Our Readers Would Watch 6-Hour Documentaries About These Automotive Figures

It was probably inevitable, but Elon Musk is getting a documentary. Unlike some previous biographies, though, this one probably won't be as flattering. Alex Gibney, the documentarian who made "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room" and "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," directed the movie, and Elon's already so mad about it that he's threatened to sue Gibney's production company. 

"Musk" is currently scheduled for a theatrical release in October before hitting HBO next year. And while the version in theaters reportedly includes an intermission, you should know it's almost four hours long. But you should also know the original cut is said to have been about six hours long. Thank god for editors.

That got us thinking. Assuming you could watch at home and didn't need to carve out an entire day to see the thing in theaters, which automotive figures would you actually want to watch a six-hour documentary about? Some answers were a little more predictable than others, but let's take a look at some of the most popular responses.

Carlos Ghosn's involvement in Renault and Nissan, his battle against the Japanese government (allegedly influenced by Nissan executives), his subsequent escape and current life in Lebanon, as well as the loyalty and advocacy of his wife, make for an intriguing narrative.

Suggested by: Luc Desaulniers (minardi)

and

Carlos Ghosn. Honest to God, I want to see what kind of Jason Bourne, James Bond-like secret Mission: Impossible steps it took to get Mr. Ghosn in the situation he found himself in when it came to "you can't leave Japan" and then what it took to get him out of Japan. That's a story to be told.

Suggested by: Xavier96

Kiichiro Toyoda. Convincing pops to start the transition to automotive manufacturing, handling the war and post-war changes, and then resigning to end a labor strike? That sounds like good story right there

Suggested by: rando67

First pick? Lee Iacocca.

I've read one of his books and listened to him read another as an audiobook while working on a truck. Just use his autobiography and "Where Have All The Leaders Gone?" as the basis, and you'd strike gold, especially if you could get Raul Castro on the record talking about Lee's visit with his brother.

Second pick? Hal Needham.

The man made six car movies that set the standard for the genre that endures to this day. Until Needham came along, the vast majority of movies that revolved around a car or cars were serious. Hal showed us how to have a blast Cannonballing, moonshining, jumping gorges, and racing in NASCAR.

Third pick? Bob Lutz.

Instead of the constant and undeserved glazing the guy gets, let's have an honest look at what a failure he actually was, studying exactly how he managed to fail upwards repeatedly for decades.

Fourth pick? Soichiro Honda

This is the man who was insulted to his face by GM in front of the US Congress, then quietly applied his technology to GM's own car to prove them wrong. I want to know everything about THAT guy.

Suggested by: MustangIIMatt

Maybe Ferdinand Porsche. Only name I haven't seen posted yet.

Suggested by: C. Dub

Smokey Yunick. It wasn't cheating. It was testing the integrity of the rulebook.

Suggested by: half man half bear half pig

Preston Tucker

The 1988 movie about him was really good. When I was a kid in the 80s my dad took me to pick up something at a machine shop and they had a Tucker car coated in dust sitting in the shop corner. It was a medium shade of red and at the time I did not know anything about it but knew it was a special and rare car.

Anyway, he did the nearly impossible at a time when money was hard to come by. Delorean had connections, personal wealth, and was able to raise money with nose candy although he was acquitted.

Suggested by: Tex

William C. Durant. High school dropout, becomes a top cigar salesman, then starts a carriage company that becomes the largest in the US within 14 years, then sees an opportunity to improve the safety of automobiles buys a struggling Buick and within a year makes them the top selling car brand. 3 years later he starts GM, builds that into a powerhouse. In 1921 he leaves GM to start another automotive company to rival GM.

Suggested by: Cluck

Enzo Ferrari. Triumphs. Losses. Death. Women. Wine. Oh, and racing.

Suggested by: Frank C.

Bob Lutz. Next question lol

Suggested by: Eric Planey

Joe Isuzu.

Mocumentary style.

Suggested by: potbellyjoe