WEBMASTER’s OPININON ABOUT LEDWINKA NOT NOMINATED FOR THE EUROPEAN AUTOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME

In my opinion Ledwinka’s deserves a place because of his life long dedication to automobile design and uncommon, smart solutions for difficult problems has made him one of the greatest. He assisted with the design of the Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau “Präsident” (the first factory build car of Austria Hungary), was a pioneer with hemispherical combustion chambers, four wheel brakes, flat engines, air-cooling, swing axles, streamlining, weight reduction, central tube chassis, rear engined big cars, independedly sprung trucks, diesel engine design for big trucks, directorship of both the Steyr- and Tatra Works etc. I personally do not think it is wise to start a discussion why others are elected in the Hall and Ledwinka NOT. All the nominees made their contributions to the automotive industry. To get Ledwinka in the Hall, I contacted the organisation several times over the past year and did put the poll in the spotlight. I even offered to donate all the jurymembers a Ledwinka biography, but no reaction. Of course there are others who also deserve a place in the Hall; no question about that. What irritates me is that the organisation is questionable as the way one is chosen for the Hall is not clear. One wonders: Is it just a way of making money or to maintain the Automotive News contacts with the present car industry OR is it a serious organisation? It doesn’t seems serious to me when two former captains of industry that have a seat in the selection committee, Eberhard von Kuenheim as well as Carl Hahn, are chosen in the Automotive Hall of Fame. One should avoid this. It gives reason to speculate. When my local grocery shop organises a contest where one can win Euro 50,– the conditions will say: our own personnel and their families cannot enter the competition. The organisation put itself under suspicion when the decision making is not transparent and the way how someone is chosen is unclear. Maybe it is too much an old-boys network, comforted by a magazine that is eager to get more inside stories. Then there is the position of the benefactors? Do they have influence? Of course the organisation will deny it but does money talk here as well? And what does it mean that in 2006 there were only five benefactors? BMW, GM, Volvo, Daimler Chrysler, Porsche. In the past there were more: 2005 benefactors: Toyota, Renault, Ford, MG Rover, Accenture, Porsche, Daimler Chrysler, BMW. 2004 benefactors: Porsche, Renault, Pininfarina, Landrover, Jaguar, GM, Audi, BMW, Daimler Chrysler, Deloitte Touche, Ford, Aston Martin. 2003; Bertone, BMW, Bosch, Daimler, Deloite & Touche, Ford, GM, Pininfarina, Porsche Some of the benefactors have seen people form their companies getting a position in the European automotive Hall of Fame: To name a few: Ford: Henry Ford, Henry Ford II, Nils Bohlin BMW: Eduard von Kuenheim, Charles Rolls, Henry Royce Bertone: Giusseppe Bertone Pininfarina: Pininfarina MG Rover: Herbert Austin, William Lyons, Alec Issiognis Porsche: Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche Bosch: Robert Bosch Daimler Chrysler: Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach Renault: Louis Renault, Pierre Lefaucheux, Pierre Dreyfus. So why not Ledwinka? Is it the fact that he is n’t backed by a still existing brand that can contribute as a benefactor and can share the glory when he joins the Hall of Fame?