http://www.cwhdallas.com/commodore-executive/
Commodore Executive
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1 pr H4 Globes 90/130W Holden Commodore Calais Berlina Executive VB VC VH VK VL |  |
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US $14.60 | 8d 18h 13m |
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Vintage 1980's Commodore SX 64 Portable Executive Computer L@@K | |
1 Bid | US $79.00 | 1d 14h 33m |
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1995 Holden Commodore Executive Acclaim S and SS Berlina Brochure | |
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US $18.95 | 29d 4h 39m |
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HOLDEN COMMODORE VK EXECUTIVE A3 COLOUR POSTERS PICTURES IMAGES | |
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US $19.75 | 22d 2m |
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Holden 1995 Commodore Executive Acclaim Berlina Brochure Australia | |
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US $19.99 | 29d 12h 59m |
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HOLDEN COMMODORE VR EXECUTIVE RH INNER TAIL LIGHT HSV | |
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US $27.22 | 8d 20h 47m |
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1 pr H4 Globes 90/130W Holden Commodore Calais Berlina Executive VB VC VH VK VL | |
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US $14.60 | 15d 40m |
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BADGE "COMMODORE" VY VZ SS SV6 EXECUTIVE - NEW | |
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US $28.70 | 2h 30m |
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1984 Holden Calais Commodore Executive Brochure | |
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US $7.99 | 7d 10h 2m |
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Commodore VY executive sedan holden tail light LH | |
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US $78.84 | 28d 17h 11m |
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H4 HID Hi & Lo Kit 55W Holden Commodore Calais Berlina Executive VB VC VH VK VL | |
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US $163.32 | 9d 18h 32m |
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Commodore VK executive berlina tail light mould eyebrow | |
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US $61.86 | 12d 18h 19m |
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Holden COMMODORE VN EXECUTIVE Series 1, 3 x HUB CAPS New Old Stock NOS GMH NASCO | |
0 Bid | US $69.28 | 3d 23h 48m |
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Holden COMMODORE VL Executive SL - Series 1 HUB CAP Brand New NOS GMH NASCO | |
0 Bid | US $49.48 | 3d 23h 52m |
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The World's Fair held in Paris in 1867 must have been a sight to behold. The principal building was almost two football fields in length, containing a central pavilion crowned by a dome and surrounded by a garden. Over 50,000 exhibitors displayed in more than 100 buildings. Among the exhibitors were 400 piano manufacturers, all competing for the gold medals that would assure their brands' future dominance of the world piano market.
The enthusiasm for the four piano models displayed by Steinway & Sons of New York was overwhelming. Steinway won two gold medals, endorsements from European royalty, and praise from Franz Liszt and other great pianists. The Steinway piano was so wildly popular that the magazine Harper's Weekly published a cartoon showing crowds fighting to get to a Steinway piano. The cartoon's caption read: "Sudden Mania to become Pianists created upon hearing Steinway's pianos at the Paris Exhibition".
Such was the popularity of the Steinway piano that in 1869 Matthew Fontaine Maury, then Chairman of the Physics Department at Virginia Military Institute, sent two of his daughters to New York to purchase a Steinway for their home in Lexington, VA. Matthew F. Maury was a former director of the US Naval Observatory and Commodore of the Confederate Navy. He was awarded medals by European heads of state for his achievements, and honored with the nickname "Pathfinder of the Seas" for his groundbreaking work on ocean currents. Commodore Maury had settled in Lexington to pursue his academic interests. When the Steinway arrived at his home, Commodore Maury excitedly wrote his son-in-law saying "the Piano has come - all safe- Elegant. Everybody pleased with it, and Elie is now making it "talk"! Thanks."
My introduction to the Maury Steinway came almost twenty years ago, when I received a call from Keith Gibson, noted author and Executive Director of Museum Programs for Virginia Military Institute. Col. Gibson had located the Maury piano, which had been stored for decades under a porch. The piano had been used by the Maury family until about 1912, when it was sold to the Christian family. In 1991, the Rev. William Christian, whose mother had bought the piano, offered the instrument to V.M.I.. Generous funding by Dr. J. Battle Haslam, a 1961 V.M.I. grad, provided money for restoration. Aware of my experience restoring antique pianos, Col. Gibson asked me to evaluate the piano for possible restoration.
My first impression of the piano was that it should be doused with gasoline and set afire. The rosewood veneer was peeling from the case, ivory was missing from many keys, there was termite damage to the lid and legs, the strings were rusted, felts were moth-eaten, and the piano action had completely seized due to verdigris in the action's pivot points. I was aware, however, that this was a historically important instrument that had been owned by an historically important man.
Before I accept a restoration job, I first establish the client's expectations. Col. Gibson made his expectations clear from the beginning: he did not want a cosmetic clean-up that would be suitable only for display: he wanted this instrument to play. My logic was telling me: "run away"; but my instincts told me that this was my piano to restore. Instantly, I didn't want anyone else to be in charge of this restoration. This was an opportunity for me to pay homage to history. This instrument deserved thoughtful and skilled restoration, and I intended to provide just that.
Restoring an antique piano is more similar to restoring an antique automobile than restoring antique furniture. A piano is a machine with thousands of moving wooden parts. The Antiques Roadshow admonition that "refinishing hurts value" does not apply to pianos. The challenge with an antique piano is to maintain its historical integrity while insuring that it will play music. Hippocrates' admonition "first, do no harm" must always stay in the mind of the restorer in choosing materials and techniques. In consultation with Col. Gibson, a restoration plan was developed.
The restoration took more than a year. The piano was completely disassembled; thousands of parts were numbered and labeled. Unusual configurations were photographed. Strings were sent to a string maker for duplication. Action felts and cloths were painstakingly removed and replaced. The case veneer was repaired, and brass case parts were re-plated. A new tuning pin block was installed, and the bridges and soundboard repaired. The case was refinished, and then the piano was re-strung, the action re-assembled, and the piano regulated and tuned.
The sound of the resulting instrument surprised everyone. Typically, square pianos have uneven tone with overpowering bass notes and weak treble notes. The Maury Steinway was remarkably even in tone for a square piano. No wonder Steinway received such accolades at the 1867 Paris Exhibition.
Due to renovations at the museum, the piano was placed into storage at V.M.I. until its official dedication in June of 1995. Dr. Haslam was the first to play the piano, performing the Doxology and the Navy Hymn, choices that would have pleased Commodore Maury. Following Dr. Haslam, the song "Ashokan Farewell", the theme from the PBS series The Civil War, was performed by Ginny Hutchinson, great-granddaughter of Commodore Maury.
Nearly twenty years after the initial restoration, the Maury Steinway is still exhibited at the V.M.I. Museum in Lexington. It is occasionally played, and the piano's care is under the watchful eye of Col. Gibson. Once again, Commodore Maury's piano "talks". I am glad I played a part in restoring the pianos voice.
Wayne Jordan is a Virginia licensed Auctioneer, Certified Personal Property Appraiser, and Accredited Business Broker. He specializes in the Valuation and Liquidation of Estate and Business assets. Learn more at his website http://www.waynejordanauctions.com or his blog http://www.wayne-jordan.blogspot.com
Gm's Holden to Lay-off 600 Workers
In the news: General Motors Corp.’s GM Australian unit has announced last Monday that it will shed 15% of its workforce at its Elizabeth plant in South Australia State by the end of April. GM Holden Ltd. will offer voluntary redundancy packages to 600 workers who will be included in the 15% labor cut that GM’s Australia subsidiary will implement at its plant, north of Adelaide. Such is the result of improved efficiency of its automated assembly which allows the auto maker to maintain production with fewer workers.
But according to some analysts the cutting down of workers by GM’s Australian unit was due to the decline in sales of Holden’s locally built Commodore range as Australian consumers opt for smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles.
According to Rod Keane Holden executive director, manufacturing operations in an interview with reporters in Adelaide, “If Holden is to remain as one of the worlds most competitive and flexible plants we need to be as efficient as possible. And at this stage we have more resources than we need to achieve that.†Holden announced the job cut at a meeting participated by both white and blue collar workers. The automaker has given the workers until March 21 to decide whether they would accept the redundancy and retraining packages offered by the automaker.
Keane also added that no jobs would be lost at Holden’s Melbourne engine manufacturing plant. It should be noted that Holden has already laid off 1400 jobs at its Elizabeth plant in August of 2005. Holden has currently 4050 employees and will be reduced further by shedding 600 workers resulting to 3450 workers at the plant. Keane also said that it is not guaranteed if there won’t be any more job cuts in the future. “You can’t rule out anything in this business, obviously the market changes. We can never guarantee what the future holds.â€
The decision for the job cut was also due to the decision of the company to end its production of the older VZ Commodore range and to focus on the production of its new VE models which according to the automaker is much easier to make.
For the past years Holden has invested A$532 million in the plant which has been described by Holden as one of the world’s most flexible and efficient plants. It is expected that production output will decline after the layoff from the current 620 cars to 520 cars a day and will return to its maximum capacity of 620 cars by October. Keane also said that they are expecting to produce 145,000 cars for this year.
The layoffs will surely humiliate Federal Industry, Tourism and Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane who even went to Detroit early this year just to report to GM—world’s largest automaker and producer of quality GM fuel pumps --- and Ford Motor Co. that Australia is expecting more in return for the A$7.3 billion Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme that would support the industry through 2015. In a statement made by Macfarlane last Monday, “Globally, the automotive industry is going through challenging times and the Australian industry is not immune to this. Holden is recognizing this and is making the difficult commercial decisions it needs to make to stay competitive in a tough environment.â€
Similarly the layoff of the 600 workers will definitely hurt the federal Liberal National coalition government during the election in South Australia State where Holden is currently the largest private employer. The Elizabeth plant is situated in the seat of Wakefield which is held with a 0.7% margin while most of the plant’s workers live in nearby Makin electorate which held by a 1% margin. The car making industry of Australia employs about 70,000 workers which represents about 0.8% of Australia’s total workforce as of August of 2006.
About the Author
Noah Scott is a 30 year old native of New Jersey, writer, and car fan - having grown up with both parents being auto enthusiasts. He works for an automotive consultancy firm and regularly contributes articles to car magazines.
Does my Holden Commodore VN burn fuel if I gear down?
Executive 1991, manual
Yes, but not much.
It also saves your brakes.
Naval, police forces patrolled beaches during tsunami alert
Thousands of security forces roamed the country's coastal villages facing the Pacific Ocean, on Sunday, to make sure residents stayed away from the shorelines as tsunami waves rolled through the vast seas following the fierce quake that rocked Chile on Saturday.
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