BOST MOTORS: Unveiling Americas History

By C. A. Bailey

In 1971, Bost Motors out of Detroit Michigan, cranked out the best-selling car in America for the sixth year in a row, produced over 250,000 police cruisers nationwide and even represented the presidents very own fleet of Secret Service vehicles. With the extreme rise of financial gain, limelight that a corporation only dreams about and the gripping greed of two sons…the Bost Motor Company spins into financial collapse.
Nearly thirty years later, Scott Alvey, a commercial real estate broker, intertwines himself within a swindle of a mysterious businessman, that allegedly steers Scott to the brink of losing his job during the forefront of a national terrorism plot to wipe out the U.S. satellite systems.
A United States automotive icon, a clever businessman, and a young blooded real-estate agent are behind the ropes of a negotiated US Department of Defense contract for national security. Behind the scenes lapses a shade of romance between an undaunted couple, a mystery that burrows beneath the soil of conspiracy of mathematical statistics, and an ending that will leave you calculating an ever-conclusive plot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781496937827

C. A. Bailey

Christine is a first time published author. Very early on as a parent, she realized how well her children related and learnt from books. The rhyme and rhythm of words made it easier to remember the lessons within the stories. She started writing and Illustrating her own storied lessons for her children which were later shared with other children. Christine is hoping that others can see the value in the stories and share them with the children they love.

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© 2023 C. A. Bailey. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/24/2024

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3781-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3780-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3782-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014915869

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 1

T he town of Detroit was on most days beautiful and sunny. The kind of sunny that barely had any clouds either, thin ones maybe, that ribbon the sky just to let you know they were still there, but mostly just clear, sunny, blue and warm. The city liked that too. Not like folks said anything about it though, but if asked what their favorite part of living in Detroit was, they would say, The sun and the blue skies. It would be like asking people who lived in Oregon, why they lived in Oregon, they would say, Look around, it is green and beautiful here.

Detroit holds the same passion in its peoples’ heart. The city is big, not huge, but a good-sized. Friendly folk, good restaurants, courtesy galore, the people here are respectful to one another. If directions are needed, directions are given. It is not the Leave it to Beaver kind of directions; one could equate it more to the New Yorker, quick, to the point, not overly friendly, but responsive and precise. These people are energized, focused, and busy. They work here. No offense taken what-so-ever, but they work, earn their respective wages, and go home to their families. Of course there are transients. Of course there are robberies, murders, all the challenges any big city presents. But that is Detroit. Not only now, but in 1970 as well. Nineteen-seventy was a huge year. City big, 1970 huge. We will begin in 1969, in all honesty … it is where the story really begins.

It was a brand new 1969. The mayor elect from the November elections was a fresh face to the city of Detroit. His staff was cut from the original cloth and carried over into the new seat, but for a mayor he was decent, had some interesting changes to his agenda, had a fresh, younger face for Detroit, and he was a politician. Detroit had just rolled off of a divorce from an eight year deficit that financially drilled the city into the ground. Its people were tired, the rallies were uneventful, and government was not getting anything accomplished. The schools began to fall apart, roads were not maintained, lay-offs were high, and the mayor was nowhere in sight. In fact, there were recorded events where the mayor would just plain not show up. And for Detroit and its people, there was much more potential than that.

So in 1969 the new mayor, Greg Stardy, took steps to rebuild a depressed city. He began with the parks. It was 50/50 for the city folk. For the most part, no one cared. They were either too busy working or they were laid off and were looking for work. The only people who cared about Mayor Stardy’s parks were stay at home moms and tourists.

Mayor Stardy’s funding packages were interesting to say the least. He knew what he wanted and placed those items on the higher ranking agenda, just behind the things that put him in office, such as schools and jobs for the city of Detroit. Mayor Stardy improved neither. And in March 1969 one could call Mayor Stardy either extremely smart, or extremely stupid.

The papers all reported the same news on the same day, with the exception of the Kirkland County Runner, which focused on the previous day’s city triathlon, their loss. The Detroit Daily featured its story of how Mayor Stardy signed for a new bypass that would connect one section of the town into Baycliff County. Other than the two subdivisions and a couple of prominent restaurants, Baycliff County was pretty placid. The hook, line, and sinker of it all, was that the bypass would conveniently cross through one of the newly remodeled parks and end with the construction of another park in Baycliff County. It was a sneaky tactic, and someone in the press must have been against the funding, especially since it would cost more than a third of the city’s annual fiscal budget. Mayor Stardy signed the proposal, smiled, and quickly mentioned something about the upcoming high school remodel. Politicians.

In April of 1969 the construction started and in December both the bypass and the park stood completed. Mayor Stardy had already initiated four school remodels by this time and managed to stay on an even keel with the people of Detroit.

Chapter 2

T here was one thing that the people of Detroit had to keep them busy, Bost Motors. Located on the outskirts of Detroit’s Great Lake, Bost Motors employed over fifteen thousand employees in 1969, had won Car of the Year six years in a row, and in good years turned over forty million in sales. Bost Motors went worldwide in 1950 and their most successful year to date was in 1951 when they developed the BOST II, a two-door coupe with a removable hardtop. Bost Motors had been founded in 1927 by Richard Bost, and passed down as a complete empire to his two sons, Frank Bost and Richard (Dick) Bost II. As boys, Frank and Dick worked in the factory sweeping floors and scrapping car parts. At eleven years of age, Frank drove loads of scrap out to the edge of town, dumped them and returned for more. Richard Bost Senior kept the company growing and was fair to his employees. He even offered vacation pay which in 1940 was nearly unheard of. The people of Detroit were anchored on this company, everyone who was anyone either knew someone who worked at Bost Motors or had worked there themselves. The city liked their cars and so did the American people.

After Richard Senior passed away in 1968, Frank and Dick took over the glamorous, lucrative business and from there, the downward spiral began. Poor design ideas, lack of innovation, and greed all attributed to the definitive downfall. Both Dick and Frank had an empire to bathe in, but the city of Detroit puddled in its debt. By 1969, Bost Motors was down 17 percent in its sales, had lost over 40 percent of its employees, and had shut down several sections of its factory. Customers worldwide couldn’t even get replacement parts for many of the cars. Year after year, up until 1969, Bost Motors made shoddier and shoddier cars. The layoffs affected the company, the city of Detroit, and the image for an American nation.

Chapter 3

T he family of Bost was larger than some families in Utah. Richard Senior had seven sisters, and was the only son. He had seven children himself, but only two sons who were raised to expect that Bost Motor Corp would be their future, no ifs, ands, or buts. College was available and both sons attended Michigan State. Frank earned a degree in Criminal Justice, and Dick was an English major. Once their undergrad was completed their tuition was cutoff and both were expected to return home and clock into their new positions at Bost Motors by the end of the summer.

Most of the other Bost family members were in contact and attended the family get-togethers, but one cousin stood out beyond everyone else. His name was Greg. The two brothers called him Ed because of some family confusion some years before. Frank Bost was always an encourager, as they would say, and was a few years older than Cousin Ed. Ed grew up within a wealthy family; his father was a doctor and his mother stayed at home raising the children. Ed longed to be like Frank and Dick. He even wanted to eat like them. Whatever the Bost brothers did, Ed copied, whatever they said, Ed said, and no matter what, Ed was always the butt of the joke.

Before Ed went into college for criminal justice, Frank Bost told him one piece of life-changing advice. Never follow the desires of another’s heart, but do what you feel called to do. Frank suggested that Ed do something that directly helped people because Frank had noticed that Ed was an excellent communicator, terrific liar, and could always manipulate his parents into getting anything he wanted. Deep down, Frank took credit for Ed’s attributes, but encourager Frank was always saying something to help them feel good about themselves. Not a week later, Ed switched his major from criminal justice to political science. After graduating in 1955, he volunteered for some years, and in 1968 Greg Ed Stardy ran for mayor.

Mayor Stardy took office, during the peak of some of Detroit’s toughest times. Crime rates exploded, divorce rates spiked, unemployment hit an all time record, but they had beautiful parks. Bost Motors issued another series of lay-offs and slowly but surely the company began to sink. The two brothers began the initial talks of bankruptcy. Other American car companies began to take the lead, and for the first time in Bost history, it ranked as one the lowest car manufacturers in America. Employees reported times seeing Dick hunched over his desk, passed out with a bottle of Jack Daniels and his brother Frank standing at the south-facing windows for hours, just looking off onto the newly constructed parks and highways.

Mayor Stardy popped into Bost Motors every now and then for either a brief lunch or what seemed like a company meeting behind closed blinds. Unlike the brothers, Stardy was always careful, and thought about his appearance and any impression he might make. However, in late spring 1970, Mayor Stardy walked into Bost Motors with a suit following close behind. Medium height, medium build, and much older than either of the brothers or the cousin. He dressed to the smell of Chicago or like a snazzy Philadelphian and when he walked he set his pace to the casual inward twist of his wrist as it passed his waist. He carried strong wrinkles on his face, silver hair, and a small black briefcase. Mayor Stardy looked very political and showed the gentleman around as if he was a member of Congress.

As the story goes, this gentleman was passing through from Toronto on his way to Grand Rapids, and when taking the newly assembled bypass, he noticed the city parks and decided to stop. The parks were something to marvel at. Bright green grasses, flowers, green belts, canopy trees, meandering pathways, occasional swing-sets, low stone walls, archways, gazebos, kids’ playgrounds, ponds with ducks, picnic benches and even the first--ever stationary family BBQ pits. It attracted all sorts, from locals to veteran road-warriors, but in the spring of 1970 this gentlemen was so attracted that he contacted the city mayor.

Employees said that the older gentleman was in and out of Bost Motors for about a month after his first appearance. He was everywhere too, he ventured through the assembly lines, the drawing stations, the engineers offices, the parts warehouse, and the distribution yard. The only place no one ever saw him was the scrap yard. They noticed him early in the mornings before the factory opened, until late at night when the janitors came in to clean. He always carried a cream colored mug with black coffee. About the time the employees had gotten accustomed to seeing him around, he was gone. The brothers disappeared as well, blinds folded shut, and doors locked. Management kept the warehouse steady for a few weeks after that, and the buzz in the factory was growing heavily. Rumors began to circle, some employees worried themselves to the point of illness, and the word got out to the city of Detroit, and people creating rumors of their own. For the most part, people were convinced of a corporate buyout or transfer of ownership. Some thought the company was filing for bankruptcy. Even the grand old Detroit Daily published a front page report speculating the Bost Motors’ company’s demise. The Kirkand County Runner got close and reported on a marathon that ran over the bypass overlooking Bost Motors.

Not until the first day of summer in 1970 did all those rumors finally simmer down. Dick and Frank returned one afternoon with an eighteen wheeler, brand-new of course, the brothers could not ride in anything used. They pulled up to one of the closed warehouses and parked it. The very next day they hired one hundred more employees and opened two of the four warehouses. New equipment was offloaded and installed, much of the power was restored and a small construction crew came in to throw up some walls and build another break room. Frank and Dick cruised around the factory just like they owned the place. Overriding managers, training staff themselves, helping out on the assembly lines, staying late, and opening early. Employees noticed their office blinds were opened constantly and for the first time in many years, the people of Detroit noticed a fully operable, illuminated factory cranking out work as if normal production was a detriment. The brothers had finally managed to work together and were united with one idea.

Chapter 4

I n 1971, Bost Motors released the much anticipated Bost Berc Roller. The Bost brothers left nothing on the table with this model. The week before it was released, to conceal its image, car dealers nationwide placed black car covers over the automobiles sent from the factory, so on the day of its release, the covers would be pulled and the car would shimmer on the sales floor. Advertisement for this car had begun eight months prior and customers nationwide added themselves to waitlists for its purchase. Its features were simple, but its practicality for 1971 was priceless. The base model was a sleek, four-door roadster with a steel body, chrome trim and all the options. The car was handsomely priced at three thousand dollars and boasted three models; the Bost Berc Roller – base model six cylinder; Bost Berc Roller S base model – a few more features and an eight-cylinder motor boosting 300hp; and the BBR, which was this model’s evil twin brother, a nicely powered 400hp motor gold surround and leather seats, priced at five thousand five hundred dollars, it became a popular choice.

With new factory equipment and a detailed assembly schedule, the Bost brothers were able to create an automobile for a fraction of the cost and sell it for a much lower price than any of its competitors. Within the first year, Bost sold over fifty thousand of these cars, opened up its last two remaining warehouses and hired back nearly all its employees.

Bost had acclaimed a newly implemented contract with the Detroit Police Department and nearly every police department in the nation soon followed suit. The Bost brothers ran a tight contract with local and state police departments and some government agencies to pump out a BBR Interceptor. This particular model came only in black with a deep number fifteen tint on all windows, and it housed a 550 hp V10 motor. It came stock with positive traction control, rear wheel drive, sway bars, weight distribution throughout, back-up battery control, and in some models, had bullet proof doors. The BBR Interceptor was not released to the public and between 1971 and 1975 the Bost brothers sold over two hundred and fifty thousand of them to agencies nationwide. The BBR Interceptor became so popular, the President’s very own Secret Service purchased a fleet of these vehicles, and in honor of Bost Motors, the President himself made an appearance at the factory … along with Mayor Stardy.

The Bost Berc Roller became the best-selling car in America for four straight years. The Bost brothers saw more wealth in that time period than any other family member had in the last thirty years. The factory was improved and glowing, the employees were busy and happy, and the city of Detroit had its place in the world again. Even the New York Times stated the Detroit Daily as being progressive and the Kirkland County Runner, finally ran a story about its home town car manufacturer, hosting a giveaway at one it its duathlon events.

For Dick and Frank, Bost Motors finally became something their father could never have made it into. Both brothers appeared content. And as the economy in 1975 began to improve, Bost Motors, the nation’s number one auto maker, saw itself having trouble keeping up with demand. By 1977 the factory was working so hard on manufacturing parts and upgrades that it failed to come up with any new ideas. Or the Bost brothers did not have any new ideas. Frank began spending more time golfing and entertaining then he did in the office. Dick spent most of his days at his vacation home in New York. But Bost Motor’s reputation, and America’s demand for its products, was getting stronger and stronger. For the brothers, it got to the point that they never worked together, and eventually to the extreme that they only called one another to compare schedules to be sure to avoid each other. Frank appeared more than Dick, there were no layoffs to speak of, and profit began to drop. In 1979 the brothers had a falling-out. Dick signed the company over to Frank and the two brothers parted ways.

The commotion was so bad in the company it sent waves throughout Detroit and into the rest of the world. The papers went crazy. Richard Bost – Done For Good. A family feud that had lasted over two decades had finally come to an end. Some papers speculated in favor for Bost Motors saying that Frank Bost would finally, maybe, get some work done. Dick moved to New York and later to California where he finally settled. Bost Motors was at its reputable peak when Frank took over in 1979. Financially the company was a sinking ship, but its reputation held strong. Frank kicked in like a loosely fired cannon. It was a new season for Frank, a fresh start, and there was no big brother to look over his shoulder. Frank would ultimately move on to make some big mistakes but before that he had two extremely brilliant concepts that took Bost Motors to a new level.

In 1979, Frank spent a lot of time in the drawing and design department. He knew he was not particularly good with new concepts, but also knew that the BBR was the most successful car year to date. Frank and his designers came up with what he wanted to call the BBR II. It came down to the manufacturing of the decals when the secretary of the company, insisted that Frank change the name to the BBR Rodeo, and he did. The BBR Rodeo was the BBR crammed into a two-door hatchback with rear wheel drive, but Frank insisted they put nothing but the 400 hp V8 under the hood throughout the production period. For Bost Motors, it became a hot little car. The rear window had black plastic slats down the back, chrome on all corners, and every feature they could think of in 1980. The car was moderately priced and the college crowd was more interested in the car than anyone else. For two years straight, Frank Bost maintained the cost of his operation and profited handsomely from the little Rodeo.

Its unknown whether someone came to Frank or he brilliantly came up with the idea himself, but in 1983 he involved Bost Motors for the first time in NASCAR. Frank, took his 550 hp large V10, dropped it into a light weight racing body and sponsored one of the greatest racers of all time. Bost Motors thrust itself into the limelight once again.

Deep down Frank knew what the outcome was going to be for Bost Motors. Without diligent hard work on new concepts, training, hiring, buying new equipment, researching the smog laws, safety ratings, and new world vehicle standards, Frank knew that it would be tough to keep one’s head above water. Frank was getting too old for new concepts or the fast paced automotive industry and only wanted to work on the newly adopted American sport, NASCAR. His love of the sport was growing by the season and in the NASCAR world, the Bost Racer was gaining a lot of accreditation.

In 1985, Frank won five medals and made more money with racing than he ever had with Bost Motors. For Detroit, 1985 was the most traumatizing year ever recorded. Frank outsourced another company to handle all the company layoffs, warehouse closures, letters, final billings, collections and transfers before he himself closed all the doors and changed all the locks. Bost Motors officially shut down on April 29, 1985. A once great and powerful corporation, American car manufacturer and family had finally become so thin that they turned inside out. The people of Detroit would suffer for many years to come. The factory stood boarded up and fenced off. The papers eventually moved on to bigger and better stories. Frank did what he loved doing for another nine years: racing and development. One year before Frank would pass away,