Celebrated American car journalist Jerry Flint passed away almost a month ago. He was 79 and is a year younger than my grandpa who is currently living in Kluang, Johor. Jerry was the man with stories to write in business magazine Forbes.
He was born in Detroit, the city in United States where General Motors’ Big 3 auto brands originated.
I shall let Mr Flint do his own introduction in this blog post, in his very own words, just before he died:
My name is Jerry Flint. I was born and educated in Detroit, Detroit proper, not any suburb. Tough town. I’ve been covering the auto industry forever; you could call me The 2,000-Year-Old Auto Writer. I learned the business from men like Robert McNamara, George Romney, Lee Iacocca, Ed Cole (creator of the great GM small block V-8 engine), Robert Lutz, Walter Reuther (who led the UAW), Ralph Nader. I won’t say “they don’t make them like that anymore,” but they, and many others I could name, were giants.
I worked 12 years for the Wall Street Journal, 12 for The New York Times–Detroit bureau chief, trouble shooter in New York, chief labor writer–and 17 years with Forbes–including a stint as Washington bureau chief–before becoming a columnist back in 1996.
But covering the car business wasn’t everything. I was a soldier–enlisted during the Korean War, but they sent me to Europe (I’m not complaining) as a radio spy. As a reporter I covered everything from race riots to politics (I was part of the NY Times presidential election team in 1968). I was never a foreign correspondent but had plenty of foreign assignments: Cuba (met Fidel), Europe, Japan, Africa and Central America when the Communists tried their takeover.
I know the car business, not from quoting officials, but because of half a century of seeing what works and what doesn’t. There was a saying in the old days, perhaps you remember it: “You don’t have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.”
I’ll try to never let you down.
(Source: Forbes Auto)
He wrote thousands of car stories throughout his career as a car lover, spanning close to half a century of rants and reviews. More of his writings can be found at his column in Forbes online.
RIP, Jerry Flint. You left a legacy of true automotive journalism to us, and the many generations to come.
I’d like to thank my mom, my dad, my siblings, cousins and God..
Don’t tell me I didn’t warn ya! Get your eyes glued to this monster!
It took days to count the cash, Mr. Zhao. Have to charge a fee for that!
The path towards heaven, NOT! 
Yes, it’s in English.. only that in a much relaxed manner 
TEXT: Oh, I miss u so much baby..can u gv me a bk rub 2nite..? Oh wait, I overturned d wheel!
