Cars N Stars: Davey Jones Still Serious, Rick Hendrick Now Ill, L.A. Auto Show Sets Record.

02/05/97

Davey Jones, racked up in a practice crash while practicing his Dallara-Aurora for last week's IRL opener at Disney World, is still in serious condition in an Orlando, Fla hospital. He was to drive a Porsche in this weekend's Rollex 24 hour race at Daytona, but his place is being taken by Arie Luyendyck.

NASCAR race team owner and new car mega-dealer, Rick Hendrick,47, who faces a big law suit re his Honda dealerships, says he now has a rare form of Leukemia and wants the suit to be tried on his turf, Charlotte, N.C.

The Los Angeles Auto Show which moved into the new and huge L.A. Convention Center last year because it was bulging at the seams with exhibitors and show-goers broke all attendance records for the recently wrapped up 1997 show: 760,000 tickets were sold.

New names at Dan Gurney's All American Racers CART team include Bernie Marcus, race engineer, Gordon Kimball, special consultant and Gerald Tyler, who will wrench P.J. Jones' Eagle.

Famed Lotus Sports Cars was an inch away from going down the tubes until rescued last week by Maylasian auto maker, Proton who paid around $80 million for the company from Artioli Romani.

Ford Motor Company has announced its quarterly profits rose 82% to $1.2 billion, fourth quarter, 1996.

It will be big news for many years to come...the G.M. vs VW legal hassle that saw VW agree to pay a $100 million fine for Ignacio Lopez' indiscretions. GM said had they tried the case in a U.S. court they probably could have bankrupt the German auto maker if they had the hankerin' to but then they would have no sales competition in Europe.

Bill O'Neil, 47, PR head of Chevy for the past few years was named executive director of communications for G.M. North America.

Malcolm Bricklin today's version of Preston Tucker and the man who fathered the Bricklin gull wind cars that leaked says his electric bicycle business may go down the tubes. No sales . Too expensive.

The Vector 200 mph sports car has closed up its shop in Jacksonville, Fla.

Fiat is geared up to sell 100,00 model 178 econo cars in India in the next several years.

Subaru is giving $1500 rebates on the 1997 SVX and $1000 back on the Legacy and Impreza models.

Watch the Jeff Foxworthy show on NBC-TV Feb. 3 and you'll see Mario Andretti playing a guy named Purvis Spinetti and he owns the Spinetti Tire Mart. Not to be outdone by Pops Michael Andretti will be a judge in the Miss U.S.A. pageant on the tube Feb. 5.

What power plant won the 1992 24 hours of LeMans?

Bill Maloney TACH