me and my automobile page 8

me and my automobile page 8 by ric Gustafson


Walter Owen Bentley worked in a railway workshop. In 1912, he sold and repaired French cars. In 1919, he founded his own car works. Bentley's first wife died of influenza in 1919. His second wife Audrey was a society girl who hated factories. Bentley was a workaholic who suffered from occasional depression. Starting in 1925, Bentley's cars got bigger and bigger.
The person who put GM on the map was Billy Durant. After WWI, GM's stock share plummeted. Durant bought up GM stock and borrowed money. In 1921, Durant started his own car company and financed it with GM stock. Durant died in 1947.
By 1923, Ford's Model T sales were declining. In 1927, Ford switched and began producing the Model A. Ford plants had to shut down for a time to switch tools and their assembly line. Ford's son Edsel developed the Lincoln brand. Edsel authorized the creation of the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.
Walter P Chrysler was born in 1875. He started working as a locomotive engineer. He left GM in 1920 and took $1.5 million in stock options. He took over the Maxwell Motor Company plant in 1921. His first car design was the Chrysler Six in 1924.
The Chrysler Corporation was formed in 1925.


research help: ' The Life of the Automobile' by Steven Parissien


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric