Sunday, August 4, 2013

Dick Winkles: A Twisted Tale of Heroism


 Dick Winkles isn't the hero Detroit deserves, but he's the one it gets right now

Dick winkles lives and dies with Chrysler. He lost his job when the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009. That's when Dick honed his craft as the best model airplane builder in the Greater Middle Michigan Sub-Metropolitan Area. Not the kind of air plane you out on a stick and then on your desk, the kind you put gas in and fly until some sniveling Boy Scout uses non sanctioned frequencies and crashes your prized  deHavilland biplane into a Wachovia building...

Like the Phoenix, Winkles rose from the ashes of miniature deHavilland--and Chrsyler LLC--to lend vision to the engineering of the new Viper's Powertrain.


Dick Winkles loves the Dodge Viper, almost to a fault.  "When [then Chrysler CEO] Bobby Lutz set out the viper mandate, he said he wanted to make Jose Canseco into a car. I didn't know who Mr. Canseco was, so I headed down to the library and fired up the Internet machine to see if I could look up the fella. I'd say, for a late 80's design team, they nailed their target. I have to stay true to that heritage," Winkles explained.  

Ralph Gilles, CEO of Chrysler's SRT branch, has his own thoughts on Mr. Winkles, "When I look at Dick I don't see where the vision comes from.  I mean, he's just not that impressive. But he made one helluva engine and that Viper will remake our brand...that way we can finally bring back the Stratus and no one will know...are you recording this?!"

Maybe Ralph is right. Maybe he isn't a hero. Maybe he's just a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A Dark Knight

A Dark Knight: The Dick Winkles Story

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