Honestly one of the smartest guys ever in American business. Forget for a second how he saved Chrysler (with platform sharing ideas he learned developing the Lincoln Mark III, which he did cheaply and saw it outsell the Cadillac Eldorado and with massive profits). There are three vehicles where he got everything right at exactly the right time.
The original Ford Mustang. The Mustang created a whole new niche of cars: the pony car. The other car makers had to scramble to get in. GM with the Camaro and Firebird, Chrysler with the redone Barracuda and Challenger, hell even the AMC Javelin. Even the Japs had to respond: there is a reason early Toyota Celicas had a lot of Mustang styling elements.
The Mustang II. People like to look back and shit on the II, but it too was genius. Iaccoca saw the Mustang had become bloated, too big, like a goddamn Monte Carlo or some shit. Downsized and more economical, Ford was not caught with their pants down when the oil embargo hit. Oh, and for all the poo-pooing of the design, the II's front suspension is still the standard for building hot rods.
The Chrysler mini-van. The second time the man invented a whole new market. Iacocca had pitched the idea at Ford, but Henry Ford II, a certifiable idiot, instead fired Iacocca and Hal Sperlich, who was lead guy on the original Mustang team and this small van project. Off to Chrysler, where they had a major hit with the Caravan and a whole new niche that they owned for two decades.
Iacocca also led Chrysler's acquisition of AMC....and Jeep. He saw this almost completed project Jeep had which he really wanted, which turned out to be the Grand Cherokee, and now everyone drives SUV's.
From the son of immigrants to an icon of an industry. The man was The American Dream.
The original Ford Mustang. The Mustang created a whole new niche of cars: the pony car. The other car makers had to scramble to get in. GM with the Camaro and Firebird, Chrysler with the redone Barracuda and Challenger, hell even the AMC Javelin. Even the Japs had to respond: there is a reason early Toyota Celicas had a lot of Mustang styling elements.
The Mustang II. People like to look back and shit on the II, but it too was genius. Iaccoca saw the Mustang had become bloated, too big, like a goddamn Monte Carlo or some shit. Downsized and more economical, Ford was not caught with their pants down when the oil embargo hit. Oh, and for all the poo-pooing of the design, the II's front suspension is still the standard for building hot rods.
The Chrysler mini-van. The second time the man invented a whole new market. Iacocca had pitched the idea at Ford, but Henry Ford II, a certifiable idiot, instead fired Iacocca and Hal Sperlich, who was lead guy on the original Mustang team and this small van project. Off to Chrysler, where they had a major hit with the Caravan and a whole new niche that they owned for two decades.
Iacocca also led Chrysler's acquisition of AMC....and Jeep. He saw this almost completed project Jeep had which he really wanted, which turned out to be the Grand Cherokee, and now everyone drives SUV's.
From the son of immigrants to an icon of an industry. The man was The American Dream.
