I love problems.
Edward Cole, then-president of General Motors
Edward
Cole had an outstanding career at GM, where he spent his entire adult
life. In 1949 he was co-head of the
engineering team that redesigned the Cadillac V-8 engine, which was used in
Cadillacs for the next 14 years. In 1952 he took over as chief engineer at
Chevy, introducing the small-block V-8 that became the main powerplant for the
legendary Chevys of the 1950s and early 1960s and revitalizing the
Corvette. Taking over Chevy in 1956, Cole is
mainly remembered for an amazing engineering failure, the Corvair. The sporty rear-engine coupe was aimed at the
emerging market of young buyers in the early 1960s. The rear suspension was
poorly designed, and the Corvair proved
to be an exceptionally dangerous vehicle that was prone to rollover
accidents. This vehicle was a featured
product in consumer watchdog Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed. Cole
continued his career at GM as head of the car and truck group and eventually
became president of the corporation before retiring in 1974.
Termed “the Rebel Engineer” by
the New York Times, by 1977 Cole had
bought a controlling interest in the Checker Cab company, producers of the
classic-looking taxis that
roamed major American cities in the 20th
century and also the near-luxury Marathon sedans. Cole took over Checker amidst
the displacements of the American automotive industry by oil shocks and
competition from superior Japanese imports. His plan for Checker was to
introduce a new cab based on a stretched, expanded cab Volkswagen.
What revolution Cole might
have wrought in the 1970s at Checker – a lighter, roomier, more efficient cab –
will never be known. On May 2 1977, Edward Cole was
flying alone, operating under visual flight rules when his BEAGLE 206S2 flew
into adverse weather conditions approaching Kalamazoo. The 69-year-old Cole
than suffered spatial disorientation and crashed short of the airport in
Mendon, Michigan. The flight
that took his life was to Kalamazoo, where Checker was headquartered.
About the BEAGLE: British Executive and
General Aviation Limited (BEAGLE) was formed from Auster and F. G. Miles. Among the fixed-wing, twin-engine prop
aircraft produced included the Pup, the Bassett, the Bulldog, and the 206. The
206 was a low-wing, twin engine craft powered by two 340hp Continental engines.
The main buyer of 206s was the Royal Air Force. The 206 flown by Edward Cole was a 206 Series
2, a high-demand aircraft for commuter air services.
