Fiat

"It's Antoine Bernheim, a legendary figure in Lazard Bank, with his unwavering three-piece suit even in the heatwave, and mentor to Vincent Bolloré in his early years, who inoculated the green-white-red virus into the entrepreneur. And by the way, the first dose was served on a silver platter by the Italians themselves: "I know a very intelligent boy, I am a friend of the family, and he needs help," Bernheim confided to the Agnelli, the owners of Fiat, for whom he was, at Lazard, the gateway to France."

"In 1906, Michelin, presenting itself as “the king of tires and the tire of kings,” set up a factory in Turin where the Fiat group was beginning to grow in influence and where French manufacturers Clément and Peugeot had created subsidiaries. Alphonse Daubrée, a great-grandson of the founder of the factory, an engineer from the École Centrale who began his career at the Belgian chemist Solvay, took over as the director of the factory. From generation to generation, the Daubrées would henceforth reign as masters on the other side of the Alps at the direction of the Società per Azioni Michelin Italiana[10](private://read/01jkqdqdgs7t399cyecbezrhj0/#ftn_fn10)."

"To put an end to these “malevolences,” Michelin puts “the price of honor” on the table: two hundred thirty million francs (thirty billion lire). The amount of investments supported by Fiat as a Citroën shareholder. The operation will be neutral. They will part as good friends."

"At that time, the car called “Pride” had obvious patchwork traces: the front looked somewhat like a Mercedes, the body and chassis somewhat like a Xiali, the engine was purchased from Xiali, and the gearbox came from Fiat’s hatchback car. In any case, the car was made, and Li Shufu was very excited, sending out over 700 invitations nationwide, arranging 100 banquet tables, and hanging banners saying “Manufacturing cars that the people can afford” and “Warmly welcome the leaders to inspect Geely” on the streets of Linhai, where Geely is located, anticipating the arrival of guests."

"On March 12th he was driving in the Verona-Mantua event of one hundred miles. Eighteen tricars took part, and Ettore Bugatti won on a Prinetti tricar fitted with a De Dion-Bouton engine. Count Biscaretti was second, and Fraschini third. In the motor-car class, victory went to Agnelli, driving a Fiat."

"He did this, in part, through a network of carefully cultivated connections in business and government. His was an international circle that included President Lyndon Johnson of the United States; Jean Monnet, the father of the European Common Market; Gianni Agnelli, chairman of Fiat; Eugene Black, president of the World Bank; David Rockefeller, chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank; General Lucius Clay, the mastermind of the Berlin airlift; David Sarnoff, the head of RCA; and Bill Paley, president of CBS."