Wheels (1971) is a novel by Arthur Hailey, concerning the automobile industry and the day-to-day pressures involved in its operation. [1]
Wheels (1971) is a novel by Arthur Hailey, concerning the automobile industry and the day-to-day pressures involved in its operation. [1]
The book's plot lines follow many of the topical issues of the 1970s, including race relations, corporate politics, and business ethics. The auto company of the novel, National Motors Corporation, is the little-disguised American Motors Corporation (AMC) that is the smallest domestic automaker. Adam Trenton is the ambitious executive in charge of project development with the goal of moving the company into making "cutting-edge" cars of the future. [2] The characters are company insiders with "passions" of those "caught up in the world's fiercest power game." [3]
The novel was made into a TV miniseries in 1978 directed by Jerry London and starring Rock Hudson (as Adam Trenton), Lee Remick (as Erica Trenton), Blair Brown (as Barbara Lipton), Ralph Bellamy (as Lowell Baxter), Anthony Franciosa (as Smokey Stevenson), John Beck (as Peter Flodenhale), Scott Brady (as Matt Zaleski), Tim O'Connor (as Hub Hewitson), Gerald S. O'Loughlin (as Rusty Horton), Jessica Walter (as Ursula), Lisa Eilbacher (as Jody Horton), James Carroll Jordan (as Kirk Trenton), Howard McGillin (as Greg Trenton), Marj Dusay (as Caroline Horton), Fred Williamson (as Leonard Wingate), and Harold Sylvester (as Rollie Knight).
The car presented in Hailey's novel, the Orion, was called the "Hawk" in the miniseries. The 1978 mini-series used a 1968 AMC Javelin as the basis for the fictional car. [4] The rear end of the Javelin was shortened and filled with foam to a new design while the doors were changed to gull-wing types. [5]
The AMC Gremlin is a subcompact automobile introduced in 1970, manufactured and marketed in a single, two-door body style (1970–1978) by American Motors Corporation (AMC), as well as in Mexico (1974–1983) by AMC's Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) subsidiary.
Arthur Frederick Hailey, AE was a Canadian novelist whose plot-driven storylines were set against the backdrops of various industries. His books, which include such best sellers as Hotel (1965), Airport (1968), Wheels (1971), The Moneychangers (1975), and Overload (1979), have sold 170 million copies in 38 languages.
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.
Rambler is an automobile brand name that was first used by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914.
The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned and marketed in the pony car market segment.
The AMC AMX is a two-seat GT-style muscle car produced by American Motors Corporation from 1968 through 1970. As one of just two American-built two-seaters, the AMX was in direct competition with the one-inch (2.5 cm) longer wheelbase Chevrolet Corvette, for substantially less money. It was based on the new-for-1968 Javelin, but with a shorter wheelbase and deletion of the rear seat. In addition, the AMX's rear quarter windows remained fixed, making it a coupe, while the Javelin was a true two-door hardtop.
Pony car is an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled coupés or convertibles with a "sporty" or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short decklid, a wide range of options to individualize each car and use of mass-produced parts shared with other models. The popularity of pony cars is largely due to the launch of the Ford Mustang in 1964.
Flight into Danger is a 1956 Canadian live television play starring James Doohan, Corinne Conley and Cec Linder. It was written by Arthur Hailey, produced and screened by CBC Television, and broadcast on April 3, 1956, on the General Motors Theatre series. It was later adapted into two different feature films, a parody feature film, a novel, and international television versions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
The AMC Hornet is a compact automobile manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and made from 1970 through 1977—in two- and four-door sedan, station wagon, and hatchback coupe configurations. The Hornet replaced the compact Rambler American line, marking the end of the Rambler marque in the American and Canadian markets.
The AMC Matador is a series of American automobiles that were manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, from 1971 through 1973 (mid-size) and 1974 until 1978 (full-size), in two-door hardtop and coupe versions, as well as in four-door sedan and station wagon body styles.
Richard Arthur "Dick" Teague was an American industrial designer in the North American automotive industry. He held automotive design positions at General Motors, Packard, and Chrysler before becoming Vice President of Design for American Motors Corporation (AMC), and designed several notable show cars and production vehicles, including AMC's Pacer, Gremlin, and Hornet models, as well as the Jeep Cherokee XJ and either designed or assisted in the designing of later cars for Chrysler such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Neon after American Motors' buyout.
Collier Motors is a private car dealership primarily selling cars built by American Motors Corporation (AMC) as well as with other makes. The business was for many years an AMC franchised dealership located on business U.S. Route 117 in Pikeville, North Carolina.
The AMC Rebel is a midsized car produced by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the 1967 until the 1970 model year. It replaced the Rambler Classic. The Rebel was replaced by the similar AMC Matador for the 1971 model year. The Rebel was positioned as the high-volume seller in the independent automaker's line of models.
The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 and marketed after the merger with Hudson Motors under both marques during the 1954 and 1955 model years.
Roy Dikeman Chapin Jr. was the chairman and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Chapin's father, Roy D. Chapin Sr., was one of the co-founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company; Hudson later merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954 to form American Motors. Roy D. Chapin Jr. was instrumental in introducing many successful lines of cars by American Motors that included the Gremlin, Hornet, and Javelin, as well as the purchase of Kaiser Jeep by the automaker.
The Rambler Tarpon was a concept car, a compact-sized sporty youth-oriented 2+2 hardtop coupé developed in 1963 by American Motors Corporation (AMC). The bright red with black roof design study made its public debut at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show. The car served to foretell the fastback design elements of the larger Rambler Marlin that was introduced in 1965.
The AMC Cavalier was a compact concept presented by American Motors (AMC) in 1965, noted for symmetrical elements of its design and its interchangeable body parts.
The AMC AMX-GT is a concept car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) for the 1968 show car circuit. The design of the grand touring-type rear-wheel-drive pillarless coupe of monocoque construction with two doors and a truncated rear end treatment was influenced by AMC stylist Dick Teague.
Australian Motor Industries (AMI) was an automobile assembly firm that was significant in the early history of the automotive industry in Australia.
The Go package was a factory option that included various performance equipment that was available on several muscle cars manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC).
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