Serving the Star Around the World

EVERYBODY KNOWS Max Hoffman obtained the first Post WWII Mercedes-Benz distributorship in North America and that he persuaded M-B to build the 300SL and 190SL. Nearly everybody knows Studebaker-Packard was the second North American distributor, and that Daimler-Benz didn't take on wholly owned distribution of their cars in the US until 1965 through then formed Mercedes-Benz of North America (MBNA). But 1951-1965 were plenty rocky for M-B. Penetrating the American car market has never been easy...witness withdrawals of Citroen, Renault, Fiat, Sterling, Alfa Romeo, MG. The survival rate for American auto manufacturers has been no better; there have been over 2000 brands of car manufactured in the USA since 1900. Americans are tougher customers than sometimes thought. Many details about 1951 through 1970 in the USA and the reorganization of Mercedes-Benz world-wide, come to us solely through the late M-B executive Heinz Hoppe. With entertaining candor Hoppe describes a life-long career Serving the Star Around the World. He tells of goals, not always compatible with each other, that M-B executives had for the USA... from worries about spreading communism to reaching new customers, ...and more selfish goals. Hoppe leaves out precious little which makes the book so special.