Jost Capito, Ford's Head of Performance Vehicles, Decamps for VW
Yet another talented star departs Ford's firmament.
By Sam Smith Mar 30, 2012 6:55AM
Jost Capito, Ford's director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development, announced Wednesday that he will be leaving the company. His next position, effective May 1, will be director of Volkswagen Motorsport. Personnel changes aren't usually fodder for this blog, but Capito is a pretty special guy. He's been with Ford since 2001. In addition to being one of a handful of individuals to have run Ford's Special Vehicle Team, the division responsible for everything from the Ford GT to the F-150 SVT Raptor, he boasts an impressive resume, dotted with stints at BMW's M division (he was partly responsible for the engine in the first M3), Porsche Motorsport and Red Bull Sauber Formula One. In 1985, he won the ferociously difficult Paris-Dakar Rally at the wheel of a high-performance truck. Chiefly, however, Capito knows fast cars, and he knows how they should behave on the road. Machinery produced under his watch simply feels well-calibrated, right and world-class.
Capito's departure says a lot about the current state of Detroit. He leaves Ford at a time of stability and relatively strong products; SVT's offerings have never been more appealing, and the stuff in the pipeline -- the Focus ST and Fiesta ST; the 202 mph, 650-horsepower 2013 GT500 -- is remarkably promising. But at the core of Capito's exit is a worrisome question: Where does this leave Ford?
As Car and Driver reminds us, Ford is known for its regimented corporate culture. It has been a toe-the-line, troops-in-lockstep company since Henry I ran things, and it's not the best place for talented, outside-the-box individuals to succeed. Tales have long been told of the company's highly controlled and occasionally dehumanizing inner workings. It's no secret that standout personalities rarely stand out in the company for long.
"Capito is a star," an industry acquaintance recently told me, "and Ford doesn't do stars."
Few expected Capito to stay with Ford long, but most industry analysts hoped the company would be able to keep him around. In addition to chiefing SVT, he headed Ford's European RS division and was responsible for steering much of the company's motorsports efforts. He remains a talented driver -- friends have told tales of giggle-inducing sideways Capito test-track rides -- and the products he has supervised have all possessed a charming, uncommon spark. It's a quality that hasn't always been found in Ford products.
Car and Driver's Justin Berkowitz summed up Capito's impact nicely, and there's no need for me to rephrase his thoughts. Suffice it to say that he's on point:
Capito’s predecessor, John Coletti, was considered even more of a maverick, and had as many detractors as he had fans amongst the management ranks. Coletti left in 2004. His last project, the epic Ford GT sports car, launched in 2004, and after that the division churned out only a few lackluster products. A Shelby GT500 arrived in 2006, but its ponderous size and weight kept it an also-ran until the Capito Era began.
Soon after Capito arrived, the GT500 became a real contender, and we’re just a few months away from a new 200-mph, 650-hp GT500 also created under his watch. That’s two dynamo bosses, two strong independent streaks, and one stretch of dull cars between them. We hope we’re not in for another dry spell.
Predictably, neither Ford or Capito commented on the reasons behind the departure. It should go without saying that Ford's loss is VW's gain.
[Source: Car and Driver.]
2Comments
Mar 30, 2012 7:02PM
Mar 30, 2012 10:04AM
Personnel changes aren't usually fodder for this blog
Well they should be, because these managers are the root cause of all the insane, incompetent decisions regarding which models make it to North American market.I could not care less about the latest gizmo inside of some nondescript Ford or GM vehicle, but I very much care and want to know what goes on behind closed doors in boardrooms in Detroit! And even more importantly, I want to know WHO and WHY. Why is investigative auto journalism considered a second class citizen?
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