On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors: John Z. DeLorean's Look Inside the Automotive Giant by J. Patrick Wright (1979-08-02)

DeLorean's account of GM shows how GM had departed from Sloan's masterplan less than a decade after the grand architect of the then largest company in the world passed away. While  My Years with General Motors  was still seen as a bible internally (it is an excellent book) it left enough room for interpretation that none of the principles were really lived and applied.Some of the main troubles of the company, as described by John Z. DeLorean are dealer problems (the dealer body previously having been a main strength of GM), the lack of market initiative (GM lapsed into a reactive state, where it would simply follow successful segment moves of its competitors), the lack of initiative internally and a terminal case of groupthink and self selection of a certain type of executive. Add to that a very disfunctional relationship with labour, press (the handling of Ralph Nader after his publication of  Unsafe at Any Speed  brought about most of the negative impact, much more so than the book itself) and the impression that customers are gullible and a scene for the slow and relentless decline of the decades later is set.In many ways it shows how Sloan's principles derailed just like some of the fundamental guidelines of Henry Ford (as set out in  My Life and Work - An Autobiography of Henry Ford , to what extent they were applied for real is another question) were not at all evident by the time  A Savage Factory: An Eyewitness Account of the Auto Industry's Self-Destruction  was written (about Ford labour practices in the 1970s).It is also a more in-depth (if limited only to GM) view of the system losing accountability and the managerial class self perpetuating in the US automotive industry that was shown by Brock Yates'  The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry  a couple of years after this was published.John Z. Delorean was generally discredited in later times (not all of it justified) but this was written at the height of his powers (shortly after he left GM) and is a book of good insight, not too self congratulating even. The fact that he delayed its publication (it appeared with Patrick Wright as the author) by 6 years is less of a problem now than it was (for being up to date) at the time of publication - a reader of today is more likely to read it as a historical footnote, showing why the development of the US automotive industry took a turn for the worse over the past 4 or 5 decades and for that this is one of the better books out there.

An excellent insight into both the crazy systems inside GM in the 60's & 70's and into the brilliant John Z Delorean. A compelling read - and well written. I read straight after Lee Iaccoca's autobiography which is written in similar descriptive style on the same era on the US automotive industy but of course focussed on Ford and Chrysler. Read both and you will understand why the US motor industy fell from grace.

I bought this for my son, he loved it, I got it used, it was in amazing condition, so we both were very happy with my purchase.

I'll make this short.If you are a gearhead and/or automotive history buff like I am, get this book.This book offers an inside glimpse of GM during the 1950s through 1970s as seen through the lens of the young and talented engineer/executive John Z. DeLorean. A candid view of the industry, as well as the incompetence of the red tape on the "Fourteenth Floor" that DeLorean predicted, rightly, would lead to the loss of profit, market share, and ultimately bankruptcy of GM.This book is also not a dry read, it is filled with a lot of heart, and is the best "inside look" account of the rise and fall of the American auto industry that I have read. In short, get it!

Ein unbedingt empfehlenswertes Buch. Es beschreibt wie es bei GM damals zuging (und sich scheinbar kaum verändert hat). Geld zählt für manche Menschen scheinbar mehr als die Sicherheit der Kunden und der Umweltschutz. Witziger Weise hat Delorean bei seinem späteren Unternehmen DMC ein paar der von ihm angeprangerten Fehler selbst begangen.

This is an awesome inside look at John De Lorean's rapid trip up the ladder at General Motors. It is of course highly self-congratulatory, but the fact that he is dead tempers any offense you might take at this. Many of the ideas he presents are very relevant even today, and one wonders if the "cult of power" at the top of GM still exists...I think it does, to their great peril. The book really allows the reader to feel as if he or she is JDL, working to make things better. Very highly recommended.The book was in almost perfect condition, and I am grateful to the seller for offering it at such a reasonable price.

Das Buch ist gut, leicht und verständlich geschrieben ... schade, dass es nur noch gebraucht erhältlich war, wird man wahrscheinlich bald garnicht mehr bekommen.