– A Chrysler Town & Country sold for $116,600! OK, not a 2001 model minivan, but a 1948 T&C convertible auctioned over the Labor Day holiday by eBay/Kruse International. Wynonna Judd’s 1948 Ford F-150 pickup also was sold, but for considerably less, $28,620, and a 1983 Zimmer owned by Jerry Lee Lewis went for $31,270. Top price paid was $880,400 for a 1932 Duesenberg J LeBaron-body dual cowl phaeton once owned by boxer Max Baer.
– Ford Motor Co. has continued its shakeup by combining its car and truck development divisions, effective Oct. 1. The company says the move will strengthen its product organization. Chris Theodore will lead the new division as vice president of Ford North America product development. He has been vice president of car development since 1999. This summer Ford brought Nicholas Scheele, to whom Theodore will report, in from its European operation to serve as vice president of North American operations. The company also created a combined office of chairman for board Chairman William Ford and President Jacques Nasser, giving Ford a larger role in day-to-day operations.
– Nasser says his days are not numbered at the automaker. “This is not a farewell speech,” according to Nasser when accepting the Ambassador David Hermelin Peacemaker Award given by New York-based Seeds of Peace. In the last year, Nasser has had to answer for disappointing showings in industry productivity and quality reports, and for the Firestone tire recall and related questions about the safety of the Ford Explorer. “It is true I spent 33 years at Ford–over the last 12 months,” Nasser quipped.
– The National Transportation Safety Board has called for more stringent physical exams for bus and truck drivers. In its final report on a 1999 New Orleans crash that killed 22 people, NTSB says doctors who perform the biannual examinations know the demands of driving a truck or bus, learn how health problems can affect drivers’ performances and be able to find out whether an applicant failed an earlier exam. The driver in the New Orleans crash, Frank Bedell, was hospitalized 10 times in the 20 months before the accident for heart and kidney disease but was repeatedly cleared to renew his commercial license. Doctors did not report his health problems to state or federal officials.
– Canadian company Sense Technologies has come up with a gadget that senses objects or people behind a vehicle and warns drivers. Guardian Alert uses radar to detect objects within 12 feet and an LED display and speakers to notify the driver. The device, which mounts on a trailer hitch, is being targeted at sport-utility and recreational vehicles. Cost is $299. Call 888-830-8324. The company also plans to sell the system through its Web site, www.sensetech.com.
– Armor All has added a product for leather to its line of cleaning wipes. The pre-moistened Leather Wipes, designed to clean and protect leather, join Cleaning Wipes, Protectant Wipes and Glass Wipes, which Armor All released this year. Leather Wipes are in retail stores with a suggested price of about $4 for a can of 20.
