Cadillac's Beast in the Wilds of Brooklyn

Brooklyn's Red Hook waterfront neighborhood is populated largely by warehouses, piers, and a storage depot for Chinatown buses. So it took me by surprise last night to find GM's latest fire breathing monster at the side of the road as I went for my evening constitutional. The cel-phone shot is grainy, but you can see a rather fetching Anthracite Grey example of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, which bore Michigan plates. It's the first one I've seen in the flesh and I have to say it's pretty sensational in person. It has just the right stance, and a clean, mean, "all business" tautness that is more teutonic than almost anything being done by the Germans these days.  I actually think it's nicer than the upcoming CTS coupe, plus it has plenty of space for the hounds, who will have to be peeled off the tailgate after a romp through the twisties in this 556bhp beast. It seriously looks better in person than in any photo I have seen.  I'll have to start saving now, because these wagons come in at about 63 G's.  But when you consider they are faster around the 'ring than any kraut-wagen (like the $86K M5), that seems like a more sensible price.

RIP Tom and Chuck

The automotive world has lost two important figures this past week. Tom Walkinshaw and Chuck Jordan were both men of great achievement, but from very different backgrounds.

Tom Walkinshaw, who passed away at the age of 64, was one of the most successful team manager/owner/constructors in motorsport history, achieving victories in a wide array of formulae, but perhaps most notably with Jaguar's World Sports Car program in the 1980s and with Volvo's BTCC program in the 1990s.  He was also involved in F1 for many years at Benetton and other teams.  Also a driver of quality, here he is in a simply electrifying qualifying lap at the wheel of a Jag XJS, at Australia's Mount Panorama Circuit!

Chuck Jordan was hired at GM as a stylist under Harley Earl, and eventually worked his way up to that man's position over the course of more than 4 productive decades at General Motors. He was head of GM Styling from 1986-1992.

A true blue car designer of the "old way," Jordan fought GM management for creative control over design, and had famous disdain for focus groups and consumer testing that became  the norm at GM: "A good designer doesn’t need Mr. and Mrs. Zilch from Kansas telling him what to do," he once quipped in an interview.  Chuck Jordan passed away at the age of 83 last week.

Image credit: GM

Hat tip to Drew for the Walkinshaw video.

Life after Lutz

Last Friday marked the final day of "Maximum Bob" Lutz's storied tenure at General Motors.  I can't say I really understand why he had to leave --there are so many possible explanations-- but I certainly hope that we haven't seen the last of him. If you are reading my blog, you probably know who Lutz is, so I will spare you the man's full CV here in my brief eulogy.  But those of you who know me well know that I intensely admire much about Bob Lutz's philosophy toward what cars should be and how companies should approach product development.  He believes that companies need to strive for excellence, not merely optimization.  How true that is, yet how few companies have the courage to invest more than absolutely necessary on a product to make something that is the best rather than merely good enough.  Yet history has shown clearly that good enough is just a downward spiral towards mediocrity and irrelevance.  Now that several of you have slapped your foreheads and groaned, let me continue to say that with Lutz's departure, I do indeed fear for the future of GM.  Supposedly, he has left behind an "approach" that can be replicated, as well as proteges and managers who believe in his gospel.  But look at Chrysler now compared to when Lutz was there and you can understand my uneasiness. Like Steve Jobs, Lutz is one of those rare businessmen who is considered a tastemaker, and who is singularly talented at grasping how to make products people desire, and how to shepherd those products to market without utterly destroying their purity.  But like any singular personality, these type of men are not really replaceable.  So on that note, let's hope that GM's bean counters don't come back to spoil the company's momentum towards a long-awaited return to excellence with the Volt, and other Lutz-influenced products in the pipeline.  Bob, the Automobiliac salutes you!

-Photo credit: Denis Poroy/Associated Press