Nickodell
Donation Time
Departing this mortal coil last year:
Donald Frey, former Ford product planner and the man most responsible for the original Mustang (not Lee Iacocca), Mar. 5, of a stroke, age 86. Interestingly, Ford couldn't use the name Mustang in Germany, as it belonged to a truck manufacturer, and Ford refused to pay - wait for it - $10,000 for the name. So it was sold in that country under the exciting name T-5.
Jerry York, Chrysler CFO, who returned the company to profitability after the 1980 government bailout, March 18, of a brain aneurism, age 71.
Robert Truax, ex-US Navy rocket engineer who built Evel Knievel's Skycycle for the 1974 Snake River Canyon jump. September 17, of prostate cancer, age 93.
And the Ironic:
Hiromu Naruse, long-time Toyota test driver (who helped design the 1967 2000GT, all the Supras and the Lexus), who once told company president Akio Toyoda "I don't want to hear what you have to say about cars until you learn to drive." June 23, in a testing accident, age 67.
Charles Spencer-King, who designed the 1970 Range Rover and started the SUV craze to follow, June 26, in a bicycling accident, age 85.
Jack Pitney, BMW's N. America marketing VP who directed the BMW Mini's spectacular arrival in the USA. August 26, in a tractor accident, age 47.
And the bizarre:
Turkish pop-singer Metin Senturk broke the world blind driving speed record at 182mph, assisted by a chase car giving steering instructions by radio.
Don Wales, grandson of former world land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell, set a new world lawnmower speed record at 87.83mph, on Pendine Sands, N. Wales, the same 7-mile stretch of sand that Sir Malcolm used to set many of his records in the 1920s. Who made the super mower? - a company called Countax, who use the slogan "Countax: Like a Countach, but affordable. And it cuts grass too." (Wales held the record for just four months, until Bobby Cleveland went 96.53mph on a John Deere on Bonneville Salt Flats - ironically where Campbell broke the world speed record several times in the 1930s.
An unidentified Swedish millionaire faces a possible record $1.1 million fine for driving his new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at 180mph. Speeding fines in Switzerland based on the speed and the wealth of the offender. (The current record fine is $290,000.)
Donald Frey, former Ford product planner and the man most responsible for the original Mustang (not Lee Iacocca), Mar. 5, of a stroke, age 86. Interestingly, Ford couldn't use the name Mustang in Germany, as it belonged to a truck manufacturer, and Ford refused to pay - wait for it - $10,000 for the name. So it was sold in that country under the exciting name T-5.
Jerry York, Chrysler CFO, who returned the company to profitability after the 1980 government bailout, March 18, of a brain aneurism, age 71.
Robert Truax, ex-US Navy rocket engineer who built Evel Knievel's Skycycle for the 1974 Snake River Canyon jump. September 17, of prostate cancer, age 93.
And the Ironic:
Hiromu Naruse, long-time Toyota test driver (who helped design the 1967 2000GT, all the Supras and the Lexus), who once told company president Akio Toyoda "I don't want to hear what you have to say about cars until you learn to drive." June 23, in a testing accident, age 67.
Charles Spencer-King, who designed the 1970 Range Rover and started the SUV craze to follow, June 26, in a bicycling accident, age 85.
Jack Pitney, BMW's N. America marketing VP who directed the BMW Mini's spectacular arrival in the USA. August 26, in a tractor accident, age 47.
And the bizarre:
Turkish pop-singer Metin Senturk broke the world blind driving speed record at 182mph, assisted by a chase car giving steering instructions by radio.
Don Wales, grandson of former world land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell, set a new world lawnmower speed record at 87.83mph, on Pendine Sands, N. Wales, the same 7-mile stretch of sand that Sir Malcolm used to set many of his records in the 1920s. Who made the super mower? - a company called Countax, who use the slogan "Countax: Like a Countach, but affordable. And it cuts grass too." (Wales held the record for just four months, until Bobby Cleveland went 96.53mph on a John Deere on Bonneville Salt Flats - ironically where Campbell broke the world speed record several times in the 1930s.
An unidentified Swedish millionaire faces a possible record $1.1 million fine for driving his new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at 180mph. Speeding fines in Switzerland based on the speed and the wealth of the offender. (The current record fine is $290,000.)
