL LEAVE ME GREY PUT IT ON HIMSELF”

GM: “????”

H: “*redpaint.png*”

GM: “Immense confusion”

GM (Reply to H: “*redpaint.png*”): “Looks like blood :3”

H: “yeah”

GM: “Anyways”

GTP (Reply to GM: “Looks like blood :3”): “GET OUT”

H: “SHUT UP”

GM (Reply to H: “CHAT I AM NOT THE REASON PPL LEAVE ME GREY PUT IT ON HIMSELF”): “What the fuck does this mean (/gen I'm confused)”

H: “oh”

“...”

GM: “The silence after that concerns me ngl”

“...”

GM: “Henry did you fucking die-”

“...”

GM: “Damn dead chat”

D: “*deadplateredheaddude.jpg*”

D: “Henry I summon you”

GM: “*looksatyouwithmyadhdeyes.jpg*”

H (Reply to D: “*deadplateredheaddude.jpg*”): “wowie 🤤🤤”

GM: “HOLY FUCK IT WORKED LMAO”

D: “HELP THAT WORKED???”

GM: “HELLO????”

H (Reply to D: “HELP THAT WORKED???”): “ghhh i wanna talk about it so bad but im not allowed to 😞”

D: “*saddude.jpg*”

GM: “???”

D (Reply to H: “ghhh i wanna talk about it so bad but im not allowed to 😞”): “What?”

GM: “I feel like I'm missing something-”

H: “best free commission ever”

D: “Ah right”

H: “🤤🤤🤤🤤”

GM: “Oop-

D: “Yeah we don't speak of it”

H: “ill make it a poster”

D: “No you will not.”

H: “:(“

H: “not even for my room”

D: “No”

H: “😞”

GM: “N e ways I have the stupidest fucking idea Ever so I shall now just"

GM: "Be gone for probably 5 minutes or so”

H: “drink uranium”

GM: “Sure why not lmao”

GM: “Wasn't the idea but like"

GM: "Sounds fun :3”

[wordonthestreettalktv]

Word on the Street Talk TV Episodes with The Minister M.L. Kimble SR. #wordonthestreettalktv #minmlkimblesr #hottopics #commentary #entertainmentMcneill Chevrolet African American Racial Discrimination #mustwatch#mcneillchevroletbuick DAY 8 INGNORED COMPLAINT MCNEILL CHEVROLET AFRICAN AMERICAN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION #MUSWATCH#MCNEILLCHEVROLET#LARICHECHEVROLETCADILLAC#GENERALMOTORSCORPORATION#STATEFARM#STATEFARMCORPORATION SUBSCRIBE @wordonthestreettalktv State Farm Denies Paying Insured Business For Hate Crime - Outrageous Bad Faith Practice! 😡👀 STATE FARM DENIES PAYING INSURED BUSINESS FOR HATE CRIME OUTRAGEOUS BAD FAITH PRACTICE GM DEALERSHIP #mcneillchevrolet HARASSES FORMER EMPLOYEE/ GM CUSTOMER IMPERSONATING THE #swantonpolicedepartment AFTER HATE CRIME POSED UPON BUSINESS! STATE FARM IGNORES HATE CRIME WITH FALSE ALLEGATIONS MUST WATCH, SHARE, COMMENT, AND PIN! THANK YOU!!! #neiltoeppe#swantoncommunity#ohiodepartmentofinsurance#raciallymotivated#racialdiscrimination 🔥State Farm's REFUSAL to cover an insured business🔥#statefarrmcorporation#mcneillchevroletbuick#larichechevroletcadillac#larichechevrolet#GeneralMotorsCorporation Don't believe the discriminatory practices? We are working with officials to set up a dealership audit and we will just see over the past 10 years the DIFFERENCES between AFRICAN AMERICAN car deals and CAUCASIAN car deals! TRUST ME I KNOW, I AM THE FORMER FINANCE MANAGER THAT SIGNED THEM!!!! CHECK OUT THE PERCENTAGES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEES HIRED!! CHECK OUT THE PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCES IN INTEREST PAYMENTS CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENCES IN AFTERMARKET PRICING!! THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF! THESE ACTIONS WILL NOT BE IGNORED! • State Farm Denies Paying Insured Busi... 👀🔥🤔 We have obtained legal counsel Law Offices of Anthony J. Richardson II, LLC PO Box 2641, Toledo, Ohio, 43606 Dear U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , I am writing to formally notify you that as of today, we have retained legal counsel and are in the process of filing complaints with both the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This action is being taken due to the continued disregard of our complaints. Mcneill Chevrolet African American Racial Discrimination #mustwatch#mcneillchevroletbuick DAY 8 INGNORED COMPLAINT MCNEILL CHEVROLET AFRICAN AMERICAN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION #MUSWATCH#MCNEILLCHEVROLET#LARICHECHEVROLETCADILLAC#GENERALMOTORSCORPORATION#STATEFARM During my tenure as the finance manager at Mcneill Chevrolet located at 220 W Airport Hwy Swanton, OH 43558 from 2010-2018, I was subjected to years of racial comments, remarks, commentary, and jokes. I have concrete evidence to substantiate these claims. We are seeking justice for the hate crimes committed against our business, including being harassed by Mcneill Chevrolet while impersonating the Swanton police department. It is disheartening that the same police department neglected to address the vandalism, break-ins, and hate crimes with racial slurs directed at our business. We strongly suspect that an individual associated with or employed by Mcneill Chevrolet may be responsible for these criminal acts. Throughout my employment, I endured being referred to as "Harambe," "The token," and "Toby," all of which were derogatory references to my race. This is unacceptable and must be addressed promptly. This communication serves as our initial formal complaint, and we are seeking resolution with the State of Ohio as our grievances have been consistently overlooked. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Mr. Marquis L. Kimble Sworn Public Officer Commissioned until- 01/28/2029 Mcneill Chevrolet African American Racial Discrimination #mustwatch#mcneillchevroletbuick DAY 8 INGNORED COMPLAINT MCNEILL CHEVROLET AFRICAN AMERICAN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION #MUSWATCH#MCNEILLCHEVROLET#LARICHECHEVROLETCADILLAC#GENERALMOTORSCORPORATION#STATEFARM#STATEFARMCORPORATION SUBSCRIBE @wordonthestreettalktv

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[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Buick Skyhawk Turbo PPG Pace Car, 1982. GM released the all-new Buick Skyhawk on the FWD J-Body chassis for 1982 though the pace cars (2 were built) bore scant resemblance to the series production models. The concept was transformed into a full-time convertible with body integrated roll bar and a slopping nose with concealed headlamps. It was powered by a 258hp fuel injected and turbocharged 3.0 litre V6 modified by McLaren Engines

[automotiveamerican]

Livonia, There’s Something About You - Andrew Miles @Driven to Write

Livonia, There’s Something About You – Andrew Miles @Driven to Write

Four feral felines from Buick.  1953 Buick Wildcat I. Image: oldconceptcars Buick have form when it comes to concept vehicles, especially since a certain Harley Earl began such pioneering strides with 1938’s seminal Y-Job, which helped to define the Tri-shield’s design credentials. In 1949, GM’s Autorama car show was held at the Astoria Hotel in New York to promote new concept designs to a…

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Harley Earl

Harley Earl is the father of the Corvette. The Corvette was his idea pure and simple. He was influenced after World War II watching Jaguars and MG's run road-racing courses like Watkins Glen. He felt America needed its own sports car and he convinced GM to develop its own, inexpensive two-seater. Originally code named "Project Opel", Earl kept the Corvette program pretty much to himself. He had a special small studio with a handful of people working on it. At the time, Earl wasn't sure which GM division ought to sell the Corvette, But he felt close to Ed Cole at Chevrolet and decided to give the "Bowtie Division" first shot. Cole was sold the first time he saw the prototype. He knew it was just what the stodgy Chevrolet division needed. The Corvette debuted at Motorama in New York, January of 1953 and was an instant hit. Six months later the Corvette went into production and the rest is history. But the Corvette may not have been Earl's greatest achievement. His main accomplishment was making automotive design an institution. It was the work of Harley Earl that put the sizzle back into the American car business after World War II. His expressive designs defined an entire era. He was the first man to design a car with a wraparound windshield, cars without running boards, and the first to tantalize the motoring public with dream cars like the 1938 Y Job and the 1951 Le Sabre. He grew up in Hollywood in the early 1900s and quickly developed designs with a flare for the dramatic. His father ran a custom coach building company, and young Harley was put to work- as Chief Designer. He would often produce clay models for customers, showing them what their future vehicles would look like. Earl later became close friends with Lawrence Fisher, who became president of the Cadillac Division of General Motors in 1925. Fisher asked Earl for some design help on the new LaSalle. His successful design caught the attention of GM Chairman Alfred B. Sloan. Harley moved to Detroit in 1927 and quickly set about making GM one of the world leaders in design. In 1937, his Art and Color department was renamed General Motors Design Staff. Among Earl's most memorable designs are the Chevy Nomad, the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, all of the early 1950s Buicks and of course, the Corvette. Earl's legacy, however is the Corvette which will live on as a testimony to his vision and his talent. Harley Earl died on April 10, 1969.

Harley J. Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was the initial designated head of Design at General Motors, later becoming Vice President, the first top executive ever appointed in Design of a major corporation in American history. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as automotive design techniques. He subsequently introduced the "concept car" as both a tool for the design process and a clever marketing device. Earl's Buick Y-Job was the first concept car. He started "Project Opel", which eventually became the Chevrolet Corvette, and he authorized the introduction of the tailfin to automotive styling. During World War II, he was an active contributor to the Allies' research and development program in advancing the effectiveness of camouflage.

[vehicle-research]

Viking IV on the "Great Black Lake" at the GM proving grounds, 1979

Funny story. Right before Viking IV's run, a couple of GM security cars came screening out of nowhere and chased everyone off the course. GM had priority use of course if they needed to use the test grounds for any last-minute testing.

Out roars an '80 Chevrolet Camero pre-production model, very loud, looking a little rough but very mean, but shorn with four silly-looking space-saver tires on each corner and driven by two helmeted GM test engineers.

The Camero proceeded to run the SCORE autocross course, then ran around the bare end of the Black Lake doing hand brake turns, J-turns and donuts. After 15 minutes, they roared off.

The story we got later is they had to test a new run-flat spare supplier's revised product and had to make a "go-ahead for production" decision that day.

We were all very impressed with how GM operated. Course learned, and Viking IV made its course run.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

The Politics of Paternalism

The Ford Model T was introduced in 1908, and the Ford Highland Park plant was completed two years later. In 1908, 425 workers produced 10,607 automobiles at Ford. Six years later the Highland Park plant employed nearly 13,000 workers and churned out nearly 250,000 Model Ts. The technical and managerial innovations that underpinned Ford’s expanding production revolutionized the automobile industry and factory production generally. With standardized designs, the implementation of recent machine-tool technology and progressive assembly, as well as the rationalization and reorganization of work tasks following the ideas of scientific management guru Frederick W. Taylor, Ford engineers and managers realized the explosive potential of mass-production techniques. Henry Ford offered workers higher wages in exchange for obedience at the factory and sobriety and thrift at home. By the end of the First World War, Ford’s paternalism had failed, as the company retreated to the coercive and corrupt labour management techniques for which Highland Park became famous.

Though General Motors was slower to fully develop mass-production techniques, by the 1920s it wed mass production with innovative marketing strategies to fully exploit the business opportunities of a flowering mass consumer society. GM introduced yearly models, numerous makes, and financing plans that made car ownership a possibility for a larger cross-section of the population. In 1927, the Model T having become anachronistic, Highland Park was shut down and retooled to produce the new Model A. GM also implemented a “progressive” industrial relations program after the First World War, introducing group insurance, home financing, and savings plans, which encouraged GM employees to invest in the company’s stock and thus, as company executive John J. Raskob argued, allow every employee the opportunity to become a “partner.”

In Oshawa, H.L. Broomfield served as director of the Industrial Relations Department, which administered the company’s paternalist initiatives. Wages were deposited directly into workers’ savings accounts to “stimulate thrift,” and employees could bank up to $300 per year with the company at 30 per cent interest – a “thrift bonus.” The company also initiated a housing scheme, which housed 100 workers by 1927, and an employees’ association was established to handle “petty grievance” and provide workers a forum to express views on production matters. This industrial relations work also percolated down to sporting activities, including company hockey and softball teams, and the sponsorship of choir, an orchestra, and theatre. Thus the company strove “to bring added happiness and prosperity to all members of the General Motors family.” McLaughlin family lore was combined with these carefully planned industrial relations strategies to give General Motors of Canada a particularly strong paternalist tone in Oshawa. Sam McLaughlin liked to emphasize the loyalty of long-serving employees, and dinners were organized periodically to acknowledge the contributions of veteran workers. “There never was a happier industrial family than ours,” claimed McLaughlin in 1928. Linking the modern Oshawa plant with an older artisanal tradition, he continued: “It’s the old employes that keep me here. You ask Jack Gibson. I used to go and gaze with boyish wonder at the sparks in Jack’s blacksmith shop. He’s been with us 43 years. Ask Jack how we get along.”

McLaughlin enacted his symbolic authority at annual company picnics held at Lakeview Park, which had been donated to Oshawa by his father. At the 1926 picnic, McLaughlin climbed atop the bandstand to announce that, with the passing of the recent instability, GM would, “with the hearty co-operation of [its] loyal staff,” enter a “new era.” The local press claimed that 12,000 people attended the day-long picnic; two years later the press reported an attendance of over 30,000. McLaughlin partook in the planned events, presenting awards to prizewinners with his wife and in 1928 making an appearance as a softball pitcher. That year, employees attending a company reception for individuals who had served over ten years sang “for he’s a jolly good fellow” after McLaughlin’s address. McLaughlin’s paternalism, however, was little felt at the point of production. Though associating General Motors of Canada with a tradition of craft production and quality in his public pronouncements, McLaughlin encouraged a quickened pace in the Oshawa factory, which transgressed the norms of craft production and offended the sensibilities of workers. McLaughlin reminisced years later about an episode that caused several local workers to leave Oshawa for Detroit: “Old man Keddie and the Coady boys made the tops until I brought in an outside man from Brockville. He could make five tops a day whereas the Coadys and Mr. Keddie would average about one and a half. He was so disgusted they could not keep up with him that they left us and went over to Detroit.”

Above: General Motors Workers, c. 1920s. Gift of Evelyn McGrath. Two General Motors employees, Bruce Anderson and Davey Stuart, pose in front of a GM vehicle. 

Beneath the public rhetoric, a different picture existed within the General Motors Oshawa operations. In March 1928, shortly after GM shares had achieved stunning gains, Oshawa trimmers working on the Chevrolet and Pontiac lines were handed a 30 per cent wage reduction, the third reduction in six months. In response, on 26 March, 300 trimmers walked off the job. By the following day, the remaining trimmers, the entire Chevrolet and Pontiac assembly lines, and many from the Buick assembly line joined the strike. H.A. Brown, plant general manager, responded sternly to the outbreak of the strike, which had created a bottleneck in production, declaring the ease with which striking workers could be replaced. Indeed, management’s refusal to bargain with a delegation representing the trimmers – which had offered to accept half the pay cut announced by management – had sparked the walkout.

By 28 March, 80 replacement workers had been hired, but the number of strikers rose to 1,800, including 100 women sewing machine operators from the trimming room. H.A. Brown published the rates paid trimmers, apparently with the hope of capturing sympathy for the company; Robert McLaughlin had successfully disarmed a strike over twenty years earlier by using exactly such a tactic. Brown claimed the workers already had representation through the employees’ association and pointed to the company’s employee programs in claiming “there is not a plant in Canada which surrounds its employees with more ideal working conditions than exists in our institution.” A parade of 3,000 strikers and strike supporters through the streets of Oshawa on 29 March dramatically suggested otherwise, as workers voiced displeasure with recent production speed-ups and protested treatment meted out by particular superintendents and foremen. McLaughlin was vacationing in Florida when the strike broke out, but, as Heather Robertson has observed, he appears to have forced Brown to back down and thus “reinforced his personal authority at the plant.” Brown’s public rhetoric was quieted, and McLaughlin attributed the trouble to “agitators” – from the United States. M.S. Campbell, chief conciliation officer of the federal Department of Labour, met with the strike committee and company on 29 March, and within two days the strike was ended, both sides having agreed to arbitration. “Oshawa has seen the last of the worst industrial crisis in its history,” reported the Oshawa Daily Times However, a larger contest was initiated when the striking workers declared their intention to form a union on 30 March. A.C. “Slim” Phillips was appointed chairman of a committee charged with the task of arranging union affiliation. Phillips favoured affiliation with the new All-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL), a national trade union federation formed in 1926 and headed by Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees president A.R. Mosher. But the autoworkers voted to affiliate with the more conservative and established Trades and Labour Congress of Canada (TLC) upon the understanding that they would be able to organize the plant along industrial lines, not according to craft; TLC vice-president James Simpson was appointed to represent the workers on the conciliation board, and the new union was granted a charter from the AFL.

The dispute was finally settled a month later. The company agreed to pay wages in effect prior to the March reduction until 1929 models were introduced and also agreed not to discriminate against union members; however, the agreement stated that efforts would be made to close the gap between the Oshawa plant and GM operations in the United States with higher production ratios. McLaughlin, now back in Oshawa, described the dispute as a “misunderstanding” and reiterated the company’s intention to operate its plants “on the principle of the Open Shop, which,” he argued, “is … the only practical method under which our particular business can operate.” Emerging tenuously, the union’s effectiveness was quickly eroded. Slim Phillips relinquished the leadership of the local in order to become a foreman; financial troubles surfaced amid evidence that the secretary had committed fraud; and by the end of the year a competing industrial union, the Automobile Workers’ Industrial Union of Canada (AWIUC), was formed – and affiliated with the ACCL. Meanwhile, the TLC-AFL organizers proved too wedded to craft-based organization, and support for their union collapsed by the end of the year. The AWIUC, too, achieved limited success; in early 1929 the union’s Windsor branch had discovered in its ranks two spies whose reports had resulted in the discharge of twenty union activists at Ford and Chrysler, and by the end of 1929 the union was no longer functioning.

Thus, autoworkers’ efforts to organize the Oshawa plant were cannibalized by the AFLTLC’s rigid adherence to craft distinction and the organizational frailty of the industrial union drive. Of course, the widely attended company picnic in the summer of 1928 demonstrated that, under the auspices of a beneficent Sam McLaughlin, General Motors of Canada continued to play a significant role in structuring the public life of Oshawa autoworkers; indeed, James Pendergest has written that “the company killed the union with kindness.” Conflict at the workplace persisted, nonetheless, and in 1929 Winnipeg Labour MP A.A. Heaps read correspondence in parliament from GM workers claiming that wage cuts, speed-ups, and intimidation had returned to the Oshawa plant

- Don Nerbas, Dominion of Capital: The Politics of Big Business and the Crisis of the Canadian Bourgeoisie, 1914-1947. University of Toronto Press, 2013. p. 178-181

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