Podholic: It’s dirty work, but …

Thinking about polishing up your car cleaning game?

IT’S a love-hate affair, right?

 Some of us crave having our cars look picture-perfect, yet cleaning the damn things is such a faff.

Not everyone feels this way. There are those who love the vehicle detailing process to the point that it becomes a way of life, a hobby, and a business opportunity.

 If you’re one of the latter, the Auto Detailing Podcast has you covered. Broadcast weekly, this American show is hosted by Jimbo Balaam – an entrepreneurial detailing expert who has endured many years of hard graft to get to where he is today.

 Initially, this writer was sceptical about diving into a pod about vehicle detailing – if people find car cleaning boring, then surely this podcast will be too? Right? Nope, it isn’t the case at all.  

Pleasantly, it turns out the show offers a bucket load more. If you’re looking to start any small business, Balaam’s journey from nothing to success arguably makes a better listen than many of those self-fulfilling TED Talks you may have seen. Impressively, the pod covers a wealth of information surrounding marketing strategies, pricing and how to score those all-important big jobs. 

Balaam's interviews with other top detailers highlight how passion and attention to detail are the founding pillars within the vehicle grooming industry. Make no bones about it; these are genuine car enthusiasts who are lucky enough to wax their craft on some of the world's most exotic cars.

Of course, detailing basics from preparation to the final presentation are covered too. I found the podcast an excellent tool for learning about safe washing techniques (to prevent unsightly swirls), paint correction processes, wax vs ceramic coatings, paint protection film, and so much more.

Will I quit my day job for a career in auto detailing? Probably not. But if this sounds like you, then chuck in those headphones, grab a notepad and have a listen! 

The Auto Detailing Podcast Homepage https://www.autodetailingpodcast.com/podcast

Style leader from small beginnings

 Auburn made numerous pioneering contributions and was known for innovation, style and performance.

 IN 1900, Frank and Morris Eckhart saw merit in making automobiles. With funding from their father, Charles, they established the Auburn Automobile Company that year.

The initial product was an assembled car built with parts sourced from an array of companies. The assembly process took place in a corner of the carriage company factory, whose craftsman built the wood framing for the bodies.

Nothing much came from their enterprise until the brothers displayed a car at the 1903 Chicago Auto Show. That put them into the spotlight.

By 1909 the brothers were successful enough to absorb two local automobile manufacturers and relocate production to a larger facility in 1909. The company enjoyed moderate and steady sales growth until the First World War, a shortage of materials dramatically curtailed manufacturing.

For investors and in media interviews the brothers painted a rosy picture, but the truth is that the company was in serious financial trouble. In 1919, on the cusp of bankruptcy, the company was sold to a group of Chicago investors that included William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum mogul. Still, the company languished result of the economic recession, dated styling and a limited dealer network.

By 1924 only six cars a day were rolling from the factory and yet there was a surplus of unsold cars that was growing. Then to salvage something from their investment, the board of directors turned to E.L. Cord, the Chicago whiz kid that had transformed the St. Louis-based Moon from a moribund automobile manufacturing company to solvency.

After evaluating the operation Cord accepted the position of general manager at Auburn in exchange for a modest salary, stock options, and the option of buying controlling interest in the company.

His first step? Add nickel trim and repaint unsold stock. Then he cut the wholesale price but added an options list and hosted an auto show for area dealers on the town square.

He offered the dealers huge discounts and, within a few months, had sold off his overstock. As the log jam of unsold inventory began to move, in 1925 he contracted with Lycoming for eight-cylinder engines that were then installed in the formerly six-cylinder Auburns. This as well as a slight tweak to the bodies to present a more streamlined appearance and two-tone paint options led to a dramatic increase in sales.

Incredibly by 1926, Auburn was not only a profitable company, it was also counted among the top 20 manufacturers in the United States; no mean feat as there were dozens of automobile companies in operation at the time.

Rather than rest on his laurels, Cord hired Alen Leamy and Gordon Buehrig, cutting edge young automotive designers, and entered a limited partnership with the Duesenberg Company that had limited production of high-performance automobiles. He also established an extensive nationwide dealer network with a focus on select cities.

Cord used the Duesenberg association as the cornerstone for building a diverse industrial empire that included a new line of performance-oriented luxury cars. He incorporated some of these features into the L-29 Cord, the American automobile industry’s first successful front wheel drive car. Then with acquisition of controlling interest in Duesenberg, he shifted into high gear even though the economy was beginning to falter.

In 1928, the Auburn 8-115 was introduced with hydraulic rather than mechanical brakes. These cars were used to establish Auburn’s reputation for speed, performance, and luxury at the price of a Buick. At Daytona that year the Auburn 8-115 was driven to a speed record of 108.46 miles per hour.

The resultant media attention and a brilliant marketing strategy resulted in 1929 being the best year yet for the Auburn Automobile Company. Dealers clambered for cars and production was unable to meet demand even though manufacturing facilities were expanded.

Using the profitable company as leverage, Cord began acquiring companies to streamline operations, diversify income streams, and lessen the company’s dependence on other manufacturers. He purchased or acquired controlling interest in Stinson Aircraft, Anstead Engine Company, Lycoming, Limousine Auto Body, Duesenberg Motors, and Columbia Axle Company. He also expanded into the commercial market by introducing the Auburn Saf-T-Cab, a car purpose built as a taxi. This led to a limited partnership with Checker Cab Manufacturing Company.

  Even thought the economic situation had deteriorated dramatically, and automobile sales had plummeted, in 1932 two new Auburns were introduced, the eight cylinder Model 8-100 and the astounding Model 12 series with V-12 engines at an incredible price of just $975 for the coupe. And as an option, a Columbia dual ratio rear axle was available. For promotion, a fully loaded Auburn Twelve Speedster set several speed records at Muroc Dry Lake, many of which stood until the late 1940s.

Even though sales and profits were plummeting precipitously at the end of 1932 the Auburn 851, a boat tail speedster designed by Gorden Beurig, with a Lycoming straight eight engine and a Schwitzer-Cummins supercharger was introduced. The car was sold with a written guarantee of 100 miles per hour and a plaque on the dash stating that the car had been tested to that speed by Indianapolis 500 driver Abe Jenkins. About 500 of these stunning Auburns were built and sold for $2,245. Still, the company lost money on each car sold as it had been conceived to get buyers into the showroom with the hope of selling them one of the cheaper Auburns. Initially the scheme was a success as sales of Auburn increased by 20 percent, but overall sales had declined by nearly 60 percent since 1929.

To stave off impending collapse, a six-cylinder model was introduced in 1935, initial development of a proposed diesel-powered limousine for 1936 was launched and production of the V-12 and the straight eight were cut. Then precious resources were diverted to the now legendary 810 and 810 Cords. As a result, the last Auburns rolled from the factory in 1936 with little fanfare.

Under investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission, largely resultant of a questionable partnership with Checker Cab Manufacturing, and the Internal Revenue Service resultant of accounting practices, Cord sold his interest in Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg. On August 7, 1937, the Auburn Automobile Company went out of business and assets were liquidated. In the grand scheme of things, it was a small loss for Cord as at this time he was one of the richest men in the world. He owed airlines, aircraft companies, communication companies, ship lines, and other businesses including taxi franchises.

The Auburns that have survived into the modern era are treasured and revered. When equipped with the Columbia two speed axle, they blend modern road manners with classic car styling and luxury making them an ideal touring car for the modern enthusiast.

Written by Jim Hinckley

Remembering C Harold Wills

He was known for an infectious and boundless energy, a sharp mind and a profound ability to transform ideas into reality.

A Wills Saint Clair 1921 Roadster

THE pantheon of men and women who played a role in putting the word on wheels at the dawning of the 20th century is lengthy.

A select few such as Henry Ford, John and Horace Dodge, Louis Chevrolet and Charles Nash were awarded a dubious form of immortality as brand names. Others have faded into obscurity with the passing of time. Counted among the latter is C. Harold Wills.

Wills was known for infectious and boundless energy, a sharp mind, and a profound ability to transform ideas into reality. His mother was an avid fan of the writings of Lord Byron, specifically Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

Childe Harold Wills despised his name and insisted that instead people use his first initial. His father was well known in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a railroad master mechanic, and began teaching his son the use of tools almost as soon as he could walk, according to stories told by Wills. At age 17 his four-year apprenticeship with the Detroit Lubricator Company commenced. In the evenings he took night courses and studied metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and chemistry. With completion of his studies he accepted a position with the Burroughs Adding Machine Company and by age 23 was employed as the company’s chief engineer.

Fortuitously in 1902 he was introduced to Henry Ford. Intrigued by Ford’s work with the building of a performance cars, Wills began assisting at nights with two legendary race cars, the 999 and the Arrow. This relationship would last seventeen years before ending in a heated argument.

As Ford’s principal shop assistant Wills’ first major contribution drew upon his metallurgical training as he worked on a means to produce lightweight, strong, nickel-chrome vanadium steel in volume. A relentless search to find a mill that would work with him led to a small company in Canton, Ohio. The new lightweight but strong steel was used in production of the 1907 Model N. He was also a major contributor to development of the Model T as it was Wills that conceived and developed its planetary transmission. As a curious historic note, he was an amateur calligrapher and designed the now legendary Ford script.

By WWI Wills and Ford's relationship was strained. Time and again Ford had claimed credit for his work and Charles E. Sorensen was hired as Ford’s right hand man. In 1919, to strengthen his hold on the company Ford began buying out shareholders. This included the Dodge brothers (John Dodge had served as the vice president of Ford). Rather than meekly submitting to Ford’s power grab Wills threatened legal action if a full accounting of the accrued profit-sharing income owed was not completed. With more than $5 million in his pocket Wills parted ways with Ford. He also had nearly $4 million from investment in steel companies that he had persuaded to produce vanadium steel.

Wills had long toyed with the idea of manufacturing an automobile of his own design. But he was a dreamer, a visionary and launching an automobile company was but one component in a much larger plan for the future. In 1920, he initiated plans to build an automobile manufacturing factory that was to be the anchor in an industrial park as well as a planned housing community for employees that included a park, schools and a complete business district with theater.

The car was named Wills Sainte Claire, after the St. Clair River that separated Marysville, Michigan from Ontario, Canada. The fatal flaw in Wills planned automotive empire was an absolute obsession to create a mechanically perfect automobile. Resultant of that attention to detail, the Wills Sainte Claire introduced in 1921 stunned the automotive community. The car was powered by the industry’s first overhead-cam V-8 designed for automotive use. It had a displacement of 265.4 cubic inches and that was rated at 67-horsepower. That engine was a refined version of an overhead valve V-8 engine Wills had designed for aeronautical application during WWI. The engine made extensive use of molybdenum steel, had crossflow induction and exhaust routing, and the block and cylinder heads were cast as a single unit.

The car was doomed from its inception. It debuted with a $3,000 price tag in the midst of a post war reception that had decimated automobile sales. As a comparison, a comparable Cadillac could be purchased for $2,800. Mechanical complexity equaled a high cost of repairs. Still, Wills had realistic expectation and set his breakeven point as 1,500 cars annually. The first year’s production was a mere 900 cars. Anemic sales, and Wills near constant improvements to the manufacturing facility and the cars fueled mounting losses. Even eye-catching plaid paint jobs were not enough to keep the company solvent and in 1927 production ceased. Only 12,000 cars were manufactured under the Wills Sainte Claire name.

Wills was out but not finished. He signed on with Ruxton to assist with development of a transmission for the front wheel drive automobile. He then went to work at Chrysler as a metallurgist. Unfortunately, his attempts to sell or collect royalties under a limited license arrangement for a patented process for production of all steel body shells were unsuccessful. Both Ford and General Motors deemed the process cost prohibitive and continued using wood framing for their vehicles. The smaller independent companies such as Hudson, Packard, Studebaker and Nash could ill afford the investment either, especially amidst the economic troubles of the Great Depression.

Interestingly enough, Wills patents expired in 1937, the year that Ford and GM introduced their first all steel bodied automobiles. It was the final chapter in an amazing automotive career. In the closing days of 1940, Wills suffered a major stroke and was rushed to the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He died there before the dawn of the new year.

C. Harold Wills, a forgotten automotive pioneer.

Written by Jim Hinckley of jimhinckleysamerica.com