The term ‘car guy’ seems to have been invented for Bob Lutz: he was the spiritual father of such legends as the BMW 2002 turbo, the Opel GT and the Dodge Viper. The life story of a macho who managed to amaze the car world time and again.
In the 1970s, the division of roles in the car world is clear. In the boardrooms it is usually conservative; above all, managers must obediently follow the chosen course. However, there are some exceptions. The most notable: Bob Lutz, when he gives the executives of Mercedes-Benz sleepless nights. When BMW introduced the Turbo study model to the world in 1972 at the initiative of the only 40-year-old board member, Mercedes boss Joachim Zahn is said to be so angry that he has Lutz and BMW chief Eberhard von Kuenheim come to Stuttgart. “It’s a great shame!” Zahn grumbles. “BMW has no right to come up with a gull-wing model. We have already done that!” When Lutz asks whether Mercedes has a patent on the door construction, Zahn replies: “It doesn’t matter. BMW should not simply copy Mercedes! This must stop, Herr Von Kuenheim! Besides, Mr. Lutz sells far too many big six-cylinder sedans. That is our specialty. You build good four-cylinder, just focus on that!”
We know how it ended, just as Lutz already suspects. “I am often mistaken, but I never doubt”, is how he describes his life motto. One of the mistakes is the mirror writing on the front spoiler of the BMW 2002 turbo, which will appear in the autumn of 1973, the now 89-year-old Lutz admits. “I insisted that ‘turbo’ be mirrored on the front spoiler so other drivers could read it in their rear-view mirrors. And that in the year of the oil crisis!” The design joke leads to a lot of commotion and does not benefit Lutz’s position at BMW, as he agrees.
Lutz (second from right) at ‘his’ Opel GT.
All in all, Lutz’s BMW period is short, but turbulent. CEO von Kuenheim hijacks the car expert from Opel in 1972. Lutz worked there under the direction of Ralph Mason, who was in charge of the car manufacturer from Rüsselsheim from 1966 to 1970. In his book ‘Icons and idiots: Straight talk on leadership’ he calls Mason an ‘incorrigible alcoholic’, who regularly looks too deeply into the glass when meeting Opel dealers. “The two strongest district managers once had to drag him to a hotel elevator, with his expensive designer shoes dragging across the stone floor.” The fact that Mason does not interfere much in the course of business has been a blessing for Opel, according to Lutz. “The designers, the engineers and the people in the sales department: everyone works closely together. If the team had not been able to work independently, it could have been disastrous.” However, the collaboration is very successful. Opel is enjoying its golden years thanks to cool design and daring advertising campaigns, but above all thanks to sensational models such as the Rallye-Kadett, the first Commodore and the GT. That too is Lutz’s child, as he likes to emphasize.
On the other hand, whoever devotes an entire book to the failures of his fellow board members also has something to explain himself. Why is the charismatic Lutz on the board of five companies, but never chairman of the board? It doesn’t help that he doesn’t mince words. Lutz simply doesn’t feel the need to be diplomatic. He cites how Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca asks him to take a look at the new Imperial in the late 1980s. His criticism is not tender: “Lee, what a disaster this thing is. This car looks like it will be ten years old by the time it is in the showroom!” Iacocca has a penchant for fake wire wheels, vinyl roofs, and other things that belong on old men’s cars. Lutz is different and knows that those parts are not to everyone’s taste. “At the presentation of the car, I told the journalists to look closely at it, because a Chrysler like this would never come again,” said Lutz. “That was one of my biggest political mistakes.” Iacocca is not amused. After he packs up, Bob Eaton is named the new CEO and not the rowdy Lutz.
Chrysler Imperial
Today, Lutz doesn’t seem to mind that anymore. At 89 years old, he can look back on an impressive career. It is important to him that he is not only remembered for the many muscle cars he gave to the world, even though he is known as the father of the Viper. No, according to him the most important car of his career is the Chevrolet Volt. The electric car is an exciting story even for this petrolhead: “Everything we did before that was a new variation on an old theme.”
Since 2010, Lutz has been retired, more or less. He can let loose the reins, feed the swans in his pond, polish his numerous vintage cars or go around the block with one of his fighter jets. But Lutz is a busy owner. The 1.98 tall man, who likes to wear cowboy boots, is co-owner of VLF Automotive, which equipped the hybrid Fisker Karma with the burly V8 from the Corvette. He also writes books in which he deals with the bean counters of the car industry and the hollow marketing terms of the industry. One thing is certain: even in the years that remain, the car will play an all-important role.
This article originally appeared in AutoWeek Classics issue 4 of 2017.
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