Wheels for the world : Henry Ford, his company, and a century of progress, 1903-2003

by Douglas Brinkley

Paper Book, 2004

Call number

338.7 / 3

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

New York : Penguin Books, 2004.

Description

In Wheels for the world, Douglas Brinkley reveals the riveting details of Ford Motor Company's epic achievements, chronicling the success of the Tin Lizzie to the beloved Model A through the glory days of the Thunderbird, Mustang, and Taurus, as well as the revolutionary plants where they were built-Highland Park and River Rouge. Brinkley tells of the amazing acquisitions of Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Mazda in the 1990s. His narrative also explores Ford Motor Company's darker aspects, from its founder's anti-Semitism, ill-considered wartime pacifism, and disloyalty-not only to the cohorts who made him the richest man of his time but also to his only son. Along the way, Brinkley introduces the whole cast of characters-from the early brains of the outfit, later U.S. Senator James Couzens; to CEO Lee Iacocca to the chairman and CEO of today, William Clay Ford, Jr.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member foof2you

Douglas Brinkley looks at the Ford Motor Company from its inception to the 100 year anniversary. We learn about the complexities of Henry Ford and how he created a force to be reckon with. Ford's many famous friends and his bigotry that may have cost him in the end.

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LibraryThing member dickmanikowski

As a longtime resident of metropolitan Detroit, reading this book at a time when Chrysler has just emerged from bankruptcy and General Motors is in the middle of the bankruptcy process gave it a special poignancy.

Douglas Brinkley does a masterful job of blending meticulous historical detail with a

spellbinding story. While he demolishes many of the stereotypes of Henry Ford (demonstrating, for instance, that the man was neither an engineering genius nor a particularly hard worker), he presents the portrait of a whose terrible flaws were overshadowed by by his obstinance. Ford had a dangerous habit of turning against the series of men who helped his fledgling company grow into an unprecedented economic power.

Brinkley goes on to trace the company's history through its first century (the book was commissioned to commemorate the centennial of the Ford Motor Company, though it's definitely not a fawning authorized biography). He presents gripping portraits of the executives who succeeded the founder, together with the obstacles they faced.

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