Absolutely Scandalous... So What Else Is New?

Have you ever seen the movie Casablanca where at one point Louis, the head of the police force in the city, who knows full well of the gambling operations that take place in Rick's Cafe Americain, orders the establishment closed for gambling, due to Nazi Germany political pressure. The scene has the classic line where Louis states,“I'm shocked... shocked, that there is gambling taking place at this establishment.” Of course, the scene ends hilariously when an employee of Rick's hands Louis his chips and says, “Here are your winnings, sir.” and Louis thanks him.

Scandals. They're everywhere and not just in politics and Hollywood. Some scandals in the automotive world have led to massive recalls. As of March 2016, there is literally a recall for one out of every four cars on the road today - that's 25% of all vehicles. It's sad, amazing, and brain boggling all at the same time. Never mind that it's a shitload of cars. But if one digs deeper, in just about every single recall, the manufacturer has known about the problem for years. And while many of us remember some of the most famous automotive scandals like the exploding fuel tank of the Ford Pinto as well as the Firestone / Ford Explorer fiasco, there are other ones dotted in history that you not be aware of.

One of the biggies involves the Chrysler Airflow which debuted in 1934. A technical marvel that was years ahead of it's time with an all-steel body (when most manufacturers were still using wood to a certain degree), uni-body construction (which is still used today), shatter proof safety glass and unique modern suspension, it didn't upset just the apple cart; it turned the cart upside down, threw the apples at the competition, then sold the horse and kept the money. GM was especially affected, and was furious at this modern offering. In retaliation, GM purchased ads in the Saturday Evening Post,

(an extremely popular magazine with enormous reach), stating that Chrysler stole the design from a top-secret GM blueprint (which never surfaced) and was a danger on the road. Chrysler retaliated with ads of their own as well as it's now-famous newsreel showing the Airflow's advanced suspension, (by shooting out a tire), and that the safety glass really worked by having a professional baseball pitcher throw a fast ball at the windshield. Chrysler went even further by rolling the car over and then driving it away. But the piece de resistance was when Chrysler drove the Airflow off a 110 foot cliff, and then had someone get in, start it, and drive away without so much as a shattered window! Unfortunately, all those demonstrations didn't work. Within three years, the Airflow was discontinued. GM's smear campaign worked, and astonishingly, faced no repercussions for it's actions. Even sadder, is that it set a GM mindset into motion in regards to recalls for years to come - one that it still hasn't learned it's lesson on.

Scandals, rules, and rule breakers have always been a hot topic in NASCAR ever since the first organized race back in 1949. But two of the biggest scandals came in back to back years of 1966 and 1967. Ever hear of Junior Johnson's “Yellow Banana”? Back in 1966, Ford began the racing season boycotting NASCAR over their 427 SOHC Cammer engine. But by August, in Atlanta, Junior Johnson broke ranks and showed up with his off-the-hook Galaxie. With a chopped roof-line, non-stock slanted windshield, and contoured fenders, it was somehow permitted to race. It was also the unofficial start of the aerodynamic wars between Ford and Chrysler.

The 2^nd scandal also also ended up being unresolved - the now famous Smokey Yunick 7/8ths Chevy. While GM was not actively involved in NASCAR at the time, this Chevelle race car was an independent entry and driver Curtis Turner put the car in the pole position at Daytona beating out the heavily favored Chrysler's and Fords. Rumors were abound that the car was only 7/8ths scale, which meant is was shorter, narrower, and lighter than a stock bodied vehicle. According to NASCAR vehicle templates and measurements, the rumors proved correct. But in a surprise move, Yunick had one of his team members rent a stock 1967 Chevelle from a local Hertz agency. When the rental car arrived at Daytona, Yunick placed his template and measuring devices up to the stock Chevelle and it fit perfectly. Then he did the same to his race car... and it also fit perfectly. The vehicle was allowed to compete.

Drag racing has it's own history of drama, but one of the more famous, but less known “scandals”, didn't involve a certain engine, or race car, or even a driver breaking the rules and getting away with it. This one took place back in 1965 - and what made it a scandal was the sole fact that the driver was a woman. Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to receive a license from the NHRA. At a time when the sport (and society for the most part) was still male-dominated, racers like Muldowney and Shirley Shahan were making in-roads with the sport. While it was difficult for her to gain sponsors and hire a pit crew solely based on her sex, she soldiered on and won national events by the very early 70's. She also went on to become the first person to win the NHRA World Fuel Championships on three separate occasions - in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Her success tore down the walls of traditional gender stereotypes; everything from painting her cars bright colors including hot pink to wearing high heels with her flame-proof racing suit.

Even muscle car ads proved to be scandalous. Say what? Don't they have to be approved by the top brass of the manufacturer prior to printing? Well, sort of. Pontiac, the black sheep of GM back in the 1960's, somehow always had a way of side-stepping the higher ups, and promotional material was not exempt. One of Pontiac's most famous ads was for the 1968 GTO. At that time, Woodward Avenue was a street racing hotspot. The public knew it, the police knew it. All the automotive manufacturers knew it too. The ad in question showed a new GTO parked on one of the cross-over lanes on Woodward Avenue. These lanes were used as U-turn roads for street racers involved in stoplight wars. The ad gave a strong subtle message like the guy driving the GTO was waiting for another individual to engage in a street race. Any doubt of that concept was erased by the simple copy at the bottom of the ad; “The Great One by Pontiac. You know the rest of the story.” The ad ran only once - a 2-page full color blurb in the December 1967 issue of Motor Trend. But as soon as GM brass got wind of it, it was immediately ordered to be pulled from any further publication.

Until next time, scandal-on people.

Peace out,

Dave