Who would you consider as a "significant person" in the automotive industry?
 

Who do you think changed the automotive industry? And more importantly, why?

My list :

Enzo Ferrari: 'cause he developed the most beautiful engine
Ferrucio Lamborghini: 'cause he wasn't satisfied with his Ferrari, so he started to build a better one
Ferdinand Porsche: 'cause he built the Beetle and established the roots for one of the finest sports-car company
Gordon Murray: 'cause he built the fastest supercar ever
Chris Bangles: 'cause he's trying to make BMW look interesting

So, who do you consider as a "significant" person?

Carroll Shelby.


Duh. :P :D

Lee Iacoca.

Saved Chrysler (was that a good thing?)

Robert E Twyford, First person to recieve a patent on a Four Wheel Drive Vehicle 4X4.

Otto Zachow the First steerable front driving axle.

Karl Probst, Harold Crist, Chester Hemphling, and Ralph Turner the men responsible for making and delivering the very first quarter ton 4 wheel drive to the U.S. Army which later became known as the Jeep. The vehicle that won world war 2 and the greatest vehicle of all time. virtually unchanged for 63 years. just made faster and sleeker.

I reckon Jac Nassar is a bit of a champ. He really turned things around for ford australia. He really got things on track down here. Then he went back to the US and got fucked over.

Soichiro Honda

Wait, no, that would be a significant person in the motorcycle industry. Well, I think Honda makes cars too. Those motorcycles though...

Henry Ford...... of course :)

http://www.colby.edu/~zssager/model-t.gif

And Fred & August Duesenberg........

http://www.classics.com/images01/rod01-18.jpg

Henry Ford
Caroll Shelby
Enzo Ferrari

Steve Saleen

Rod Millen

Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford, Carroll Shelby, Steve Saleen, Ferdinand Porsche, and Ferrucio Lamborghini. Pretty much all the guys that the rest of you mentioned.

Zora Duntov

Lorenzo Ramaciotti
-Pininfarina Director

John Delorean.........Made the GTO and made his own car that should of ruled above all but had various setbacks.

Larry Shinoda

What about John Chevorlet?(I think thats his name)

Louis Chevrolet.

Also Bob Lutz. He was the guy that started the Ford Explorer program, then he went to Chrysler and was behind their styling turnaround in the early '90s. Now he's with GM

I want to hug that guy.

Lee Iacocca. Forget Chrysler, think Mustang.

Delorean got style like nothing else.

I met Steve Saleen. He was rude to me, but whatever. It's cool to say I've met him at least.

But they sucked.

LOL! :D

Jim Wangers, as much responsible for the creation of the GTO as DeLorean was.

If you want to talk racing, you've got Big Daddy Don Garlits, Richard Petty, *3 hours later*, and Dave Bischop.

I want to hug him to(in a non-gay way)

Kajagoogoo, thank you, I'll be here all the week.

*bow*

In no particular order:

Bernt Piechtensreider (sp?!)
Gottleib Daimler
Iacocca
Sir Alec Issigonis
H. Ford
Colin Chapman
Enzo
Giugiaro
Leonardo Fioravanti

Amory Lovvins is the inventor of the fuel cell car. He is also responsible for bringing it to market with all the major auto manufacturers. He is a behind the scenes kind of guy who is changing the world. I hate to see the end of internal combustion as much as the next guy but this tchnology is amazing and Lovvins was the guy that made it happen.

Henry Ford? haha, what about that Dietzer dude that is now head of DC? (Diamler Chrysler) hahaha, too bad he's running the company into the ground :(

Chris Foose, I think he was a silent designer of Viper, Prowler and I'm thinking The new T-Bird. Making the old new again!

Ettore Bugatti.

Chris Bangles would also be choice. He is taking what are timeless classic designs, and modernizing them to be stylish in teh years to come. Quite a ballsy move but all the lines flow logically from hood to trunk (even the elevated 7series jobby doesnt seem so out of place depending on what angle you cool at it.)

old thread but had to add:

The Maserati brothers

(seven of them total) but most of all carlos maserati. being that his company is the oldest car maker with beginnings in racing.

and dont forget

Nicola Romeo and Guiseppe Merosi

of Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (ALFA)
building cars since 1910 and hired Enzo Ferrari to their racing team before he left to make his own race cars. Merosi and Romeo also gave us the overly misused title of GT (Gran Turismo), yeah this means YOU ford and GM.

there is definitly others but i cant think of any more right now.

Noj

Henry Ford
Enzo Ferrari

Harley Earl, obviously.

But in terms of aftermarket styling that has now become part of Americana and even factory considerations: Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

And in terms of modern aftermarket fabrication: Brian Jendro. He did the first "bagged" truck, which lead to the widespread use of air suspensions in custom applications, which is why I believe airride has now carried into the factory production of vehicles other than just luxury cars and semis.

Yeah, can't forget Ed Roth. Barris is another one to remember here for aftermarket. Doesn't beat Rat Fink though =)

Carrol Shelby
and the Tucker Guy, even though no one knows about him

another vote for Zora Duntov for sure...

if GM had given that man a free hand back in the day Ferarri/Lamborghini might not be here right now...

man was a genuis, pure and simple genuis...

Dick Teague...designer for Packard and later for AMC. AMX, Javelin, Gremlin and Spirit. Anyone heard of him? He made great car designs for a company with limited funds.

How could I have forgotten Barris! He, along with Roth, is one of the founders of Kustom Kulture. He built many (most) of the most famous TV and feature hotrods back in kustom kulture's prime.

Re: Who would you consider as a "significant person" in the automotive industry?
 

heh...lamborghini making better cars than ferrari, i'd like to see that. lamborghini keeps going bankrupt and the owner of the name changes hands every few years. possibly because anyone with taste who has the money to drop on a lamborghini would rather own a ferrari.

just a thought