All language subtitles for The Cars That Made America - Season 1 Episode 3

- Hello, I'm Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Like many Americans,
there are few things

that touch my life on a
daily basis more than cars.

This evening,
along with History,

I'm proud to present
to you part three

of the epic story of the
most American of machines.

Whether for work or play,

for short drive or a
cross country trip,

cars are a vital part
of American life.

For some, they're a tool,
for others, a statement,

and for a select
few, an obsession,

but no matter the
role they play,

there's no doubt they've
shaped out country

in ways that nothing else has.

This is the story of how
the car made America.

- [Narrator] Previously on
the Cars That Made America,

in the first half
of the 20th century,

the world has seen
a drastic change.

The modernization of America
driven by the railroad,

oil, and steel is connecting
people as never before

and building modern cities,

but nothing helped
create the America

we know today more than the car.

These vehicles are responsible
for the national road system,

the assembly line,

the middle class,

and the suburbs.

But the 1940s will see an end

to the greatest conflict
the world has ever known

and as the nation turns
its attention inward,

Americans once again
demand innovation

as a new buzz word soon captures
their attention:

modernization.

The Big Three react
by empowering young designers

to create new visions

as the cars influence
on America expands.

As Ford,

Chevrolet,

Dodge,

and Chrysler

give way to Delorean

and Iacocca,

as the innovators that
pave the way.

(engines rumbling)
(cannons firing)

World War II begins with
the battle lines drawn

between good, the Allies,

and evil, the Axis.

(speaking in German)

The Nazis' secret
preparation for war

gives them a huge head start
on building massive arsenal.

The U.S. knows the
Allies must close the gap

if they are to win the war.

They turn to an
unlikely partner,

the Big Three for help.

- We'll have 20,000 ready
by the end of the month.

Country's in good hands.

- The United States became
the arsenal of democracy,

not solely in the United States,

but of Britain,
the Soviet Union,

and America's other allies,

and so, Detroit became ground
zero for the most astonishing

economic production
performance in history.

Just as they had been
cranking out millions of cars,

now they crank out millions
of weapons and vehicles

- [Narrator] In
addition to producing

over 300,000 tanks and trunks,

the Ford Motor Company
led by Edsel Ford

promises the government a
new B24 bomber every hour.

- Bear in mind that
when this decision

was made to build bombers,
there was no plan.

So, Henry Ford's son Edsel
worked day and night on them

and within 18 months built
a brand new bomber plan

and started making bombers.

- [Narrator] But soon after,
tragedy strikes at Ford.

With his son Hank
on duty in the Navy,

Edsel dies of stomach
cancer at age 49.

- Edsel ran Ford
Motor Company well.

As a matter of fact, Edsel
Ford saved the company

while his father bucked
him over and over.

- We need to progress
or we'll be left behind.

- If your goal is
to convince me,

it's been a pathetic attempt.

(tense music)

(mellow music)
(birds chirping)

- We're gonna be late, Henry.

You're never late.

- Just a minute.

(somber music)
(sniffling)

- After Edsel's death,
Henry himself was in a daze

and kept saying, I wanted
him to stand up to me,

that's what I wanted all
this time, and he never did.

Clara was truly
horrified by it all.

She held Henry responsible

because she thought that he
treated their son so badly.

- Henry really took it hard.

He blamed himself for his death.

He was walkin' along in a fog,

and frankly, for several
years, there had been problems

that Henry was getting a little
bit of dementia setting it.

(birds chirping)

- [Narrator] Shortly
after his son's death,

Henry Ford steps back in to
take control of the company.

(tense music)

- Mr. Henry Ford has asked
me to read the following,

"To Whom It May Concern,

"in response to the untimely
death of my son, Edsel,

"I will once again
assume the role

"of president of the company
I founded 40 years ago.

"Effective immediately."

- [Board Member] The
next thing you know,

we'll be making Model Ts again.

It'll kill the stock price.

- It was the Model T
that built this company,

and don't any of
you ever forget it.

- Ford suffered from
the characteristics

of what made him successful.

He believed that he knew
better than other people.

Great entrepreneurs almost
always have this trait,

but there's a fine line

between self-confidence
and arrogance.

- Henry Ford was autocratic,
dictatorial, selfish,

ruthless, and wanted complete
control of his company.

- [Narrator] The turmoil at Ford

coupled with the demands
of wartime production

make President Franklin
Roosevelt very nervous.

Knowing how badly he needs
the Big Three to win the war,

he appoints former car
maker William Knudsen

general to fix the problem.

Knudsen knows the
turmoil at Ford

can only be stopped by
a change at the top.

- [William] Hank.

- [Narrator] And
quickly finds a solution

that he knows Henry
will agree to.

- Please have a seat.

I have pulled a few
strings around here.

Son, you're going home.

- Home, sir?

- Ford's manufacturing capacity

is too important
to the war effort.

- If it's all the same, sir,
I'd prefer to serve my country.

- Hank, someone needs
to take the reins

from your grandfather
and that madman Bennett.

The best way for you to serve
your country is at Ford.

- Well, if those
are my orders, sir,

I'll do everything I can.

(tense music)

- [Commentator] The
government was worried

about the company
being in total chaos.

- [Narrator] Hank returns home

to pick up where
his father left off.

- Your father would've
done so many great things,

if only your grandfather
hadn't stopped him.

- I'm not sure I'm ready.

- Of course, you are.

Make this your own, Hank.

There's nothing
standing in your way.

- [Narrator] But Henry
still isn't ready

to give up control
of the company.

(suspenseful music)

As the war ends on August 14th,
1945 with Japan's surrender.

- [Reporter] Two million New
Yorkers jammed Times Square.

It's official,
it's total victory.

- [Narrator] The Ford Motor
Company is in dire straits.

The loss of Ford's
wartime contracts

and no plans to modernize,

Henry Ford is voted
out by the board,

and replaced by his grandson,
Hank, who isn't the only one

looking to be the most
powerful man at Ford.

- Harry Bennett thought that he

was going to be the president
of Ford Motor Company.

And he didn't think
much of Henry 2nd.

He didn't think he
had any ability.

He didn't think he
had any leverage.

- [Narrator] Bennett, Henry
Ford's long time enforcer

has been angling for
years to take over

and is secretly working
to undermine Hank.

- Harry Bennett certainly
had people in the factory

that were loyal to him,

and the situation was
so fraught for a while

that Henry 2nd and
those around him

were carrying guns
around with them at work.

- [Narrator] Hank knows that
Bennett poses a serious threat

to leadership and turns
to an unlikely partner,

Bennett's personal hire,
ex-FBI agent John Bogus.

(deeply sighs)

- It's long overdue, Hank.

He's destroying your company.

You're the one who
has to take action.

Hank, he's got to go.

If not now, when?

- I know, I know he does.

- Well, you've gotta do it.

I'll be right here,
I'll stand right by you.

I'll back you up 100%,
but it's got to happen.

- Bogus has been the head of
the Detroit sections of the FBI

and ironically, had been
hired by Harry Bennett

but turned on Harry Bennett,
allied himself with Henry 2nd.

- It's policy to be escorted
into my office, Harry,

but the least you
could do is knock.

- You don't deserve my respect.

You're a child running
a billion dollar company

that you've done nothing
to build, nothing!

- You're fired, Harry.

(chuckles)

My father wanted
you out for years.

If only he could see you now.

- You can't do that.

The old man is still in charge.

- Well, last time I checked,
he and I share a last name.

- This isn't over.

(dramatic music)

(canons firing)

- [Narrator] As the world
recovers from World War II,

America's pursuit of progress
is bolstered by victory.

While GM and Chrysler
amass record profits,

Ford's young chairman, Hank

struggles to lead the
company in a new direction.

To do so, he must rid himself

of his grandfather's security
chief, Harry Bennett.

- John, make sure he's off
the property in an hour.

And be careful.

(tense music)

(heels clicking)

- Let's not make
this rough, Harry.

- You stabbed me in the back,

- Your time is up.

The old man is not
in charge anymore.

- You son of a bitch.

(suspenseful music)

I told the old man to hire you!

- You've done
nothing but abuse him

and manipulate his family
for years, and it ends today.

- You can't get rid of me.

- Your name's not Ford, Harry.

That means you're expendable.

You should know that by now.

(tense music)

- Bennett was not dumb enough

to face off with
an ex-FBI agent.

This is what Ford Motor
Company had been reduced to,

two guys facing off
with drawn guns.

And this is what Henry
Ford II was taking over.

(birds chirping)

- Hank the Deuce was not

the reserved fellow
that his father was.

He came in, he
fired Harry Bennett,

fired about 1,000 of his
cronies throughout the company.

He cleaned house.

He was determined to
turn the company around.

- [Narrator] While Hank is
working as quickly as possible

to straighten out the company,

the Ford family is
dealt another blow.

On April 7th, 1947,
Henry Ford dies

from a massive
cerebral hemorrhage

just three months shy
of his 84th birthday.

(somber music)

- Henry Ford's impact on
our country was enormous.

100,000 people turned out

for his funeral to
pass his coffin.

Telegrams came in
from President Truman,

Joseph Stalin,
Winston Churchill.

The world realized
that an enormous force,

not always a benign one,
but something memorable,

had passed from us.

It was Henry Ford
and his Model T

that I think more than
any other single force

defined the America
we live in today.

- Not only is Hank dealing
with the death of his father,

and he's trying to step
up to run the company,

a position that is
not only high-profile,

but it's high stakes.

It's a lot for such a young man.

- [Narrator] Hank Ford
needs to jump start

his struggling company.

- Ford was devoid
of top management.

It was just filled with cronies

and people who weren't
keeping up with the times,

especially when it
came to management

and product management.

- [Narrator] With no
one to question him,

Hank is now able to do what
his father never could,

focus Ford on the future

and organize it to take on
the corporate giant, GM.

Post-war America is optimistic
and eager to modernize,

but with no new car
design since the war,

Hank needs to make a
groundbreaking change,

and his time in the Navy
gives him an advantage.

He looks to a group
of logistics experts

that helped achieve
victory, the Whiz Kids.

- These were a group of people

who were business
school graduates.

They had worked on
logistics in the Air Force,

and they kind of
marketed themselves

as a group after the war.

They went looking for
someplace they could go

and they got intrigued
by Ford Motor Company.

Here was a place
that needed this.

- The one we think of the
most is Robert McNamara

who would go on to become

the Secretary of Defense
under John F. Kennedy.

- Ford Motor Company
really had to catch up

to General Motors
after World War II

and these very, very
smart military officers

were given a pretty free reign
of the large corporation,

which was really
new to the world.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] While Hank
is betting the Whiz Kids

will help him find
a winning strategy,

Chrysler has surpassed Ford

to become the
number two car maker

but not for producing cars.

With $3.4 billion
in war contracts,

more than 45 billion today,

Chrysler does more to
achieve allied victory

than almost any other company.

- This is a small
token of thanks

for what you've done
for this country.

- [Narrator] Its
president, K.T. Keller

helped engineer the secret
weapon that ended the war.

(flash clicks)

(mellow music)

- K.T. Keller developed
nickel-plated tubing

for the atom bomb, which really
could never have been built

if it were not for Chrysler.

- [Narrator] But, Chrysler
quickly begins

to struggle after the war.

Innovation and America's new
obsession with modernization

prove difficult for a company

built of efficiency
and engineering.

Unlike Hank Ford, who
turns to innovators

like the Whiz Kids,

K.T. Keller is slow to realize

that the country is
changing quickly.

- Keller was very
efficient during the war

at getting things done,

but Keller's weakness
as time wore on

was he thought that
customers would get

the wonderful mechanics
of Chrysler Corporation

and that the style
didn't matter.

Keller liked cars
that were tall enough

so that a man could sit in
the car still wearing his hat.

It didn't take long to realize

they were making big mistakes.

(tense music)

- It's really tough
to stay at the top

in a competitive world and
whatever you're trying to do

better be the cat's meow.

Otherwise, you don't exist.

- [Narrator] While Keller
goes back to the playbook

that made him successful
early in his career,

young Hank Ford
sees an opportunity

to put his company back on top

by offering America what
it's been waiting for,

the first truly modern
American car.

- The designers are still
smoothing things out.

Give it some time.

We'll make it perfect.

- There is no more time, John.

This car is the future of Ford.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In the
aftermath of World War II,

America has emerged
as a super power.

The nation is
suddenly prosperous,

and the future seems wide open.

Modernization led
by the car industry

is changing the country
in a profound way.

- [Announcer] This is the way
America lives,

in comfortable homes

and in quality homes whose
construction represents

a great advance
in home building.

These are the homes
for a growing America.

(upbeat music)

-[Narrator] As post-war
Americans flock to suburbs,

they grow increasingly
reliant on their cars

and begin demanding
more from Detroit.

- [Announcer] With so much
of our population on wheels,

today there's a
freedom of movement

that is new in the
history of man.

We have a much greater
choice in where we live,

anywhere within
driving distance.

- The automobile
allowed the suburbs

to grow to what we know today.

For families to live
out away from the city,

it created a lot of
what we think of today,

of the nuclear family.

(birds chirping)

- Once the war was over,

car companies didn't have any
new product in the pipeline,

and so when they
resumed production,

what they were making
was 1942 models,

and it takes a while to
design an all-new car,

get tooled up to produce it
and get it into production.

(tense music)

- It looks good, but it
needs to be streamlined.

- Of course.

The designers are still
smoothing things out.

Give it some time,
we'll make it perfect.

- There is no more time, John.

This car is the future of Ford.

It can't look like a Studebaker.

- So, you want it new,
perfect, and ready in no time.

Anything else?

- Yeah, make it fast too.

- To be a strong leader,

you can't be afraid to
hurt a few feelings.

You have to be able to tell
the truth when it counts,

and that can ruffle
a lot of feathers.

- [Narrator] To get
the Ford Motor Company

back to its place on
top of the industry,

Hank knows he must beat
the competition to market

with a newly-designed car.

- No cars were really produced

in the United States
from 1940 to 1945,

and nobody was sure
what kind of cars

would be the kind of cars
that consumers would want

at the end of the war and
going into the early 1950s.

(dramatic music)

- [Announcer] It's
a long time now

since the idea first
went down on paper.

- [Narrator] To
develop his new car,

Ford invests countless man
hours and over $72 million,

the equivalent of
900 million today.

- [Announcer] It's really more
than a new automobile design,

it's new horizons, it's
freedom of movement

for the people who will day
drive it and ride in it,

who will value it
as a possession,

second only to the homes
in which they live.

- [Narrator] He also demands
it goes from the drawing board

to the assembly line
in just two years.

By the spring of 1948,
the '49 Ford debuts,

beating GM and
Chrysler to market

with the first
all-new post-war car.

- [Announcer] Here is
the Ford in your future,

the achievement supreme in
modern automotive styling,

beauty combined with comfort,
safety, and performance.

The new four-door custom sedan

is a perfect example of
the balanced engineering

built into every model
of the new 1949 line.

- The '49 Ford didn't look like

anything from the
pre-war period.

It had what you might
call an envelop body.

Some of the collectors
call them shoebox Fords

because they are
kind of squarish.

- [Narrator] Along
with the new style,

the '49 model also
features a much-improved

239 cubic inch
flathead V8 engine

capable of almost
100 horsepower.

- Lookin' at the engine, it's
a real simple lookin' engine.

It's flathead Ford because
the heads are flat on top,

the spark plugs are
visibly stickin'

right out of the top of it,

but the engine made pretty
doggone good horsepower.

(engine rumbling)

(birds chirping)

(cheerful music)

- Like so many people these
days, we live in the suburbs,

and Dave needs the car
every day for business.

- [Narrator] With
Americans realizing

that they need
more than one car,

Hank's gamble on the '49
Ford pays off in a big way,

and Ford sells 800,000
in the first year.

- Three weeks ago, we
bought another Ford.

It a whole new way of life.

Now, I'm free to go
anywhere, do anything,

see anybody any time I want.

- [Narrator] Sales
of the '49 model

are the highest for
Ford since the Model T,

taking it from last place
in the Big Three to second,

edging out Chrysler.

- Automobile design
before World War II

was really about big
fenders and running boards.

What the '49 Ford represented

was a totally new
direction in style.

You didn't step onto the car,
you stepped into the car,

and obviously, it was a huge hit

'cause it really saved
Ford Motor Company.

(birds chirping)

(phone ringing)

- We got the deadline covered.

We'll have 20,000 ready
by the end of the month.

You bet.

- [Narrator] With Ford
outselling Chrysler 10 to one,

K.T. Keller is barely

holding onto his
position as president.

He knows that he
needs to respond

and bets big that America
cares less about design

and more about what's
under the hood.

He focuses on engineering,

demanding that Chrysler
designers come up with something

better than Ford's
flathead V8 engine.

- Hey Marty!

These are great.

Tell 'em in
advertising it's a go.

- [Narrator] Chrysler introduces
the firepower V8 in 1950,

(dramatic music)

an engine that features
hemispherical cylinder heads,

the first of its kind.

The heads increase both
compression and fuel combustion,

allowing cars to
hit 180 horsepower,

nearly doubling Ford's flathead.

Chrysler's firepower
V8 is fast enough

to do zero to 60
in 12 seconds flat,

starting an arms race
for power and speed.

- [K.T. Keller] Yes, sir,
uh huh.

- [Narrator] While
Keller's innovation

pushes Chrysler
ahead in horsepower.

- Excuse me.

Sir, I--

- No, you're in good hands.

- [Narrator] The outdated design
hurts them with consumers.

- We got the deadline covered.

- K.T. Keller believed that
the style didn't matter

and so he would've
looked at the 1949 Ford

and said, this is
too radical a design,

I think the public wants
something that's different

but not too different.

- When you put a '49 Ford
next to a '49 Chrysler,

and the Chrysler looks
five years older.

They were way too
conservative and it cost them.

- There is so many mistakes
that happened with cars,

try to get the perfect car
design you put together

is one of the hardest
things in the world.

- [Narrator] Sales at
Chrysler are dismal,

plunging the company
into heavy debt

and back to third place
behind GM and Ford.

- If sales don't
pick up quickly,

we'll have to take out loans.

- Loans?

You're overreacting.

- [Narrator] K.T.
Keller steps down

as president of the
Chrysler Corporation.

Like Henry Ford before him,
he's a victim of his failure

to realize the inevitable
truth of American life,

progress waits for no one.

- Here is is, Alfred.

- [Narrator] An
engineer at GM, Ed Cole

sees opportunity
in the power race,

but he'll have to convince
GM president Alfred Sloan.

- Why are you
showing me this, Ed?

- [Ed] It's called a hot rod.

- [Alfred] Looks like a Chevy.

- Get in.

- [Alfred] I just ate.

- Aw, come on!

It wouldn't hurt you
to have a little fun.

- Fun ?

- A car for every person
for every purpose,

is that your line?

- Exactly, and I don't
see the purpose of this.

- Fun, that's the purpose of it.

Kids drive cars like this
because they're fast.

Get in.

(dramatic music)

- Alfred was set in his ways.

Alfred had a system set up

where he had cars that were
working for the company,

and innovations was key
when they had a problem,

but as far as getting
ahead of the curve,

he didn't truly have
a vision for it,

and I think Ed brought
that to the table

whether Alfred liked it or not.

- [Narrator] Cole sees
the need for speed

as GM's way to stay on top.

- Not too fast.

(car screeches)

(50s' style rock music)

- [Narrator] In the decade
following World War II,

the men ad women who served

now turn their
attention homeward

and embrace the car
like never before.

As the Big Three face off in an
arms race for engine supremacy.

With the modern look
of the '49 model

and it's new flathead V8,

Hank Ford's car takes
America by storm.

¶ A va va voom

- [Narrator] K.T. Keller puts
V8 power in the wrong package

landing Chrysler
in dire straits.

While GM's rising star, Ed Cole,

pitches what he believes
is the next big thing.

- Not too fast.

(car screeches)

¶ A va va voom

- Was there a point to
this little exercise?

Some of us have work to do.

- The point is under the hood.

- Why would anyone put a
Ford engine in a Chevy?

- Speed, haven't
you gotten that yet?

Ford's flatheads
are fast and fun,

and all we're making are
little six cylinders.

- So you wanna build an
engine to compete with Ford's?

- Exactly.

Let's kick the hell
out of the status quo.

- The Ford Flathead V8 was
really the first engine

that the after market jumped on.

Anything that would
make the engine lighter

and more powerful, you
know, it's fun to go fast.

(exciting music)

- Boy, it's amazing what
they could have done

back in the days
with those flatheads.

(engines rumbling)

That baby could really sing,

and it had a really
unique sound to it.

And, people to
this day are still

customizing the heck out
of the Flathead Ford.

- [Narrator] Cole knows
that young Americans

are looking for speed,
and he aims to deliver.

(exciting music)

Across the country, ex GIs

who learned engine
mechanics on the front lines

start to customize.

Souping up their rides
to get every bit of power,

giving rise to a new
subculture.

Hot rodders.

- Guys are coming
back from World War II

and they've had a pretty
intense experience.

The adrenaline is still high,

they're looking
for these thrills,

they've also become
really familiar

with all of these ways of
making vehicles faster.

- Hot rodding for
America is creativity.

It is about performance
but it's also about

marrying parts together to
create something unique.

- People wanted something that
went faster, made more noise,

just set people back in
their seats and launched.

Whether it was drag racing
or whether it was just

sitting at a light things
shaking and idling.

- [Narrator] Under the
hood of Hank Ford's

top-selling '49 Model,
is a flathead V8,

the weapon of choice
for hot rodders.

But customizing a
Ford wasn't easy

and Ed Cole sees a huge
opportunity.

- Ed Cole recognized the
hot rod and drag scenes

started to become
true American fixture

and knew that would translate

to a market that wanted
that for street cars.

- [Narrator] Cole's
answer is an engine

that beats Ford on power,

one that's affordable
and easy to customize.

- [Announcer] The
Motoramic Chevrolet,

with the history-making
new Turbofire V8 engine.

- [Narrator] Aka the
Chevy small block.

Cole's engine debuts
in the 1955 Corvette

and Bel Air models.

- Chevrolet small block
was a overhead valve engine

as opposed to a flathead engine.

It had better cooling

and it allowed for easier
production of horsepower.

- The small block Chevy

is one of the most influential
engines in hotrodding.

They're really transformable.

They're like Lego
kits for horsepower.

- [Narrator] Sales of
new Chevrolets skyrocket

to over a million cars,
rapidly surpassing Ford.

(engine rumbling)

- When you go out there
and you put it on,

whether in a
Chevrolet or a Ford,

it definitely draws
attention at the dealerships.

That terminology, what wins
on Sunday sells on Monday,

is still going on today.

- [Narrator] GM's amazing
success on the track

leads to a huge spike in sales.

Now, almost every other car

the American public
sees is a car from GM.

- The public loves power.

They love the idea
that their car

has more power than
their neighbor's.

- [Narrator] Hank Ford knows
he has to adopt a new strategy.

He believes Americans want a car

that can be everything
to everybody,

appealing to both hot
rodders and families.

- So John, do you have any more
thoughts on design choices?

- If you let the
designers do their work,

you're gonna be happy, trust me.

- [Narrator] Hank pours
more than $400 million

into developing an
experimental car line,

almost three and a half
billion today.

It's a huge gamble,
but he believes

it's the cutting
edge of auto design,

the kind of car his father
never had the chance to make.

He names the new car
after his dad, Edsel.

(birds chirping)

- I don't know if the
public is ready for this.

- It's the perfect
tribute to your father.

What better way to
remember him than this?

Trust me.

- It's forward thinking but
maybe a little too forward.

- [John] It's not like
anything we've seen before.

- Edsel Ford, he left behind
a legacy of innovation

and the want to change
things stylistically

and update things from
a technology standpoint.

So, launching a car and putting
your father's name on it,

not only was it a major stake
from a marketing standpoint,

it was one that you
have to get right.

(suspenseful music)

- Under this canvas cover,

it's the newest member of
the Ford family of fine cars.

And now for the moment

I'm sure you've all been
looking forward to, the Edsel.

(energetic music)

- [Narrator] The
Ford Edsel boasts

a 410 cubic inch V8 engine
that delivers 345 horsepower

and nearly 120 miles an hour,

and with its
three-speed transmission

controlled by a teletouch
panel on the steering wheel,

it's innovations are
cutting edge.

- [Announcer] Here's the
definition established

for the Edsel product.

The Edsel should
be the smart car,

the smart car for
growing America.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] But critics
panned the radical design

and poor quality,
the public agrees.

- Unfortunately, the
styling and design

didn't live up to the hype

and people hated that
horse collar grill.

It looked like someone
took a toilet seat

and stuck it on
the front of a car.

- There's so many
people that said,

oh that car was terrible,
I hated that car,

but I was one of the guys
that did like the Edsel.

I thought the Edsel
was a cool car.

Except we weren't the majority.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] The Edsel
is a financial disaster,

hurting the Ford Motor
Company's bottom line,

and for Hank, it's personal.

- I think after the Edsel,
there was a short period

where Hank kind of
closed down in a way.

He took a chance and missed,

and I think it was
his biggest fear

from when he took over
after his father's death,

he's finally realized
that something

that's named after
his own father,

he may not know
whether he can recover.

- Your father would be proud.

It's a fine car.

Sometimes it's just
a matter of timing.

- [Narrator] In
the fall of 1959,

Hank Ford terminates
production of the Edsel.

The failure is public
and embarrassing,

and it prompts one
of the biggest shifts

in car design America
will ever see.

1956, America likes Ike,

rock and roll is
sweeping the country,

and the Big Three are
locked in an arms race

of innovation and power

like never before.

(engines rumbling)

(dramatic music)

- Now, it's the fun era time

where you didn't
necessarily worry

about the weight of a vehicle
and the efficiency of it

and put some amazing
style into it.

For me, the '57 Chevy
is just gorgeous.

- In those days, we'll
go out and cruise around

with your girlfriend next to
you and try to impress her.

(giggling)

- Everything was car-centric.

People would roll
up on roller skates

and bring you your shake and
fries to your car window,

and people's dates
were in a car,

and you see a movie in your car.

I don't even think you
ever leave the car.

- [Narrator] It's the golden
age of the auto industry

and the Big Three are about

to get a major boost
from Washington.

- [Announcer] Our highway
engineers know the way.

- Congress in the
'50s passed a law

to create the interstate
highway system.

What they were doing was
saying America is on the road.

- [Narrator] The
Federal Highway Act

becomes the largest public works
project in American history

that will eventually
cost over $100 billion

and create a ribbon of highways

connecting every major
city coast to coast.

With more highways, more
people are buying cars.

By 1960, there are nearly
75 million on the road,

50% more than a decade earlier.

Detroit feeds demand
with bolder designs,

new options, and faster engines.

But as gas prices begin to rise,

and the cost of
living increases,

Americans are left
wanting more for less,

and Detroit scrambled to
give it to them.

- Yeah, bring the drawings.

Thanks, Bill, bye.

- [Narrator] One of GM's top
engineers turned executive,

Ed Cole, sees the answer
for an untapped market,

a lightweight budget-friendly
but sporty new car.

- [Announcer] A small
compact 80 horsepower

dollop of dynamite, a
revolutionary new kind of car,

Corvair by Chevrolet.

- [Narrator] In 1960, Cole
unveils his ultra-modern Corvair

with its air-cooled rear-mounted

European-inspired
engine configuration.

Americans love this zippy,
fun, affordable compact

hailed as the poor
man's Porsche,

and GM sells over 200,000.

While the Corvair
improves GM's bottom line,

(tires screeching)

one man sees it as a
death trap, Ralph Nader.

- The Corvair, the
car would suddenly

unexpectedly go out of control.

- Ralph Nader wanted to make
sure that cars were safe

because as a young person, he
had seen many of his friends

be killed and maimed
in car accidents.

- [Narrator] For the first time,

a harsh spotlight is cast on
the auto industry in America

and Nader chooses the Corvair
as the focus for his crusade.

- You have designs of cars
where on the steering wheel,

there's this massive spike
'cause it looks cool.

Well yeah, if you stop short,

right, you're gonna get spiked.

People are going
through windshields

that are not shatter proof.

- Nader looked at the
management of the Big Three

as the enemy of the
American people.

They were the ones
who were responsible

for all these deaths.

- [Narrator] The Corvair's
design made it an easy target.

- The Corvair had swing axles
and under certain conditions,

it would not handle
as predictably

as the cars that
Americans were used to.

- [Narrator] Sales of
the Corvair plummet

from nearly 200,000 in year
one to only 6,000 in year five.

While Washington moves to
put tougher safety measures

on the roughly eight
million cars made each year,

Nader's mounting attacks
rattle every car maker,

except Pontiac's chief
engineer, John DeLorean,

who has his own ideas about
what's best for General Motors.

(anticipatory music)

- He was a guy that just
had this immense confidence.

When he walked into the
room, people knew who he was.

- Ed.

I wanna sell something that we
can proud of, something fast,

a car that makes your eyeballs
roll back in your head.

- You have to remember, John,

you can't just do
whatever you want.

The government is worried
about public safety.

- I'm just trying to
make better Pontiacs.

Otherwise, what's the point?

- The point is to
support General Motors.

We're not making race cars.

- Americans want speed
and we need to deliver it

or they'll buy something else.

- [Narrator] DeLorean
sees what Ed Cole doesn't.

(dramatic music)

(engines rumbling)

But the next generation of car
buyers are focused on one thing,

the thrill that only an
American muscle car can deliver,

and in Detroit, Woodward Avenue

becomes the center
of the action.

(engines revving)
(people cheering)

- Woodward Avenue goes
from the Detroit River

all the way out through Pontiac,

must be more than 20 miles long,

and it was a very popular
place to drag race.

- But what separated
Detroit from any place else

was the fact that some
of the car companies

would bring experimental
cars under disguise

and drag race along
with everyone else.

(engines rumbling)

- [Narrator] And DeLorean
isn't the only executive

that sees what
young America wants.

Lee Iacocca's star
is on the rise.

- Iacocca was someone with
an attention for detail

but also was someone
with great insight

as to what the
market would want.

- [Narrator] He
starts as an engineer

but quickly moves to sales

and continues advancing up
Ford's corporate ladder.

- Lee Iacocca kind of won
a reputation for himself

as being very bright
and very charismatic,

and he had gone up the food
chain at Ford Motor Company

one promotion after another.

- Lee?

(laughing)

What's a Ford man
doin' out here.

You're a little outta
your element, aren't ya?

- Who are you to talk?

You guys make cars
for little old ladies

to drive to church on Sundays.

- Not anymore.

Take a look.

Over 300 horsepower.

- What's the point?

GM's never gonna
let you build this.

- That's why I'm not
asking for permission.

- John, how many of these kids

do you think will be
able to afford it?

I'm sure it's fun
to drive, John,

that isn't enough.

People want a car they can drive

to the country club on Friday,

to the drag strip on Saturday,
and to church on Sunday.

- The only one of those I
care about is the drag strip.

(laughing)

- Lee Iacocca, part of his
conflict with John DeLorean

was that they both had the
attention of the industry,

Iacocca more as
corporate executive,

DeLorean more as a
critic of General Motors,

but they both knew exactly
what people were lookin' for.

(engines revving)

- [Narrator] Both
Iacocca and DeLorean

know they must
double down on speed

or get left in the dust.

-[Narrator] The 1950s, an
American age of optimism,

confidence, and style.

Reflected in
Detroit's bold designs

are tail fins,

chrome, and hot rod
engines.

(radio static)

The '50s give way to
the turbulent '60s.

America is changing,
people are standing up

for their civil rights,

(choppr blades whirring)

and new war in Vietnam
is looming.

One maverick auto executive

believes that a restless nation

craves what only
Detroit can deliver,

raw power, speed, and flash.

(dramatic music)

- Okay.

Let's see how this baby runs.

- [Narrator] After
months of fine tuning

and real-world testing
on Woodward Avenue,

John DeLorean is ready
to unleash a monster.

(engine revving)

- That's how a car
is supposed to sound.

(laughs)

- [Narrator] DeLorean
builds the ultimate Pontiac,

secretly adding
an option package

to the already-established
Tempest.

Whe he was running Pontiac,

John DeLorean put a
389 cubic inch engine

into the Pontiac body and
called that option the GTO

and that, it kind of
circumvented the rules

'cause they weren't
really making a car,

they were making an option.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In the spring
of 1964, DeLorean releases

the option package called the
Gran Turismo Omologato

or GTO.

(energetic music)

The GTO offers an optional

four-speed four-in-the-floor
transmission.

It features a Hurst shifter,
dual exhaust, hood scoops,

and under the hood is
a 389 cubic inch

6.4 liter V8 engine

delivering 325 horsepower.

- Pontiac GTO, that
was an incredible car.

That just symbolized horsepower
and symbolized speed.

(laughs)

Yeah, that was a really
masculine, sexy car.

(birds chirping)

(tiger growling)

- Really what I consider
DeLorean to be was a marketer.

He figured out how to
create brand excitement.

(exciting music)

- [Announcer] Some sporty
cars are only pussycats.

Pontiac's GTO is all tiger.

Agile,

nimble,

all wide track.

- DeLorean had a way of
being brash and daring

and infusing his cars
with his own personality.

- [Announcer] GTO.

- The people at Pontiac,
his sales people

felt would only sell
5,000 in its first year.

They sold 35,000.

- [Narrator] Motor Trend chooses
the entire Pontiac lineup

as Car of the Year for 1965.

And over the next five years,

Pontiac sells over 350,000 GTOs.

- That was the birth
of the muscle car era.

They're these certain cars
that have attracted a following

and created a myth that is
far beyond the car itself.

- In that era, we saw
engines that were produced

that had practically no business

being on the road
except to race.

(engines revving)

- We used to drag race and
have our buddies look out

for traffic and then flash
lights or something like that

if something was going, but
everything was a race track.

- [Narrator] Young
America may want speed,

but General Motors management
isn't on the same page.

- Says here, you're
the auto industry's

flashiest new executive.

- That's not sayin'
much in Detroit.

(laughing)

- You know how things
work here, John.

The company comes first.

Just because your GTO is selling

doesn't mean it's good for GM.

- I thought you said selling
cars is what it's all about.

- It is about
selling cars, John,

but the government is
lookin' to make an example

out of one of the Big Three,

so your GTO, it
isn't helpin' us!

- I never thought
you'd sell out.

- You know, times change, John.

- Clearly!

Since when do you back
down from a challenge.

- You know, 200 horsepower
is one thing, John,

400 horsepower,
it's a death wish.

(dramatic music)

(phone ringing)

- [Narrator] As sales of the GTO
continue to explode,

the Big Three become locked into

what's become known as

the horsepower wars.

(engine revving)
(tires screeching)

- Everybody in the Big
Three was building something

that had tons of horsepower,

and it became an arms race.

- The car that always stuck
out to me was the Camaro.

It was loud and fast.

It just screamed awesome.

- Chevelle is a iconic
car as they come.

I was a son to a race car
driver that was Chevy guy.

He instilled that
into the whole family.

- The El Camino, that's my take

on a beautiful
custom muscle car,

and I feel like when I drive
that car, I've got an attitude.

(engines revving)
(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Iacocca didn't
beat DeLorean to market,

but he is determined to put
Ford in the horsepower game.

His problem, his boss Hank Ford,

is still reeling from the flop

of the radically-designed Edsel,

a failure that cost him a
staggering $350 million,

or 3 billion today.

- [Lee] Hank!

- [Narrator] Or
three billion today.

- Not now, Lee.

- The Edsel disaster shouldn't

keep us from trying to innovate.

- That disaster, as you call it,

ruined my father's good name
and cost this company millions.

- There's room for small
cars, but the kids want speed.

- Well, who cares
what the kids want.

- You should.

The under 25s are
buying more new cars

than any other age group.

- Fine, but whatever
you come up with,

it better not be expensive.

- It'll be the lowest-priced
fast car money can buy.

(tense music)

- Lee Iacocca was a very
interesting man in many ways.

He was a maverick.

His mind was very
fertile all the time

and always thinking,
what can we do next

that's different, that's better.

- [Narrator] Iacocca
knows that Hank

is extremely cost-conscious,

so he uses parts from
Ford's Falcon and Fairlane,

but he needs a new
look for the car.

- He didn't build
this car from scratch,

but what he was able to
achieve is pretty cool.

The whole process
of designing it

and building it and
coming up with that,

I think that made him a
really smart business man.

- [Narrator] Iacocca
wants to show off

his new compact muscle car,

and he chooses to unveil it
at the 1964 World's Fair.

- [Announcer] Out at
the Ford pavilion,

there's a daydream
corner called Mustang.

(dramatic music)

- Nobody knew how big a
success it was gonna be.

Well, they sold hundreds
of thousands of them.

Young people had a car
that they could look at

and say, that's for me.

(engine rumbling)

- There were a lot of
hot rods but very little style.

They were all go, no show.

The Mustang itself
was go and show.

- The Mustang's killin' it.

Sales are through the roof.

- [Narrator] Ford rolls
out nearly 700,000 Mustangs

in the first 18 months,

outselling the GTO
nearly seven to one,

making Iacocca an
automotive star.

- So, you made the cover.

- Hank, if you read it,

you'll see that I talked
about how open you are

to new ideas, how your
leadership was crucial.

- It's not about me.

- Really?

- It's about the car.

As long as it's the
Ford Motor Company,

I want the cars front and
center, not the executives

and don't forget it.

(tense music)

- You got it, Hank.

(exciting music)

(engine revving)

- [Narrator] By the early 1970s,

Detroit is delivering Americans
more power than ever before.

Pontiac's GTO gives
way to Ford's Mustang,

which sells almost a million
cars in under two years,

propelling Lee Iacocca

to president of the
Ford Motor Company.

- Detroit knows who's
designing things now.

- [Narrator] But Ford
still lags behind GM,

which is selling
twice as many cars.

(engines revving)

Then, a perfect
storm bears down

on the American car industry.

OPEC hits the U.S.
with an oil embargo.

Gas prices go sky high,

the economy slows,

leaving the door open
for outside competition.

- American automotive industry

was churning out
these gas guzzlers.

That is fine when gasoline
is 10 cents a gallon,

but it's a real problem

when it's three, four,
five dollars a gallon.

- [Narrator] With their
focus still on muscle cars,

the Big Three are slow to react.

- The tide was coming in
heavily from the east,

Toyota, Honda,
Nissan were coming in

and finding a big
receptive audience

because they were fuel
efficient, cleverly designed,

and they were small.

- We just didn't see it coming.

We got caught looking
the wrong way.

- [Narrator] Smaller,
more fuel-efficient cars

from Asia and Europe
flood the market.

The German Volkswagen Beetle
goes from novelty,

to selling 1/2 a million in 1970

overtaking the Model T

as the best-selling
car of all time.

- [Announcer] Motor Trend
magazine tested the

Toyota Corolla with the new
102 horsepower engine

and came up with this.

- [Narrator] Japanese
auto makers in the 1970s

go from selling a few 100
thousand cars in the U.S.

To 1.5 million, increasing
sales by a staggering

500 percent.

- Turns out the
Germans are making

better cars than
the United States.

The Japanese are
making just as good

and a lot cheaper cars,

and now Detroit's gettin'
hurt 'cause they have been,

they've been fat, dumb and
happy for way too long

and they've lost their
competitive edge.

- [Narrator] American car
makers need an answer,

and Hank Ford turns to Lee
Iacocca to find it.

- [Hank] How's the
new one comin' along?

- Don't worry, Hank, I'll
save our asses again.

- Well, you better have
it ready by September.

We're rolling out a big
ad campaign to support it.

- Look, I want it
to be ready too,

but we're moving faster
than we should be.

- Never explain, never complain.

Those are your words, not mine.

- Hank,

you can take the credit,

you can count your profits,

but let's be clear about
who's doing the actual work.

It'll be ready when
I say it's ready.

- Lee Iacocca, if he had
been in any other place,

would probably be a
chief executive officer,

but this was a family company.

Part of his conflict
with Henry Ford II

was the fact that
he was a hired hand.

It was very humiliating for him.

(mellow music)

- [Announcer] Meet
the Pinto, just born.

- [Narrator] The
Pinto was released

after one of the shortest
development periods

in automotive history,
just 25 months,

the cost, $1,800.00
or $11,000 today.

The Pinto is a hit, selling
over 350,000 in the first year.

There's now a mad dash to
enter the compact car market

and dominate foreign imports.

Chrysler rushes to release
its Plymouth Cricket,

which boasts more interior
room than the Pinto.

(anticipatory music)

At GM, Ed Cole is feeling

the pressure to
match Ford's success,

and looks to the man who
brought him the muscle car,

flashy executive John DeLorean.

- John DeLorean is
headstrong, determined,

able to latch onto a dream
and see it through to the end,

and let's add he was a
megalomaniac in so many ways.

He was a guy who had facelifts
and things like that,

so he looked a lot younger

but a very distinctively
handsome individual.

- Let's call him Maverick

because he had to have
ideas that were new,

- I mean, it's just
gettin' women, oh!

- We missed ya the
last couple of weeks.

Hope you went somewhere nice.

- I told you, I was
having surgery in L.A.

How have things
been around here?

- I'm up to my ass in
labor negotiations.

How's the compact design coming?

- It'll be ready for the fall,

just in time to
ruin my reputation.

- I know it's not your dream
car, but get behind it.

Ford's Pinto is
tough competition.

- You got it, Ed.

We'll destroy the Pinto.

(dramatic music)

(phone ringing)
(typewriter clicking)

(engine rumbling)

- [Announcer] Motor Trend
magazine has named our Vega

their 1971 Car of the Year.

(exciting music)

- [Narrator] Chevy's
Vega features

an innovative lightweight
aluminum engine

and comes in a hatchback,
sedan, and even a station wagon.

GM sells more than a 1/4
million Vegas in the first year,

but the success of
the Vega and Pinto

is about to come to an end.

(crashing)
(dramatic music)

- Pintos and the Vegas, they
were really pretty bad cars.

The American car manufacturers,
through their arrogance,

kind of foisted
off on the public,

well, here's an economy car,

but it's really a cheap car
and it's not a good car.

- [Narrator] Consumers
discover the Vega

has defective axles, throttles,
and rust-prone engines

prompting a huge recall
costing GM millions.

- [Narrator] Reports
come out of a faulty

fuel tank design on the Pinto.

It causes fires and explosions.

Sales immediately fall off.

(tense music)

Ford recalls a million
and a 1/2 of them.

But Chrysler's Cricket
fairs even worse,

selling less than a 1/10
of the Pinto and Vega,

helping put the once
great auto giant

3/4 of a billion
dollars into debt.

All three go down as some
of the worst cars ever made.

(engines rumbling)

Despite the failure
of this compact,

DeLorean maintains
a high-profile

as his tumultuous personal life
keeps him in the headlines.

- Try actin' like
a damn grownup!

I mean, look at
how you're dressed.

(dramatic music)

You've got to tone
things down, John.

I can't have you appearing

in some Hollywood gossip
rag every other week.

- My private life
is my business.

- Your missin' the key
word there, private,

and I'm readin' about it.

- All press is good
press, isn't it?

Don't worry, I won't be damaging
GM's reputation any longer.

I quit!

Go find someone else to do
all the work around here.

(dramatic music)

(phone ringing)

- [Narrator] As
the '70s roll on,

the U.S. is battling
an economy weakened

by recession and
surging oil prices.

-[Nixon] We will break the back
of the energy crisis.

We will lay the foundation
for our future capacity

to meet America's energy needs

from America's own resources.

- [Narrator] The Big
Three are struggling

as foreign cars begin
overtaking the market.

To beat the imports,
Detroit is forced

to double down on cheaper,
more fuel-efficient cars.

- There is something
to be said between

Henry Ford not wanting
to change the Model T

and the American
automobile industry

not wanting to change
to small cars,

and you really need
to be one step ahead

of where things are going,
not one step behind,

and unfortunately, that's where

the American industry
fell for a while.

- [Narrator] Following the
Pinto recall,

Hank Ford loses
trust in Lee Iacocca

and shows him the door.

- When Lee Iacocca got forced
out of the Ford Motor Company,

it was a very humiliating
event for him.

He really thought of himself

as the future leader of
the Ford Motor Company

and was devastated when
they threw him out of there.

For number three
automaker Chrysler,

times couldn't be worse.

After the failure
of the Cricket,

the company is a
billion dollars in debt

and on the verge of bankrupcy.

(tense music)

- Chrysler was really facing

an existential crisis
of finance

and was about to fail.

- [Narrator] The solution
to Chrysler's problems

may come from an unlikely place.

- Just think about it Lee,

if you come to Chrysler, you'll
be the captain of the ship.

- Nobody wants to be
captain of the Titanic,

certainly not me.

(dramatic music)

- If anybody can turn things
around here, it's you.

- You have to remember that
Lee Iacocca, at that point,

probably wanted revenge
against Henry Ford II

more than anything in his life.

He was motivated by
this great animus

and this great injustice
of having been thrown out

of this car company that he
felt that he should be leading,

and so, what was the best way

to actually prove
that he was right?

- When were you thinking
of having me start?

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In
the fall of 1979,

Lee Iacocca becomes
Chrysler's president.

His task, saving the company
from financial collapse

and the 300,000
jobs in the balance.

- Lee Iacocca went
to the government

and he said, in order
to save my company,

I'm going to need some help

because even though
Chrysler wasn't the biggest,

it would've had an enormous
negative impact on the economy.

Think of the number of people

who would've been
jobless overnight.

- [Narrator] Iacocca
convinces the U.S. government

to bail out Chrysler
with $1.5 billion.

But Chrysler is losing
$150 million a quarter,

and Lee Iacocca
isn't the only one

fighting to save his career.

(engine revving)

- That's how a car
is supposed to sound.

(laughs)

- Like so many other
men in history,

John Zachary DeLorean wanted
to build his own care,

and there are many
hurdles and many pitfalls

and despite that, DeLorean
decided to venture forth anyway.

- [Narrator] He
calls his enterprise

the DeLorean Motor Company,

but without the financial
resources of the Big Three,

DeLorean gets creative
about managing costs.

He decides to make his
American dream overseas.

(dramatic music)

- The DeLorean is completed
in Northern Ireland,

which of all places
to build a car,

I mean his car plant
was literally between

Protestant and Catholic
neighborhoods in the height

of what were known as the
Troubles in Northern Ireland,

and the reason it was put there

is that the British government

was willing to give him
more than $100 million.

- [Narrator] As John
DeLorean executes

a new vision of car making,
Lee Iacocca struggles

to save Chrysler even
with the government loan.

- Iacocca took on this ship

that was takin'
on a lotta water.

- [Narrator] He bets
on something Americans

have never seen before and
never knew they needed.

(audience applauding)

- [Announcer] A
wagon so versatile,

so right for America today,
we can't build enough of them.

- What Chrysler did with the
minivan was very significant.

It met the needs
of so many people

in a way the station
wagons did not.

- [Narrator] Chrysler
sells a million

in the first two years.

With the success of the minivan,

Lee Iacocca pays back
the federal bailout

seven years ahead of schedule.

- I have one and only one
ambition for Chyrsler,

to be the best,
what else is there?

- [Narrator] But as
Iacocca rescues Chrysler,

he and rival John
DeLorean

will compete to determine the
future of American car making.

(dramatic music)

By the late 1970s,
America is hurting.

Inflation is at
an all-time high,

and 1.3 million
people are unemployed.

As cheaper foreign imports
continue to flood the market,

the Big Three fight
for their survival.

- I think that there
was a strong sense of denial

in Detroit

about what was
happening to them,

which was the rise of companies
like Toyota and Honda.

Remember, Detroit once
owned 90% of the market,

and their share of the
market just kept dwindling.

- [Narrator] Foreign
car makers soon control

1/4 of the U.S. market
and are expanding.

With a projected
loss of $1.6 billion,

Hank Ford is forced to
raise sticker prices,

but still fails to make
a profit

and steps down from
the company

he once saved from ruin.

The board elects a new
chairman to take the helm.

For the first time,
Ford Motor Company

is run by someone
outside the family.

But Hank leaves behind
a legacy of innovation,

like his father and
grandfather before him.

(peaceful music)

(birds chirping)

- Henry Ford II, I
mean, he turned out

to be a terrific car guy,
as indeed Edsel had been.

Maybe there's a
gene that does run

in the blood in that family.

- [Narrator] Ford not only
survives, it thrives

continuing as one of the largest

and oldest corporations
in America.

As foreign imports continue
to flood the U.S. market,

Lee Iacocca makes a move
that shocks the industry,

partnering up with the enemy,
foreign auto maker Mitsubishi.

- Iacocca had to
collaborate with Mitsubishi

because they needed
to understand

and also to be able to
sell to new market segments

that wanted smaller cars

that the Japanese makers
were manufacturing.

- Chrysler and
Mitsubishi break ground

on half billion dollar factory,

employing nearly
2,500 Americans.

It's an expensive experiment

that will either make
or break Chrysler.

As Iacocca rolls the dice
on the company's future,

maverick car maker John DeLorean

is ready to show the world
his vision of the future.

(peaceful electronic music)

10 years after leaving GM,

his DMC-12 finally rolls off
the assembly line.

It's a crowning
moment for one of

the biggest legends
in the auto industry.

- It was eight
years from the time

he conceived the car until the
first one was actually built,

but John Z. DeLorean, he's
the guy that made it happen.

He was the one that
took all the risks.

He was the one
that had to come up

with the money to
make it all work.

- [Narrator] The DMC-12 features
futuristic gull-wing doors

that require less side clearance

than traditional hinged doors.

The fiberglass
underbody is covered

with a brushed
stainless steel shell

and the car is powered
by a rear-mounted

130 horsepower
Renault V6 engine.

(birds chirping)

- That car was so
ahead of its time

in body design, it's incredible.

- When I was a kid
and I saw a DeLorean,

I thought it was the
coolest car ever.

It just looks space aged
you know the wing doors,

and there was nothin' else
like it.

- [Narrator] The
DMC-12, named in part

for its $12,000 anticipated
price tag,

sells for $26,000 to
cover costs.

- DeLorean not only had sales
goals that were unrealistic,

as the numbers started coming
in and getting crunched,

the pricing became unrealistic,

and there was no
way they were ever

gonna sell these
cars at that price.

- [Narrator] While critics
praise the futuristic look,

they hate what's under the
stainless steel exterior.

- It doesn't handle well.

It doesn't drive well.

It's not easy to
get in and out of.

- [Narrator] Its sales
numbers are a disaster,

only hitting 9,000 units, and
DeLorean faces bankruptcy.

- When a man like John DeLorean,

who has this dream of
building a successful car

suddenly sees that he's
running out of money,

he becomes desperate, and he
made some very unwise choices.

(indistinct chattering)

- [Narrator] The early
'80s, America is strruggling

with a deep recession.

Manufacturing jobs
are disappearing,

and the car industry
is hardest hit.

Unemployment skyrockets.

One in four auto workers
is without a job.

For maverick car
maker John DeLorean,

conditions couldn't be worse.

- People weren't clamoring
for a DeLorean DMC-12,

and he had these enormous costs,

and the bills kept adding up.

He became desperate.

- John DeLorean probably
isn't that much different

from so many other
successful men

in the automobile industry.

You have to be egotistical

and unwise when it was
necessary for him to resort

to questionable tactics
to keep his company alive.

- [Reporter] John
DeLorean ended up in court

charged with
trafficking cocaine.

- DeLorean gets sucked into
what in essence was a sting

and appears on video
cameras hoisting

some cocaine and says,
this is as good as gold.

(reporters yelling)

- Thank you.

- He was acquitted,

but the bottom
line was his career

in the automobile industry,

for all intents and
purposes, was over.

(tense music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] DeLorean's fall
ends a decades-long rivalry

with Lee Iacocca,
who's taken a chance

on yet another risky
deal of his own.

A billion and a half
dollar partnership

with foreign car maker,

Mitsubishi.

(audience applauding)

Together, they release
the Eclipse.

Mitsubishi's sales jump
by over 32% in one year,

making the company
a player in the U.S.

But what most
people don't realize

is that Chrysler
shares the profits.

- Buying an American
car, yeah it's patriotic,

but also I think it's up the
manufacturers to earn that.

They need to earn
our business as well,

and we need to be
creating the best cars

and trucks in the world period.

- [Narrator] Iacocca continues
to rewrite the playbook.

His next move is to get
the country

to buy American once again

with an iconic
vehicle, the Jeep.

- Chrysler wanted to have Jeep,

and American Motors owned Jeep,

and so Chrysler bought
American Motors to get Jeep.

- [Narrator] Under Chrysler,
Jeep gets a facelift,

the new model called
the Grand Cherokee.

The Grand Cherokee
becomes such a hit,

it makes popular a
whole new class of cars

called the sport
utility vehicle.

Chrysler goes from
one foot in the grave

to earning 723
million in profits.

(dramatic music)

in 1992, at 67, Lee Iacocca,

the automotive
genius responsible

for some of America's most
innovative vehicles,

retires on top.

- As an executive, as an
innovator, as a car guy,

and also a master salesman,

he really has an incredible
record of success,

and he saved, well, there
was a cult of personality

around Lee Iacocca at
Chrysler, but in essence,

that's all that Chrysler had.

Lee Iacocca deserves
a reputation of being

one of the great auto
executives of the 20th century

and not just for all the
things he did at Ford,

but also for saving Chrysler.

I don't think any other
executive could've done that.

- [Narrator] As the
last of America's

great car pioneers steps down,

a new chapter of
innovation begins.

(engines revving)

From the turn of the
20th century to today,

the car has
transformed the country

and defined the
American experience.

- What's gonna happen in the
21st century, I don't know.

- The automobile, it's
going to reach a point

where it's even a
more interesting and

important machine than
it's been in the past

and that's gonna be because
of driverless technology,

and it's gonna do a lot
of things in society.

It's really gonna
transform the way we live.

- Manufacturers have
some driverless cars

on racetracks where
they're competing

with race car drivers at
that level, that's amazing.

- I will not have
an autonomous car.

I don't even wanna be alive
when that is gonna be.

I just love to drive and I love
to have that control myself.

- Driving is something
that's primal

that people love
and enjoy doing,

but the nice thing is,
I think in the future,

you'll be able to pick and
choose when you wanna drive.

It's a brave new world
that we're getting into,

it's really exciting.k

(exciting music)

- I think that most Americans

think a car is their birthright,

but it's also in the way our
whole society is organized.

It's influence is so pervasive

that it's really no more
visible than the air we breathe.

(dramatic music)