NOVEMBER 13, 2024
Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 07:38AM 
The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo.
The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our new segment - The Farley Follies - in honor of CEO Jim "Electric Boy" Farley and his chronic mismanagement of Ford, has proven to be quite popular with our readers. (Please scroll down for updates. -WG) The recurring question we get asked is, "Why is he still there?" The latest evidence of Farley's rumblin' bumblin' and stumblin' was Ford's recent financial report, which has the company's third-quarter net income falling 26 percent. Now, this was largely attributed to Ford delaying some of its EVs - (Cue Johny Carson: "Gee, I did not know that." -WG), but it resulted in the company also lowering its full-year adjusted EBIT to “around $10 billion” after previously saying it could earn as much as $12 billion. But wait! Farley Apologist-in-Chief - CFO John Lawler - said it was all good, because the company's total adjusted earnings - before interest and taxes - rose 16 percent to $2.6 billion, with a revenue increase of 5 percent to $46 billion. Huzzah! “It’s a good proof point of our product strategy and our overall Ford+ strategy,” Lawler said on a call with reporters Oct. 28, as reported by Automotive News. “We grew the top line, we grew the bottom line, our balance sheet’s in great shape, so it was a solid quarter.” Really, John? That's all you got? Lawler went on to say that Ford has cut $2 billion in costs this year, but those reductions are being offset by inflation and higher warranty expenses. (Italics mine.) “We’ve got a great strategy, but cost is holding us back,” Lawler said. “It’s an opportunity for us to really unlock the full potential of Ford, and that’s why we’re focused on improving costs not only this focus but every quarter.” Lawler, without specifying an exact dollar amount, according to AN, said Ford’s warranty costs were slightly lower than at the same point a year earlier. That follows an $800 million year-over-year increase in the second quarter. This is Farley speak writ large. Pay no attention to that ol' bugaboo behind the curtain! Ford's abject failure to deal with its crushing warranty costs, which Farley promised to get a handle on from Day One, has permanently scarred the company, and that's directly due to Jimbo's serial incompetence. The Bottom Line for Ford? The Farley Follies continue unabated, and it is wreaking havoc on any of the good will accrued by Bill Ford and his fabulous resurrection of the Michigan Central station. And now, an ugly reality is looming for Bill Ford, because he has no succession plan for After Farley, which should be much sooner rather than later. I would like to point out to our readers that Jimbo "has plenty of money" as he took it upon himself to tell me repeatedly. (Yeah, he's a card-carrying Unctuous Prick, in case you were wondering.) So, there's no reason to fret about his future After Ford. He'll just retreat to California and spend money like water on his vintage racing habit. In closing, in thinking about the consistently underwhelming performance by Farley, I'm reminded of the exceptional - and memorable - quote by Joe Pesci in Casino when describing an underperforming wise guy: "He could fuck-up a cup of coffee." That's an apt and painfully accurate description of Farley. -PMD Editor's Note (11/6): As if right on cue, Ford announced on Halloween that it would idle its F-150 Lightning EV plant in mid-November for the rest of the year. How's that EV thing working out, "Electric Boy"? - WG Editor-in-Chief's Note (11/15): Ford has agreed to pay a fine of up to $165 million — the second-largest civil fine ever levied by NHTSA — for failing to comply with federal recall requirements, according to Automotive News. NHTSA determined that Ford failed to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras in a timely manner and failed to provide accurate and complete recall information. Just a reminder: Ford has led the auto industry in U.S. recalls for three consecutive years. It is leading the industry again this year with 58 recalls, tied with Stellantis. Ford executives in October cited cost concerns, especially warranties, as a main reason for lowered earnings expectations. And the hits to the bottom line just keep on comin' under Electric Boy's watch. -PMD
His first year at Porsche was also the year of the long-awaited first overall victory at Le Mans. Right after starting in Weissach, Germany [the global headquarters of Porsche Motorsport], Singer set to work on the gearbox cooling system of the Porsche 917 short-tail, in which Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann took victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe just a few weeks later. Head of development Ferdinand Piëch asked Singer to come up with a simple solution to take the place of an external oil cooler, which would have generated additional wind resistance. After the triumph at the 24-hour race, he dedicated himself to the aerodynamics of the 917, later optimizing the 917 long-tail, the 917/10 and the turbocharged 917/30. Over more than three decades as a project manager, he prepared many cars for the racetrack and then provided on-site support for those cars, which included the: 911 Carrera RSR, 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1, 935, 935/78 “Moby Dick”, 924 Carrera GT, 924 GTP Le Mans, 956, 962, 911 Turbo S Le Mans GT, 962 Dauer Le Mans GT, and the 911 GT1.
Among the highlights of his career were the development of the 956 Group C car and its successor, the 962. With the 956, Porsche pioneered an aluminum monocoque that enabled the racing car to achieve what is known as the ground effect, thanks to a special underbody design. “The faster the cars went, the more they literally stuck to the asphalt,” Singer recalls. From 1982 to 1986, the 956 and 962 C models achieved seven overall victories at Le Mans and won five drivers’ world championships, three manufacturers’ world championships and two team world championships. Between 1984 and 1991, a version of the 962 become the hallmark not only for Porsche but for all endurance sports car racing in the IMSA GTP racing class.
Since retiring in December 2004, Singer has acted as a contemporary witness at the Porsche Museum. He is a frequent guest at the Porsche company archives and was involved in the preparation of a book on the history of the 956/962, among other projects. He also shares his expertise during the restoration of racing cars. To this day he has a close relationship with the brand.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our new segment - The Farley Follies - in honor of CEO Jim "Electric Boy" Farley and his chronic mismanagement of Ford, has proven to be quite popular with our readers. (Please scroll down for updates. -WG) The recurring question we get asked is, "Why is he still there?" The latest evidence of Farley's rumblin' bumblin' and stumblin' was Ford's recent financial report, which has the company's third-quarter net income falling 26 percent. Now, this was largely attributed to Ford delaying some of its EVs - (Cue Johny Carson: "Gee, I did not know that." -WG), but it resulted in the company also lowering its full-year adjusted EBIT to “around $10 billion” after previously saying it could earn as much as $12 billion. But wait! Farley Apologist-in-Chief - CFO John Lawler - said it was all good, because the company's total adjusted earnings - before interest and taxes - rose 16 percent to $2.6 billion, with a revenue increase of 5 percent to $46 billion. Huzzah! “It’s a good proof point of our product strategy and our overall Ford+ strategy,” Lawler said on a call with reporters Oct. 28, as reported by Automotive News. “We grew the top line, we grew the bottom line, our balance sheet’s in great shape, so it was a solid quarter.” Really, John? That's all you got? Lawler went on to say that Ford has cut $2 billion in costs this year, but those reductions are being offset by inflation and higher warranty expenses. (Italics mine.) “We’ve got a great strategy, but cost is holding us back,” Lawler said. “It’s an opportunity for us to really unlock the full potential of Ford, and that’s why we’re focused on improving costs not only this focus but every quarter.” Lawler, without specifying an exact dollar amount, according to AN, said Ford’s warranty costs were slightly lower than at the same point a year earlier. That follows an $800 million year-over-year increase in the second quarter. This is Farley speak writ large. Pay no attention to that ol' bugaboo behind the curtain! Ford's abject failure to deal with its crushing warranty costs, which Farley promised to get a handle on from Day One, has permanently scarred the company, and that's directly due to Jimbo's serial incompetence. The Bottom Line for Ford? The Farley Follies continue unabated, and it is wreaking havoc on any of the good will accrued by Bill Ford and his fabulous resurrection of the Michigan Central station. And now, an ugly reality is looming for Bill Ford, because he has no succession plan for After Farley, which should be much sooner rather than later. I would like to point out to our readers that Jimbo "has plenty of money" as he took it upon himself to tell me repeatedly. (Yeah, he's a card-carrying Unctuous Prick, in case you were wondering.) So, there's no reason to fret about his future After Ford. He'll just retreat to California and spend money like water on his vintage racing habit. In closing, in thinking about the consistently underwhelming performance by Farley, I'm reminded of the exceptional - and memorable - quote by Joe Pesci in Casino when describing an underperforming wise guy: "He could fuck-up a cup of coffee." That's an apt and painfully accurate description of Farley. -PMD Editor's Note (11/6): As if right on cue, Ford announced on Halloween that it would idle its F-150 Lightning EV plant in mid-November for the rest of the year. How's that EV thing working out, "Electric Boy"? - WG Editor-in-Chief's Note (11/15): Ford has agreed to pay a fine of up to $165 million — the second-largest civil fine ever levied by NHTSA — for failing to comply with federal recall requirements, according to Automotive News. NHTSA determined that Ford failed to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras in a timely manner and failed to provide accurate and complete recall information. Just a reminder: Ford has led the auto industry in U.S. recalls for three consecutive years. It is leading the industry again this year with 58 recalls, tied with Stellantis. Ford executives in October cited cost concerns, especially warranties, as a main reason for lowered earnings expectations. And the hits to the bottom line just keep on comin' under Electric Boy's watch. -PMD
But I guess my best wasn't good enough
Cause here we are
Back where we were before
Seems nothin' ever changes
We're back to being strangers
Wondering if we ought to stay
Or head on out the door
Just once
Can't we figure out what we keep doin' wrong
Why we never last for very long
What are we doin' wrong
Just once
Can't we find a way to finally make it right
To make the magic last for more than just one night
If we could just get to it
I know we could break through it
(Hmm hmm)
I gave my all
But I think my all may have been too much
Cause Lord knows we're not gettin' anywhere
Seems we're always blowin'
Whatever we've got goin'
And it seems at times with all we've got
We haven't got a prayer
Just once
Can't we figure out what we keep doin' wrong
Why the good times never last for long
Where are we goin' wrong
Just once
Can't we find a way to finally make it right
To make the magic last for more than just one night
I know we could break through it
If we could just get to it
Just once
I want to understand
Why it always comes back to goodbye
Why
Can't we get ourselves in hand
And admit to one another
We're no good without each other
Take the best and make it better
Find a way to stay together
Just once
Can't we find a way to finally make it right
Make the magic last for more than just one night
I know we could break through it
If we could just get to it
Just once
Whoa oh, we can get to it
Just once
"Just Once" by Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram, from the album "The Dude" (1981).* Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Produced by Quincy Jones. Publisher: DYAD Music Ltd., Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Wixen Music Publishing. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Listen to the Original Recording here.
*"Just Once" has one of the more memorable opening lines in music:
I did my best
But I guess my best wasn't good enough
The song is about one of those frustrating relationships that just doesn't seem to work despite the best efforts of both involved. The song plays like a plea after yet another stumble, hoping that just once they could find a way to make their good times last. The song was written by the husband-and-wife team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who started writing hits back in the '60s for the likes of The Crystals ("Uptown"), The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Loving Feeling") and The Animals ("We Gotta Get Out Of This Place"). They remained active into the '70s and '80s but often wrote separately with other collaborators. Weil co-wrote "He's So Shy" for The Pointer Sisters; Mann co-wrote Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch."
"Just Once" is the song that elevated James Ingram from demo singer to solo star. He had been kicking around the music industry for a while as a keyboard player, songwriter and backing singer, and was singing demos when Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil needed one for "Just Once." Mann and Weil were pitching the song to Quincy Jones, hoping he'd have George Benson record it. Mann usually sang their demos, but they wanted someone more soulful in Benson's style for this one, so they asked around and found Ingram. When they heard Ingram's demo, they were stunned. "We nearly fell on the floor," Mann told Mike Ragogna. "We couldn't believe what we were hearing. He was so great. I stopped the tapes and said, 'You're just the greatest singer I've heard in the past thirty years!'"
They sent the song to Quincy Jones, who was also startled by how good the singer was. Jones decided Ingram was the right man to record the song, so he asked him to sing it. As first, Ingram thought Jones was asking him to sing backup, but then he realized it was a much bigger offer - he was going to be the lead vocalist, something he was never striving for. With Ingram singing, Jones produced the song. It went on Quincy's 1981 album The Dude and was released as a single credited to "Quincy Jones Featuring James Ingram." The song was a hit, going to #17 and also landing on the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts. It launched Ingram's career and started his long association with Quincy Jones. According to Barry Mann, this was Cynthia Weil's favorite song she wrote. Weil died in 2023 at 82.
With the rise of electronic dance music in the '00s, it became common for producers who doubled as DJs to release songs under their names, using an array of vocalists, but Quincy Jones was the only producer who could pull this off in 1981. His album The Dude includes four tracks sung by Patti Austin and three by James Ingram, including "Just Once" and his next single, "One Hundred Ways." The album also includes "Ai No Corrida (I-No-No-Ko-ree-da" sung by Charles May, which became a hit. The album sold over a million copies. Quincy Jones, a man of prodigious talent and one of the greatest contributors to this country's songbook, died last week at the age of 91. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG