from:larrybsp@aol.com (Larry Stark)
I was working for the Eaton Research Center in the mid 70's
in Detroit. One of the contracts we had was with Ford to develop a
reliable tip seal for their Wankel program, not as easy as it sounds.
I was the project manager, yes, me Mr. Corvette man. One night
Henry Ford II went to an SAE dinner and pronounced that Ford
would build a Wankel powered car over his dead body. The following
morning I called my contacts at Ford to find out what was up. I
couldn't find anyone. The whole department of 100 people or so had
diappeared, scattered all over the Ford design center. I drove down
to Dearborn to check it out. The building the Wankel team had been
in was empty. I don't mean people, I mean everything. Every sign
there had ever been a Wankel program at Ford disappeared over night.
Too bad Mazda didn't follow Henry's advice. They may have built the
Wankel but the company went broke doing it. Now guess who's
keeping Mazda afloat. Yep, Ford. Ol Henry may have been a tyrant but
he knew the car business. FWIW.
larry
|