Up for sale "Chrysler CEO" Lee Iacocca Hand Signed TLS Dated 1977.
known for the development of Ford Mustang and Pinto cars, while at the Ford Motor Company in
the 1960s, and for reviving the Chrysler Corporation as its CEO during the 1980s. He
was president and CEO of Chrysler from 1978 and chairman from 1979, until his
retirement at the end of 1992. He was one of the only executives to preside
over the operations of two of the Big Three
automakers. Iacocca authored or co-authored several
books, including Iacocca: An Autobiography (with William Novak), and Where Have All the Leaders
Gone? Portfolio Magazine named
Iacocca the 18th-greatest American CEO of all time. Iacocca was
born in Allentown, Pennsylvania,
to Nicola Iacocca and Antonietta Perrotta, Italian Americans (from San Marco dei Cavoti, Benevento) who had settled
in Pennsylvania's steel-production belt. Members of his family operated a
restaurant, Yocco's Hot Dogs. He
was said to have been christened with the unusual name "Lido" because
he was conceived during his parents' honeymoon in the Lido district in Venice. However, he denied this rumor in his autobiography,
saying that is romantic but not true; his father went to Lido long before his
marriage and was traveling with his future wife's brother. Iacocca
graduated with honors from Allentown High School in
1942, and Lehigh Pennsylvania,
with a degree in industrial engineering. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and an alumnus
of Theta Chi fraternity. After graduating from Lehigh, he
won the Wallace Memorial Fellowship and went to Princeton University,
where he took his electives in politics and plastics. He then began a career at
the Ford Motor Company as
an engineer. Iacocca joined Ford Motor Company in
August 1946. After a brief stint in engineering, he asked to be moved to sales
and marketing, where his career flourished. While working in the Philadelphia district as assistant sales manager, Iacocca
gained national recognition with his "56 for '56" campaign, offering
loans on 1956 model year cars with a 20% down payment and $56 in monthly
payments for three years. His campaign went national, and Iacocca was
called to he quickly moved up through the ranks. On November 10, 1960 Iacocca was
named vice-president and general manager of the Ford Division; in January 1965
Ford's vice-president, car and truck group; in 1967, executive vice-president;
and president on December 10, 1970. Iacocca participated in the design of
several successful Ford automobiles, most notably the Ford Mustang, the Continental Mark III,
the Ford Escort and the
revival of the Mercury brand in the
late 1960s, including the introduction of the Mercury Cougar and Mercury Marquis. He promoted other ideas which did not reach
the marketplace as Ford products. These included cars ultimately introduced by
Chrysler – the K car and the minivan. Iacocca also convinced company boss Henry Ford II to return to racing, claiming several wins
at the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Eventually,
he became the president of the Ford Motor Company, but he clashed with Henry
Ford II. He was fired on July 13, 1978, even though the company posted a $2
billion profit for the year. In 1968, Iacocca foresaw the need for domestically
produced, small, fuel-efficient vehicles, and proposed a vehicle that
weighed less than 2,000 pounds and would be priced at less than $2,000.
Although Ford's European subsidiary was already selling such a model (the Ford Escort), a team of
Ford designers was assigned to create the exterior and interior of an entirely
new car, which would be named Pinto. The Pinto entered production beginning
with the 1971 model year. Iacocca was described as the "moving force"
behind the Ford Pinto.
Related Items:
"Chrysler CEO" Lee Iacocca Hand Signed TLS Dated 1977
$209.99
"Chrysler CEO" Lee Iacocca Hand Signed Official Chrysler 8X10 Photo
$279.99
"Chrysler CEO" Lee Iacocca Hand Signed FDC Dated 1988
$174.99
