Who are the most engaging people in the automotive industry today?

poet_x

poet_x

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If you could, who's brain would you like to pick about things in general in the automotive industry? Who would interest you the most?

Would it be the CEO's of major automotive companies like Ford, Toyots, DC, Honda, etc?

Would it be designers like Gordon Murray?

Would it be race car drivers and/or owners like Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske, Fernando Alonso, Danica Patrick, or Petter Solberg?

Would it be collectors like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfield, or Nick Cage?
 
The guy who runs Nissan. I can't remmeber his name. IMHO, He should run one of the big 3 and get them into shape!
 
I think I would like to hang out with Jay Leno for a while- that guy just LOVES cars of all era's, shapes, and sizes.

I am also aware that his opinion of the NSX isn't as informed as I would like... :biggrin:

Philip
 
Would it be collectors like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfield, or Nick Cage?
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I would probably speak with some famous sports car collector...

Jenna Jameson would probably be the choice. :D :D :D

jenna_custom.jpg
 
turning splashes into waves...

Most influence by far would be of the designers/design-studios.

Ian Callum: Jaguar XJ, Aston Martin DB7

Henrik Fisker: Aston Martin DB7, DB9, V8 Vantage, BMW Z8, Shelby GR-Concept

Chris Bangle: BMW 3/5/7-series, Mini, Rolls Royce

Giugiaro: VW W12, Maserati Coupe/Spyder, Lexus GS300, DeLorean, Lotus ESPRIT

Pininfarina: Ferrari 599/575/550, Volvo C70, Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero, Peugot 406, Ferrari F40, Cadillac Allante, Ferrari Testarossa, Jaguar XJ-S
{Ken Okuyama/Pininfarina -> Ferrari Enzo, 612 Scaglietti, Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche 911}

Martin Smith: Opel/GM-Europe, Audi-interiors

Tom Gale: Chrysler's LH-platform (cab-forward), Mini-van, Viper

Shiro Nakamura: 350Z/G35, Murano/FX, Titan/Armada/QX56
 
Yeah, I find the conversations with designers alot more engaging (of course I'm biased :wink: :biggrin:) than with the engineers. They seem to have the perfect balance between harcore engineering and aesthetics.

You forgot to add J. Mays. I've had the pleasure of hearing alot of those people talk during my college days at Art Center. Its uncanny how their experiences from that school can still apply to today. Some things in that school never change.

Ken Okuyama was by far (in my opinon) one of the best chairpersons for Transportation Design our school has had yet. I remember being a fan of his designs before I even attended. It was a real treat when he'd drop by one of our classes and give us a sketch demo.
 
new century, new philosophy needed in the int'l motoring world...

Good stuff, Spinner! :cool:

I need to dig-up an article or interview I had stashed somewhere that stated how either Chrysler (pre-Daimler) or GM engineers basically were handcuffed by the brass to keep things directed towards maximal profit. Quite often, alot of foresight & potentially innovative concepts & ideas would get dismissed due to associated costs to further progress along the lines. I guess the trite adage holds true: you snooze, you lose... :biggrin:
 
Re: new century, new philosophy needed in the int'l motoring world...

Osiris_x11 said:
Good stuff, Spinner! :cool:

I need to dig-up an article or interview I had stashed somewhere that stated how either Chrysler (pre-Daimler) or GM engineers basically were handcuffed by the brass to keep things directed towards maximal profit. Quite often, alot of foresight & potentially innovative concepts & ideas would get dismissed due to associated costs to further progress along the lines. I guess the trite adage holds true: you snooze, you lose... :biggrin:
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SOOOO TRUE!! Still happens to this date. Its funny when the designers are often blamed for a crappy design, whilst in reality, its the marketing/bean counters that are responsible. A perfect example was the Toyota Echo. The designers pretty much had no say in the way it looked. The marketing dept. decided that they know more than the designers when it came to what car would sell and what won't.

They took matters into their own hands and came up with the Toyota Echo...probably one the most boring looking cars too date. Not to mention the Aztek. A very famous designer was attached to it, but he pretty much stated that he had no control. Top brass would come in and start "dictating" how the design should look...all he could do was follow orders.

Things have changed now however. A survey was done a long time ago with consumers about what was the number one thing that mattered most to them when shopping for a car. Over 60% said looks. Only now are we starting to see the results of this survey.

Car design has a very, very bright future. Just like classic Studebaker days, design is once again becoming a priority and becoming fun again. Industrial designers are starting to get the respect and freedom they deserve.:cool:
 
poet_x said:
Would it be collectors like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfield, or Nick Cage?
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From what I see, most celebs are tools with too much money to burn, don't know crap about cars and most likely wouldn't amount to squat if they were not actors.

Jay Leno I know can fix just about anything, but being a good comedian does make one CEO material.
 
a whole new ballgame...

Spinner said:
A survey was done a long time ago with consumers about what was the number one thing that mattered most to them when shopping for a car. Over 60% said looks. Only now are we starting to see the results of this survey.
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I was drawn towards the NSX back in 1990 for that very reason... aesthetics/design/looks! :cool: I just wished for adequate power & performance, not relative to other cars but based on my own preference & fancy. I was so often puzzled when I'd read car magazines stating 0-60 times of 7.4, 6.5, and 5.7... then at other instances, there would be values of 5.0, 5.1, and 5.3. There was no consistency in their reporting & recording of the times, as I assume the 252bhp 4spd A.T. was tested and other times the 270bhp 5spd M.T. was tested. It was these very inconsistencies that got alot of individuals biased against the NSX. Based on experience, I'd say the NA1 5spd. is 5.1-5.3 consistently & the NA1 5spd. is 5.6-5.8 consistently. I recall how the MKIV Supra_TT came out later w/ an output of 320bhp & claimed 0-60 time of 4.8-4.9, I was quite down for a bit... :tongue:

Here's an interesting concept... domestic cars become lease-only! And the government offers some sort of incentive for those who tend to usually purchase. Then the government won't have to spend 10's of billions of dollars to bail-out Detroit. The Big-Three can stay afloat & continue in their current operating model: diverse model lines from different divisions, fleet-sales (rental, government, corporate), allocation of extra-time to workout labor-productivity analysis, union-talks, corporate-restructuring, and the all-important worker healthcare/pension issues, etc'... :redface:

I used to think of foreign/import cars as niche` or peripheral side-show to generally what is mainstream in America: Big-Three offerings. However, when Porsche is nearing 100,000 cars in annual sales, Aston Martin is aiming for 5,000 cars per year (not 50 or 500), and Toyota outsells GM on American soil... Elvis is about to leave the building!?! :eek:
 
NetViper said:
From what I see, most celebs are tools with too much money to burn, don't know crap about cars and most likely wouldn't amount to squat if they were not actors.

Jay Leno I know can fix just about anything, but being a good comedian does make one CEO material.
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Actually Nick Cage and Jerry Seinfeld are pretty knowledgable when it comes to cars. THeyre just as enthusiastic as me, you and others here. Nick Cage frequents Crystal Cove here in Socal (a weekly gathering of exotics and rare cars). He brought out his Hemi Cuda last time.

Seinfeld races his Porsches alongside Leno and Tim Allen. He's showed up at our work a couple times with his Carrera GT...its out of this world!:eek:

But people like Paris Hilton and 50 cent...uhm...yeah, those are the celebs that buy cars to be seen in and often know nothing about it.
 
I must say, it would be pretty amazing to be a car nut and have celeb cash. I can't think of many things better in life.
 
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