The Greatest Car Company On Earth
The movie Grand Prix is on today. The 1966 movie about Formula One, or F1 as it is called, is considered a classic by car enthusiasts. If you love the sound of horsepower, this is a must see movie. A major character in the movie, Izo Yamura, is the fictitious representation of Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Company. His character is representative of the maniacal efforts of constant improvement so ingrained in Honda. In Japan that dedication is called Kaizen. In the U.S. we could loosely interpret it as closed loop process improvement with a twist. A method of constantly refining a process, method, product, etc. When was the last time you saw a GM, Ford or Chrysler product which appeared as a maniacal effort at perfection?
If you've never heard the sound of a Formula One engine, click here. Being an avid racing fan and being to many CART and Indy Car races never prepared me for the deafening whine of an F1 engine. You could hear the engines from a mile away. When we got to the track, I was wondering why they were selling ear plugs. It soon became apparent. The engine whine was so intense, I felt like my ear drums were going to explode. It was impossible to be near the track without them.
In real life Honda went to Formula One in the early sixties and shook the elite open wheeled series by winning just three years after making their first automobile. If General Motors and others weren't so arrogant, they would have taken Honda and Japan Inc. seriously after such a herculean effort. Forty years later the tables are turned and the tiny Japanese company has become a global force pumping out nearly four million cars a year.
While most view Toyota as the best run car company on earth, I have always felt it was Honda. There is one thing which is undeniable. Honda is and has been the best engine builders on earth for decades. Any racing series they enter, they eventually dominate or have dominated. From F1 to CART to the IRL to Superbikes to Motocross and on and on.
Bloomberg Markets has an excellent piece of work on the current CEO of Honda, Takeo Fukui. As someone who admires excellence and passion in all aspects of life, it is hard not to have tremendous admiration for a company which espouses excellence in everything they do.
If you've never heard the sound of a Formula One engine, click here. Being an avid racing fan and being to many CART and Indy Car races never prepared me for the deafening whine of an F1 engine. You could hear the engines from a mile away. When we got to the track, I was wondering why they were selling ear plugs. It soon became apparent. The engine whine was so intense, I felt like my ear drums were going to explode. It was impossible to be near the track without them.
In real life Honda went to Formula One in the early sixties and shook the elite open wheeled series by winning just three years after making their first automobile. If General Motors and others weren't so arrogant, they would have taken Honda and Japan Inc. seriously after such a herculean effort. Forty years later the tables are turned and the tiny Japanese company has become a global force pumping out nearly four million cars a year.
While most view Toyota as the best run car company on earth, I have always felt it was Honda. There is one thing which is undeniable. Honda is and has been the best engine builders on earth for decades. Any racing series they enter, they eventually dominate or have dominated. From F1 to CART to the IRL to Superbikes to Motocross and on and on.
Bloomberg Markets has an excellent piece of work on the current CEO of Honda, Takeo Fukui. As someone who admires excellence and passion in all aspects of life, it is hard not to have tremendous admiration for a company which espouses excellence in everything they do.
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