cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
17046
A Voyager and True Grits
In 1984 I had been working for an automotive publisher for 5 years. I was 33 years old. My boss handed me a peachy assignment one day - "Go check out this new vehicle." That in itself wasn't unusual, but he wasn't sending me to the dealership across the road. This was a trip to a Chrysler Corporation "Long Lead Preview". The sort of all-expenses-paid junket that magazine writers usually get to attend, rather than mechanic/tech writers like me. Of course, I wasn't going to the South of France or anything really glamorous...
It was December, a week or so before Christmas (when no one is really traveling) As our company always closed a week over New Year, not much was happening anyway. I called up the PR department at Chrysler, ordered myself a set of plane tickets, and flew off from California to Atlanta, GA.
There, we motoring writers gathered in a hotel ballroom for dinner and for a grand speech by Chrysler Marketing. Only Marketing Big Wigs never showed... apparently there was a huge snowstorm in Detroit and the corporate jet couldn't take off. We waited, we drank, we ate, we drank. We watched TV and drank some more. We finally stumbled off to bed without much in the way of PR other than the liquid kind.
Next morning we were matched up in random pairs for the big event, which consisted of a road rally contest, where we followed written instructions to get from the airport Hotel to a resort called Stone Mountain.
Our drive was completed in a brown Plymouth Voyager, THE FIRST MINIVAN. Front wheel drive, multiple rows of seats, corduroy upholstery, woodgrain panels on the sides, nice stereo. It was great.
No one had ever seen or thought of a minivan before -- this was the brainchild of Lee Iacocca, formerly President at Ford until he was publicly fired by Henry Ford II. Lee was THE MAN behind the Mustang, the Cougar, the Escort, Continental MK III, etc.
He had jumped to Chrysler and gotten the K-Cars (Aries and Reliant) put together in record time, then came the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan, which Lee supported and promoted. He also was instrumental in acquiring AMC/Jeep for Chrysler.
BTW due to the storm Lee didn't come down to Atlanta, although he was expected.
What my co-driver and I didn't notice (while playing with all the toys) was the rally instructions also expected us to take notes along the way, so we could answer a questionnaire and win a big prize. I don't know if it was the new van, the headache from the previous night, or general inattentiveness but we muffed the test.
However, after the rally and the PR session at Stone Mountain, we were called in for the 2nd night meal, with all the execs and engineers. After the program was over, they announced the winner(s) of the contest. Out of about 25 teams:
Team A got every single question right, but one. Team B (mine) got every single question wrong, but one. All the other teams did a middling effort.
After the usual merriment and catcalls from the crowd, the emcee said they would have a tie-breaker question to determine the winning team. The question? What is Lee Iaccoca's middle name?
I had no idea, but we had to guess something, so I submitted the most audacious guess I could think of "Edsel".
The other team guessed Mario or something Italian like that. When my answers was read aloud the room went deadly silent (Did he really say Edsel, as in Ford? The family who had fired Lee?)
Then all the Detroit guys burst into uproarious laughter and we were given the consolation prize for inattention and audacity.
We received a 10-pound bags of grits (one apiece) : 'White Speckled Grits, nicknamed "Georgia Ice Cream," coarse ground from whole grain corn, the most nutritious and flavorful corn grits you can find anywhere.' Retail value about $20.
The winning team each got a 10-pound Georgia ham (salted & dry-cured). Retail value about $120.
As the crowd consumed another round or two courtesy of Chrysler, a PR guy came over to my table. He said,
"We liked your answer but his real name is Lido Anthony Iacocca.
The grits were just a joke, but now I have a serious question. We need a couple vans on the West Coast so would you be interested in driving the Voyager back to Southern California, and dropping it off at Road & Track?"
I thought about it for maybe 10 seconds and said "Sure!" He handed me the keys, took my return ticket, and said you have until Jan 3 or whatever was the beginning of the New Year.
The next morning I jumped into the new minivan and headed West. No map, no navigation system, no cell phone - this was seat of the pants navigating (stay on the highway). I can't remember much of that trip but I have a few pictures.
There were no plates, no registration documents, I was driving a vehicle NO ONE had EVER SEEN BEFORE. The actual launch was a month or two later. Yes, a lot of people stared and I just waved back.
I found these in a file folder last week while cleaning out my desk (no I didn't get fired. But I haven't cleaned it completely since I bought it in 1995 and started working on my own at home).
To finish the story, I raced home to California. Then I grabbed my wife and we headed North to Seattle, where we spent Christmas week with my family, then back down to Hollister in the Bay Area, where we stayed with Steve & Diane for a few days.
Then I returned to San Diego, having put almost 6000 miles on the "new" minivan. When I dropped in at Road & Track they were a bit surprised at the mileage, but hey, it was only 4 weeks old, so it was nicely broken in for the test purposes (that's what I rationalized, anyway).
I never did hear any complaints from Chrysler -- just the fact that it came back in one piece was good enough for them, right?
Cazalea
More posts:
A Voyager and True Grits
In 1984 I had been working for an automotive publisher for 5 years. I was 33 years old. My boss handed me a peachy assignment one day - "Go check out this new vehicle." That in itself wasn't unusual, but he wasn't sending me to the dealership across the r...
Great story...
...and a really fun read. The 'pre surveillance' good old days...gone but not forgotten : )
Awesome story! 6000 miles with no plates or registration? Wow!
And back then it was strictly 55mph in most states. You never got pulled over? Bravo!
No, never got stopped or questioned
I did have a card from the PR guy, and he said it was insured, but who knows? Maybe there was a manufacturer plate or something. I can’t remember… 37 years ago.
Yes, it was on a modified version of the K - the minivan was on an S platform
CHRYSLER CORP. FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS Platform Years Vehicle Type Chrysler Dodge Plymouth Eagle Jeep L 1978–1990 subcompact car - Omni 024 Charger Rampage Horizon TC3 Turismo Scamp - - K 1981–1989 mid-size car LeBaron Town and Country Executive Aries 400 ...
I've only been stopped 3 times in 55 years
Once for obviously speeding down an on-ramp to the freeway at 80 mph I said, "Officer, the car MADE ME DO IT" (and it wasn't the 2CV or the Peugeot 505 Estate), it was the Buick Turbo Regal Then I got stopped in Prague by a cop who had been following me f...
What a story
Didn’t really ze you’re such a great writer as well you man of 1,000 talents
Epic story Mike ! ...
I remember hiring a later version in Florida, it was a very comfortable vehicle for doing long distances, with a lot of kit onboard.
It is always a great pleasure to read your posts, you never disappoint.
Good stories, great pictures, merci!
What a fantastic read
Real history, thanks for sharing. I look forward to more of your 🚘 stories.
