Iacocca: An Autobiography

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Sidgwick & Jackson, 1985 - Biography & Autobiography - 352 pages
He's an American legend, a straight-shooting businessman who brought Chrysler back from the brink and in the process became a media celebrity, newsmaker, and a man many had urged to run for president.
The son of Italian immigrants, Lee Iacocca rose spectacularly through the ranks of Ford Motor Company to become its president, only to be toppled eight years later in a power play that should have shattered him. But Lee Iacocca didn't get mad, he got even. He led a battle for Chrysler's survival that made his name a symbol of integrity, know-how, and guts for millions of Americans.
In his classic hard-hitting style, he tells us how he changed the automobile industry in the 1960s by creating the phenomenal Mustang. He goes behind the scenes for a look at Henry Ford's reign of intimidation and manipulation. He recounts the miraculous rebirth of Chrysler from near bankruptcy to repayment of its $1.2 billion government loan so early that Washington didn't know how to cash the check.

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Contents

The Family
3
MADE IN AMERICA
4
School Days
13
Copyright

36 other sections not shown

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About the author (1985)

Lee Iacocca was born Lido Anthony Iacocca in 1924 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. he attended Lehigh University as well as Princeton, receiving degrees in industrial engineering and mechanical engineering. In 1946, Iacocca got a job working for Ford Motor Company as an engineering trainee. He switched to sales and in 1953, had worked his way up to assistant sales manager of the Philadelphia district. Three years later he was named sales manager in Washington D. C., and by 1960 he had succeeded Robert S. McNamara as Vice President and General Manager. In 1964, Iacocca developed the Ford Mustang, which was wildly popular, and later introduced the Mercury Cougar and the Lincoln Mark III. Finally in 1970, Iacocca reached the top and was crowned President of Ford. Eight years later he was fired due to the tense relationship between him and Henry Ford II, and was quickly snatched up as President and Chief Executive Officer at Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler was a failing industry at this point, much in debt, but Iacocca managed to turn the company around, cutting costs, getting federal assistance, introducing new cars that sold amazingly well, such as the K-car, and repaying all of the loans in five years. In 1984, Chrysler introduced Iacocca's Chrysler Minivan, which became one of the best selling vehicles in North America. Iacocca retired in 1992 but remained the head of Chrysler's executive committee. He has written two best selling books, "Iacocca: An Autobiography" in 1984, and "Talking Straight" in 1988. Lee Iacocca passed away on July 2, 2019 at the age of 94.

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