After acquiring a Bentley, the Aston Martin quickly changed hands as well. Don't be surprised; these things weren't worth much at the time. Even these brands were barely known, and even the famous Lamborghini wasn't worth much.
Ferrari did okay, but other so-called supercars were mostly jokes.
As for handcrafted uniqueness, people didn't pay much attention to it. Those were just marketing gimmicks, and folks weren't buying into it.
There were many factories like Aston Martin in this era. These guys were just car enthusiasts, similar to DIY computer builders in later times, one building computers, one building cars, and that's it.
William White didn't realize that many people were waiting to see a good show. Such factories were common in Europe, and the two the American nouveau riche bought weren't special.
What? Noble heritage?
Come on, let's not kid ourselves. What noble heritage brand do you see in Europe? A prancing horse, a raging bull, and a pitchfork -- tell me what part of that screams nobility. These three car brands clearly started as a farmer's playthings.
William White, usually sharp-witted in America, suddenly became the naive rich guy, talking about integrating the automotive industry.
Integrating the automotive industry was unrealistic, but managing these two brands wasn't a joke, mainly because of Rolls-Royce.
Those guys were unbelievably aggravating. William White didn't think Ronald Reagan was that great. If you're so talented, why not put on a uniform too?
Since this fellow considered himself more noble, why could you buy this car, but not me? That was simply unfair. So Rolls-Royce suffered a blow, with their proud Phantom series being sidelined by William White.
...
Some moves caused Wall Street to fall into a stupor. Their first thought was that William White got duped.
Of course, this humorous judgment was quickly overturned. With so many successful cases as references, no one dared to speak rashly.
That said, can't someone buy a toy for themselves?
American onlookers thought that was probably what this young master meant. A couple of factories don't employ many people; even if they only made cars for himself, so what?
To be honest, such a bunch of loafers. Do you need to raise a cow just for milk?
Okay, that might be a bad analogy. The dairy products from William White's family actually did come from their own farm.
"When can the models of these two cars be finalized?"
Looking at the sketches on the table, a group of designers was a bit puzzled, but at least they knew one thing for sure: he wasn't just playing around, and these didn't look like they were drawn recently.
"Boss, it'll take about a month."
"Okay, show them to me once finished. These are our next-generation models; keep them under wraps."
"Got it, boss. We'll start on this right away."
"Filson, expedite the factory expansion, give it no more than a year."
"Alright, no problem at all."
In this era, computer designs were still a dream. A brand like Bentley couldn't afford such expenses.
Handcrafting wasn't all bad. Updating a vehicle was far simpler than at large factories.
Of course, any old blueprint wouldn't do. The interior and power systems needed to match up too.
...
As August rolled in, even as far as the British Isles, the tension of war was palpable.
UK wasn't too pleased with its younger cousin. If you had the guts to provoke the Soviets, why make us carry the blame?
As for the French and Germans, they were beside themselves. Soviet forces were massing up. The reports said the exercises involved at least 300,000 people.
With different systems, Europe didn't have many troops unless they moved into a wartime status. 300,000 was unthinkable, even 100,000 would be tough.
Given such tense circumstances, the stock market was understandable. Plus, there was a super bear looming, making things not too rosy.
William White was like a hammer, pounding away again and again. One go not enough, go at it again.
And you wouldn't believe it, those old guys at Citibank were about to burst into tears from his antics.
Whenever William White shorted a stock or several, a bunch of copycats would follow suit. What was detestable was that he didn't even hide his targets.
Not that hiding would help. His target was Citibank's holding companies. He didn't expect to crush them in one go. Just shake things up and slip away; if possible, hit them again.
"Boss, something seems off lately. Citibank's raised quite a bit of capital."
"Ha! Filson, how much have we lost?"
"Not quite fifty million, boss."
"Hmm, let's call it a day, don't push our luck."
"Alright, boss."
Sigh, William White wasn't a match for them. Once Citibank got serious, he'd definitely suffer.
...
"Boss, they, they seem to have calmed down."
"What?"
"Maybe they sensed something."
It's like preparing for a wedding night and discovering the bride's a burly guy; no turning back now!
The frustration was beyond explanation. In just a few days, three ashtrays were broken, not to mention other things.
...
"Hey, are you seriously gonna build cars?"
"Why not? Cars make good money."
"Pfft, don't kid me. American car companies are almost done. Without government help, they'd be closing up shop."
"Hahaha, that's because they're idiots. Move a Japanese car factory to Detroit, and it'll be bankrupt in six months."
"Well, I don't care. Get me one first."
"Yeah, got it. Still more than a year left, it won't be sooner."
William White's two car companies expanding was shocking. Making a few cars for fun, but did it have to be so big?
William White left, not planning to stick around London. Russian missiles weren't always precise. If one goes astray, you could seriously get hurt.
The fighting spirit seemed real, not just talk. They didn't care much whether it was a civilian plane. With less than a month to exercises, better to duck out; if they decide to test-fire something, it could get risky.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.