A production twin to the legendary 1908 New York-to-Paris winner, this rare 1907 Thomas Flyer 4-60 could bring up to $600,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Hershey auction on Oct. 9. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Reports in the German media claim Volkswagen was warned years ago by its electrical supplier Bosch about the use of illegal tricks to defeat emissions tests. More at The Detroit News.
+ United Auto Workers members at key Fiat Chrysler plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana have voted against the company’s four-year contract proposal by wide margins. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Suzuki Motor has sold its entire 1.5 percent stake in Volkswagen AG to Porsche Automobil Holding and will book a profit of $304 million on the sale. More at Reuters.
+ Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research in Dresden, Germany say they have developed a new type of self-healing tire which can repair cuts and tears on its own. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ Richard Noble’s Bloodhound SSC land speed record car, designed to exceed 1,000 mph and expected to run 800 mph next month, was formally unveiled at Canary Wharf in London. More at International Business Times.
+ Prime Minister David Cameron condemned Volkswagen AG over its rigging of emissions tests and refused to rule out a ban on the company’s diesel vehicles in Great Britain. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ Ford is reportedly considering adding high-end variants to the Escape crossover (Kuga in Europe), including a Vignale model for overseas markets and an ST performance version. More at Autoblog.
+ Hyundai is recalling 470,000 Sonata sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years to correct potential crankshaft and connecting rod machining defects. More at Motor Trend.
+ Ten rare vintage automobiles from the collection of the late Harold Coker will be offered for auction at the RM Sotheby’s Hershey sale on October 9. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ Following a series of well-publicized disputes with race organizers, IndyCar has dropped the New Orleans circuit from the 2016 series schedule after just one event. More at Racer.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from September 25 here.
Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.