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Howard Freers is a retired automotive professional and enthusiast who spent over four decades between the Chrysler Corporation and the Ford Motor Company. His career included roles in engineering, powertrain systems, electrical engineering, and many other titles as Chief Engineering and in executive roles. Howard is a Society of Automotive Engineers Fellow, a Distinguished Senior Member, an Engineering Society of Detroit Fellow, Eminent Engineer – Tau Beta Pi, and has an Honorary Doctor of Engineering via Rose Hulman. He is also a Trustee and Board of Managers – Rose Polytechnic and Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. Howard’s son, automotive photographer David Freers is a past guest here on Cars Yeah.
SHOW SPONSORS
Covercraft • MetronGarage • Christopher Kimball Financial Services
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
“Use your head.”
CAREER & LIFE CHALLENGES
Trying to figure out why there was a vibration in a car due to its air conditioning unit.
FIRST SPECIAL VEHICLE
A Comet with a 428 Cobra Jet Engine
AUTOMOTIVE ADVICE
Make sure it’s done right the first time. Delegate and let your subordinates do their job but check periodically for progress and satisfactory results.
RESOURCES
Ford Retired Engineering Executives Club
PARTING WORDS OF ADVICE
When you have an assignment, you have a responsibility to do it properly.
SHARE THE INSPIRATION
Your opinion matters, and I will greatly appreciate your support.
If you enjoyed this show, please go to Apple Podcast and leave me a five star review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out and help others be inspired by Cars Yeah.
As one of the most respected engineers from the original “Big Three” in the Motor City, in addition to being a gifted leader at the highest level of Ford Motor Company management, Howard Freers was instrumental in holding high, yet ultimately achievable, standards for home-run vehicle models during his career.
From the pathways of concepts into design, into clay models, prototyping and R&D, pre-production, vendor sourcing, and engineering innovations, after managing teams following these pivotal decisions, his was the “final signature” for approval to fire up the Ford passenger-car production line each year.
Fortunately, as just one example of an iconic offspring under his direction and standards, we received the original ‘Boss 302 Mustang’. The brilliant styling of Larry Shinoda’s artistic expression was wrapped around a superb engineering and production platform that was helped toward inevitable iconic stature by Howard Freers and his department. That’s why they still call him “The Boss of 302!”
Thank you, Mark Greene, for shining your spotlight on Mr. Freers — a humble and inspiring giant from the best of American vehicle manufacturing out of Motown.