Article: Henry II ends Iacocca's quest for the top spot at Ford Motor; After years of growing tension, the rift between the chairman and his too-brash rising star erupts in a high-profile firing.(Ford 100)

Byline: Diana T. Kurylko

Few firings in the automotive world have caused as big a ripple as the ousting of Lee Iacocca by Henry Ford II on July 13, 1978.

The buzz went on for years. Was it really because the tycoon Henry II, a pillar of Detroit's high society, just didn't like the outspoken, flamboyant and cigar-chomping Iacocca, the son of Italian immigrants?

That's what Iacocca says in his 1984 autobiography in which he paints Henry Ford, chairman of the family company, as "an old pro at spending money.''

"He just sat in his ivory tower and said, `My God, we're making money!' He was there every day to throw his weight around, but he ...

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