The Mega Brands That Built America Recap for Fight for the Fast Lane

 

This week’s episode of The Mega Brands That Built America is titled Fight for the Fast Lane and talks about the evolution of cars.

Ford, GM and Chrysler were the most popular car brands post-WWII, but they were all stuck in the depression era and are mostly just functional. They did not cater to WWII vets who wanted something with personality and sex appeal.

Harley Earl and Ed Cole of GM know something is needed to work on plummeting sales of Chevrolet. Enter the idea of the sports car!

At the time, sports cars were popular in Europe and have yet to be brought into America. Ed and Harley want to make an American version of the car so WWII vets can have their sexy new cars that are American made.

Ed decides to make a concept car to test the idea. GM agrees, but it had to be ready for the Motorola Car Show.

 

Meanwhile, Ford is also looking for something to keep business afloat. Hank Ford and Frank Hershey (formerly of GM), look for ideas. Frank wants to do the sports car as well, but Hank vetoes the idea until Frank shows them what GM was working on…complete with a sketch.

Hank tells Frank to make a sports car, Ford style…without copying GM.

 

GM, for their part, is working on their own car while keeping costs down. It debuts in 1953 at the Motorola Car Show….and is now known as the Corvette.

The car is a hit at the show and goes on sale for customers in June 1953….but sales are abysmal.

 

Ford takes note of this when they release their own car. They realize that people want the feel of a sports car that is functional. Enter the Thunderbird! They sell 4,000 in the first day of release. It is such a hit that the Beach Boys make a song about it!

 

GM is still struggling with selling the Corvette. Zora Akus Duntov, who loved the car so much, decided to work on a new design and bring it to a new arena. The entire car is overhauled to have a V8 engine and by 1956, it is set for the racetrack.

It is now a HIT!  Sales spike 83% thanks to its breakout performance and giving Americans the need for speed.

Ed takes over after Harley retires and is determined to keep things going.

 

Ford is not happy with the Corvette and decides to take on the competition. They work on yet another car with the help of Lee Iacocca, a new Ford executive. He wants to make cars for the then teenage baby boomers, but Hank is not interested.

Lee was not about to give up and ends up creating something that becomes one of the best-known cars of all time. He takes the idea of the Falcon, a safe family car and decides to make it into something new, sexy and affordable.  Enter the Mustang, which is released in 1964.

The car has everything from all Ford cars and makes it customizable, making it the most successful launch for the company thus far.

Despite the success, Hank is still not happy due to the competition and Lee going behind his back.

 

Back at GM, Ed is now VP. He knows he needs a car for the youth to keep up with the competition. He decides to use the Pontiac car as a model and works with John DeLorean. He is impressed with his work and decides they should collaborate.

By now, people are falling out of love with the Mustang due to the speed issues. GM uses this to their advantage and release the Pontiac GTO, which combines the best of their cars.

The car is a hit and blows Mustang out of the water….and sets the bar for muscle cars.

 

Ford now wants in on the action and makes a superpower Mustang.

 

GM and Chrysler get into the action and the muscle car wars are in full speed.

 

However, by 1973, the fuel crisis causes gas prices to rise and the automobile industry to suffer.  Foreign brands are also popping up in the USA, making matters worse.

Lee wants to beat the competition and the fuel crisis. He is now President of Ford and comes up with a new idea for a car that is fuel efficient. Hank hates the idea and fires Lee.

However, he is hired by Chrysler, who want in on the idea Hank vetoed….the minivan. At first, Chrysler is confused, until he explains that it is fuel efficient and allows for more people to get around. They release two models, the Voyager and Caravan, which bring the company back in the game.

More companies take on the idea making the minivan worth billions, as are classic cars.