The fascinating story of a century-old automobile dynasty

Fiat is one of the world's largest automakers,  but when it made headlines by grabbing control of a bankrupt Chrysler in 2009 it was unknown in the U.S. Fiat’s against-all-odds swoop on Chrysler---masterminded by Sergio Marchionne, the Houdini-like manager who saved Fiat from its own near-collapse in 2005 – has made the automaker one of the most unlikely winners of the financial crisis. Mondo Agnelli is a new book that looks at the chain of unpredictable events triggered by the death of Gianni Agnelli in 2003. Gianni, the charismatic, silver-haired power broker and style icon, was the patriarch who had lead the company founded by his grandfather in 1899. But Gianni's own son had committed suicide. Without a mature heir, the dynasty and Fiat were rudderless. Backed by Gianni's closest advisors, his serious, shy, and determined grandson John plucked Marchionne from obscurity. Together, they saved the family company and, inadvertently, positioned Fiat as a global trailblazer when the global storm hit.

• A classic story of ingenuity and hard work, the book portrays a business dynasty that triumphed over adversity and family tragedy because of its own smarts, sweat, and ability to bend the rules
• A an engaging tale for those interested in the stories behind the economic crash, the book contains never-before reported material about how Fiat succeeded in making Chrysler profitable where both Daimler AG and Cerberus, its previous owners, had failed.

A story for a wide audience, from car buffs, business readers, lovers of Italy, and anyone fascinated by the lifestyle of Europe's most glamorous industrial dynasty, this book tells the tale of how Fiat achieved the seemingly impossible -- turning around an American automotive icon everyone else had given up for dead.

The fascinating story of a century-old automobile dynasty

Fiat is one of the world's largest automakers,  but when it made headlines by grabbing control of a bankrupt Chrysler in 2009 it was unknown in the U.S. Fiat’s against-all-odds swoop on Chrysler---masterminded by Sergio Marchionne, the Houdini-like manager who saved Fiat from its own near-collapse in 2005 – has made the automaker one of the most unlikely winners of the financial crisis. Mondo Agnelli is a new book that looks at the chain of unpredictable events triggered by the death of Gianni Agnelli in 2003. Gianni, the charismatic, silver-haired power broker and style icon, was the patriarch who had lead the company founded by his grandfather in 1899. But Gianni's own son had committed suicide. Without a mature heir, the dynasty and Fiat were rudderless. Backed by Gianni's closest advisors, his serious, shy, and determined grandson John plucked Marchionne from obscurity. Together, they saved the family company and, inadvertently, positioned Fiat as a global trailblazer when the global storm hit.

• A classic story of ingenuity and hard work, the book portrays a business dynasty that triumphed over adversity and family tragedy because of its own smarts, sweat, and ability to bend the rules
• A an engaging tale for those interested in the stories behind the economic crash, the book contains never-before reported material about how Fiat succeeded in making Chrysler profitable where both Daimler AG and Cerberus, its previous owners, had failed.

A story for a wide audience, from car buffs, business readers, lovers of Italy, and anyone fascinated by the lifestyle of Europe's most glamorous industrial dynasty, this book tells the tale of how Fiat achieved the seemingly impossible -- turning around an American automotive icon everyone else had given up for dead.

Once Upon a Car is the brilliantly reported inside-the-boardrooms-and-factories story of Detroit’s fight for survival, going beyond the headlines to chronicle how the country’s Big Three auto companies—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—teetered on the brink of collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. In a tale that reads like a corporate thriller, Bill Vlasic, who has covered the auto industry for more than fifteen years, first for the Detroit News and now for the New York Times, takes readers into the executive offices, assembly plants, and union halls to introduce a cast of memorable characters, many of whom are speaking out for the first time, including the executives who struggled to save their companies but in the end had to seek a controversial, last-gasp rescue from the U.S. government.

Vlasic goes behind the scenes to portray the men at the top during Detroit’s last stand. Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, tried to turn around a dying company, only to be forced to resign as a condition of the government bailout. Bill Ford, great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, had the will to keep Ford alive but needed the guts to hire an unknown outsider, Alan Mulally, to transform the company before it crashed. At Chrysler, leadership was constantly changing as new owners tried in vain to fix the smallest of the beleaguered Big Three. And through it all, the president of the United Auto Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, fought to save the jobs of the men and women who build American-made cars and trucks.

This tale of an iconic industry in crisis is more than a big business drama and provides a rich, unvarnished portrait of how Detroit’s decline affected tens of thousands of workers and dozens of communities nationwide. The story moves from the gleaming corporate skyscrapers and massive auto plants to the halls of the U.S. Congress and into the Oval Office, where President Obama and his aides wrestled with how to keep General Motors and Chrysler from going out of business. Vlasic shows why the bailout worked, and how Detroit can succeed under new leadership and build automobiles equal to any in the world.

Once Upon a Car tells a uniquely American tale of success, failure, and redemption. It is an important and illuminating chapter in an astonishing story that is still unfolding. And no one is more qualified to write it than Bill Vlasic.

Once Upon a Car is the brilliantly reported inside-the-boardrooms-and-factories story of Detroit’s fight for survival, going beyond the headlines to chronicle how the country’s Big Three auto companies—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—teetered on the brink of collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. In a tale that reads like a corporate thriller, Bill Vlasic, who has covered the auto industry for more than fifteen years, first for the Detroit News and now for the New York Times, takes readers into the executive offices, assembly plants, and union halls to introduce a cast of memorable characters, many of whom are speaking out for the first time, including the executives who struggled to save their companies but in the end had to seek a controversial, last-gasp rescue from the U.S. government.

Vlasic goes behind the scenes to portray the men at the top during Detroit’s last stand. Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, tried to turn around a dying company, only to be forced to resign as a condition of the government bailout. Bill Ford, great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, had the will to keep Ford alive but needed the guts to hire an unknown outsider, Alan Mulally, to transform the company before it crashed. At Chrysler, leadership was constantly changing as new owners tried in vain to fix the smallest of the beleaguered Big Three. And through it all, the president of the United Auto Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, fought to save the jobs of the men and women who build American-made cars and trucks.

This tale of an iconic industry in crisis is more than a big business drama and provides a rich, unvarnished portrait of how Detroit’s decline affected tens of thousands of workers and dozens of communities nationwide. The story moves from the gleaming corporate skyscrapers and massive auto plants to the halls of the U.S. Congress and into the Oval Office, where President Obama and his aides wrestled with how to keep General Motors and Chrysler from going out of business. Vlasic shows why the bailout worked, and how Detroit can succeed under new leadership and build automobiles equal to any in the world.

Once Upon a Car tells a uniquely American tale of success, failure, and redemption. It is an important and illuminating chapter in an astonishing story that is still unfolding. And no one is more qualified to write it than Bill Vlasic.

"

When people learn the author once
worked as an engineer at Chrysler, their interest peaks and questions are asked.  Similar to the author’s once held view, it
seems most people think you must be quite smart to work in the Automobile
Industry. This is not the story the author tells; the industry thrives despite
the proliferation of “idiots” throughout its ranks.

The author offers up several “Common
Sense Principles,” and then proceeds to illustrate many examples where “Idiots”
ignored or were ignorant of these principles resulting in increased costs to
the corporation and other havoc. “Common Sense” is shown to be uncommon.

Common questions about
automobiles are answered:  Why can’t I
find a good mechanic? Why it is not covered on my new car warranty? What happened
to the 100 mpg carburetor? Should I buy a hybrid vehicle?  How will future cars be powered? 

Common popular beliefs are
dispelled: More education means you’re smarter. The smartest people work for
the government. You have to be smart to get a patent. Hybrid vehicles always
get better gas mileage.

Chrysler research projects are exposed.
Can a rubber band power a car?

The lost member of the Oak Ridge
Boys is found!

"

"

When people learn the author once
worked as an engineer at Chrysler, their interest peaks and questions are asked.  Similar to the author’s once held view, it
seems most people think you must be quite smart to work in the Automobile
Industry. This is not the story the author tells; the industry thrives despite
the proliferation of “idiots” throughout its ranks.

The author offers up several “Common
Sense Principles,” and then proceeds to illustrate many examples where “Idiots”
ignored or were ignorant of these principles resulting in increased costs to
the corporation and other havoc. “Common Sense” is shown to be uncommon.

Common questions about
automobiles are answered:  Why can’t I
find a good mechanic? Why it is not covered on my new car warranty? What happened
to the 100 mpg carburetor? Should I buy a hybrid vehicle?  How will future cars be powered? 

Common popular beliefs are
dispelled: More education means you’re smarter. The smartest people work for
the government. You have to be smart to get a patent. Hybrid vehicles always
get better gas mileage.

Chrysler research projects are exposed.
Can a rubber band power a car?

The lost member of the Oak Ridge
Boys is found!

"

Biographical profile of one of America's iconic automobile pioneers, Walter Chrysler, a man Time magazine described as a "doctor of sick automobile companies." The Chrysler Building in New York, topped by its world-famous art deco tower, an enduring symbol of America's industrial evolution, is also a standing tribute to its namesake. Walter Chrysler was a monumental pioneer in the automobile industry, helping Buick, General Motors, Willys and Maxwell survive before starting his own company with his innovative car, the Chrysler Six. Historian Mark Howell called it "second only to the Model T Ford in its revolutionary impact on the industry. Beyond a doubt, this car stands alone as the dividing line between what may be termed 'old' and 'modern' cars." Chrysler's services were so highly sought after by corporate executives and those financing the nascent automobile industry, they were willing to pay him a salary of $1 million a year, an unprecedented but well deserved tribute to man equally respected by management, labor and the public. He earned a fortune, acquired massive estates, yachts and all the accouterments of great wealth, but never seemed to succumb to his own success or to the excess of such success. In 1928 Time named Chrysler "man of the year." Perhaps more than ever, the American automobile industry needs the service of a man such as Walter Chrysler. His story is inspirational and instructive; America's current automobile executives would do well to study Walter Chrysler and what made him so successful--even during the Great Depression. [1,787-word Titans of Fortune article]

Biographical profile of one of America's iconic automobile pioneers, Walter Chrysler, a man Time magazine described as a "doctor of sick automobile companies." The Chrysler Building in New York, topped by its world-famous art deco tower, an enduring symbol of America's industrial evolution, is also a standing tribute to its namesake. Walter Chrysler was a monumental pioneer in the automobile industry, helping Buick, General Motors, Willys and Maxwell survive before starting his own company with his innovative car, the Chrysler Six. Historian Mark Howell called it "second only to the Model T Ford in its revolutionary impact on the industry. Beyond a doubt, this car stands alone as the dividing line between what may be termed 'old' and 'modern' cars." Chrysler's services were so highly sought after by corporate executives and those financing the nascent automobile industry, they were willing to pay him a salary of $1 million a year, an unprecedented but well deserved tribute to man equally respected by management, labor and the public. He earned a fortune, acquired massive estates, yachts and all the accouterments of great wealth, but never seemed to succumb to his own success or to the excess of such success. In 1928 Time named Chrysler "man of the year." Perhaps more than ever, the American automobile industry needs the service of a man such as Walter Chrysler. His story is inspirational and instructive; America's current automobile executives would do well to study Walter Chrysler and what made him so successful--even during the Great Depression. [1,787-word Titans of Fortune article]

This book provides step-by-step instructions for how to modify Chrysler's 904 Torqueflite automatic transmission for drag racing, road racing, and circle racing. Topics include theory of operation, transbrakes/valve bodies, adapters, dissembly, modifications, assembly, adjustments, installation, high horsepower application, and torque converters.

This book provides step-by-step instructions for how to modify Chrysler's 904 Torqueflite automatic transmission for drag racing, road racing, and circle racing. Topics include theory of operation, transbrakes/valve bodies, adapters, dissembly, modifications, assembly, adjustments, installation, high horsepower application, and torque converters.

hose 80s Cars is dedicated to enthusiasts of the manufacturers of American owned and branded franchises. These often overlooked cars are now entering classic and collectible status. This is your resource guide of exterior and interior color views with hundreds of images (front, back, profiles, interiors, dashes, seats and a few cut-a-ways), and quotes and specs from the brochures. Includes cars from 1980-1989 from these manufacturers: AMC & Eagle, Chrysler & Imperial, Dodge, and Plymouth

hose 80s Cars is dedicated to enthusiasts of the manufacturers of American owned and branded franchises. These often overlooked cars are now entering classic and collectible status. This is your resource guide of exterior and interior color views with hundreds of images (front, back, profiles, interiors, dashes, seats and a few cut-a-ways), and quotes and specs from the brochures. Includes cars from 1980-1989 from these manufacturers: AMC & Eagle, Chrysler & Imperial, Dodge, and Plymouth

This chapter uses an acquisition and turn-around situation to illustrate how ERM can help understand risk and increase the likelihood of success.

This chapter uses an acquisition and turn-around situation to illustrate how ERM can help understand risk and increase the likelihood of success.