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Dealers are also turning on the dignity. Detroit's Kessler Buick dolled up its showroom with original paintings by Gilbert Stuart, Winslow Homer and Thomas Sully, plus Picasso, Rouault and Miro prints. Said Owner Herbert Kessler: "We wanted to put the new Buicks in an artistic setting, next to the masterpieces." On opening night Kessler wrote 24 orders, and business has since boomed.
Labor Rumbles. One cloud darkened Detroit's horizon. There is a good chance that dealers will be caught short of cars. While the United Auto Workers pressured for last-minute contract concessions from G.M. and Chrysler, wildcat strikes idled 105,341 workers at Big Three auto plants. Production was stalled so much that Chrysler Corp. delayed introduction of most models for five to eight days, to late October. Ward's Automotive Reports said the industry will fall 30% behind its September production goal of 195,500 cars. The betting was that G.M. and Chrysler this week or next will settle with the union in contracts almost identical to those signed by Ford (TIME, Sept. 29). If peace is restored, production in October will climb to a fast 490,000 units, fuel new U.S. production of steel, rubber, glass and all the other major items that lean so heavily on the auto industry.