Iacocca to be honored tonight at sold-out WPC Gala

Lee Iacocca, 85, the former Chrysler CEO famous for bringing the automaker back from the brink of bankruptcy in the 1980s, will be one of four people honored tonight at a gala fundraiser for the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Iacocca, a gifted pitchman who told the American people “If you can find a better car, buy it,” will join comedian Jay Leno, NASCAR driver Richard Petty in accepting the honors. The late Virgil Exner, the legendary stylist who created “The Forward Look,” will also be recognized.

Leno will perform for the estimated audience of 570 who paid $500 each to attend. The event is completely sold out.

While Iacocca is in town, he will have a private meeting with current Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who intends to be the second person of Italian origin to rescue the automaker from a near-death experience. Iacocca’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from province of Benevento, northeast of Naples.

Photo: Lee Iacocca in one of the television spots he made while chairman of Chrysler Corp. Image courtesy of Chrysler Group LLC