The very first production Bricklin, serial number 0001 from 1974, is headed for the auction block at the Mecum Chicago sale Oct. 8-10 at the Schaumburg Convention Center. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Ford and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative local agreement that will avoid a strike next week at a key truck assembly plant in Kansas City. More at CNBC.
+ In a radio interview, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal a “drastic” issue but said it would not harm the country’s international business standing. More at Reuters.
+ Honda is recalling approximately 143,000 2014-2015 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit models to correct defects related to their continuously variable transmission (CVT). More at Motor Trend.
+ Two-time USAC Sprint Car champion Tony Elliott, 54, and four others were killed in a plane crash near Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. More at the Indianapolis Star.
+ The United Auto Workers may renegotiate its rejected contract proposal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles before moving on to secure agreements with Ford and General Motors. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ French Environment Minister Segolene Royal said automakers must prepare for the phaseout of diesel cars and that the government is considering ending tax breaks for diesel fuel. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ As the company ends vehicle production in the U.S., Mitsubishi is struggling to find a buyer for its Normal, Illinois assembly plant southwest of Chicago. More at Autoblog.
+ The first production Bricklin, a Suntan Beige 1974 model once owned by company founder Malcolm Bricklin, will be offered at the Mecum Auctions Chicago Sale. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ In this weekend’s NASCAR Chase playoff race at Dover, won by Kevin Harvick, drivers Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, and Clint Bowyer were eliminated, leaving 12 drivers still in contention for the 2016 Sprint Cup title. More at Fox Sports.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from October 2 here.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Still trying to decide if the UAW did a bad job selling the deal to their members or a bad job measuring the attitudes of their members, but the union leadership dropped the ball. 65 percent isn’t close.