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The '70s–'80s were a tumultuous time for International Harvester. Between the transitions in leadership, the 1979 labor strike (and the ensuing 5-month halt in production), and the astounding 40% drop in profit, the company needed a life raft to survive the hard times. One such life raft, which would continue to float them for decades to come, was newly-appointed CEO Archie McCardell's decision …
The following is an excerpt from the book, IMSA: 1969-1989, by Mitch Bishop and Mark Raffauf.
Although the 1975 Camel GT season was once again dominated by the Porsche Carrera RSR, it marked an important turning point for the growing IMSA series. Factory-backed BMW CSLs were campaigned by pilots Brian Redman, Hans Stuck, Ronnie Peterson, Dieter Quester and Sam Posey. All-American GT Monzas from…
The following is an excerpt from the book, IMSA: 1969-1989, by Mitch Bishop and Mark Raffauf.
The Camel GT Series was flying high by 1981. Camel was back as the title sponsor and the turbocharged Porsche 935 was clearly the machine to beat. Although it was the year of the first true IMSA GTP cars (Brian Redman’s Chevy-powered Lola T-600 would go on to win the championship), that didn’t prevent…
In part two of Michael Dapper's exploration into the design and development of the Victory Vegas, original Victory Product Manager Gary Laskin sheds light on some of the model's most celebrated characteristics: its signature raised-spine fuel tank, classic metallic paint, and iconic name. Read about the origins of the model in Design & Development of the Victory Vegas, Part 1, and find every…
In this original blogpost, Victory Motorcycles 1998–2017 author Michael Dapper dives into the conception of brand’s most beloved bike, the Vegas, with insight from Victory Product Manager Gary Laskin. Banner image: Per Gary Laskin (who is seen in the blue shirt near the front wheel): “This was taken on Valentine’s Day, 2002. I believe this was when the first ‘PV’ (Production Verification) bike…
The following is an excerpt from the book, IMSA: 1969-1989, by Mitch Bishop and Mark Raffauf.
The 1976 24 Hours of Daytona was a race plagued by unusual and unforeseen circumstances that stalled much of the 72 car field and brought the race to a grinding halt for almost three hours. Find this and more behind-the-scenes stories in the book! (Banner image photo credit: The winning BMW CSL…
In the early 1980's, John Deere was one of the few companies to navigate the industry-depression with remote success. With sales few and far between, competitors did all that they could to get a leg up on Deere. Sometimes, this even meant a fare dose of cross-color espionage. In this excerpt, IH salesperson Bud Youle sneaks into the unveiling of John Deere's 50 series at the Superdome in New…
With incompatible engineering and diverging company ethos, the International Harvester and J. I. Case merger was inharmonious at best. With a deeply instilled “Us versus Them” mentality splitting the camps, an olive branch was needed. That olive branch would be delivered in the form of the Magnum. Read more in this excerpt from our upcoming book, TRACTOR, available for purchase now with FREE…
In this week’s blogpost, we explore two of the most influential models in tractor history: The Farmall H and the J.I. Case Model S. The Model S was designed in response to the Farmall H, and the two models fought it out on the marketplace with vigor. Read about both below and find the full list of top tractors (163 to be exact!) in the upcoming book, TRACTOR, by Lee Klancher. 1954 FARMALL HOrigin…
In this original article, Red Power and Heritage Iron journalist Kenneth Updike sheds some light on the 86 Series Tractor Decals. As part of IH’s RED POWER Demo Days marketing campaign, a limited-edition line of demo tractors were stamped with rare decals: a red-hot branding iron, a RED POWER circle, and a tri-stripe motif. Check out the look in this exclusive blog post, and read more of Kenneth…