At one point in the movie Wall Street Michael Douglas taunts Charlie Sheen. Come on, get me some information (the inside variety) instead of sending it to me. Someday you could be a player, $40M, $50 M in the bank, your own jet. Hmmm…
The best eulogy I read to to Enzo Ferrari was penned by Carrol Shelby. Shelby made the observation that Enzo was the only guy that ever got to have his own car company, no board of directors, no shareholders, no one he was beholden to. It was all his baby.
Well, those opportunities are still around, all you have to do is harness some money. A British group just bought Aston. Now, Jerry Flint dream of a new Chrysler. It would be difficult, and I am not sure I agree with his idea to stay with the Dodge Durango and such, the one I saw last week was pretty outrageous in a time of $3 gasoline. And he completely avoids the issue of the unions and making a deal on the pension and health care plans. It seems to me one would want to somehow come out so that you were forcing say Texas and Georgia to bid on which would pay for your new southern plant, having shuttered the one in wherever Siberia, Michigan. (Younger readers will want to click on the image of a 57 Chrysler Imerial, yes it had a hemi, for a rear view of possbily the most outlandish tail fin combo ever put on a car by a factory, the closest competitor being hte equally outlandish 1960 Cadillac). Believe it or not, at the time gasoline stations would engage in ‘gas price wars’ driving down the price of gasoline to say 29 cents and offering a free set of steak knives for a fill up.
Anyway, here’s the chance to have your own car company. Now this would make an interesting capstone case. Marketing, costing, playing states and countries off one another to get the business from you, who to sell to in the future. Any ideas?
Professor Elam 
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