Hailey Arthur. Wheels

New York: Ominia. First published 1971.Wheels (1971) is a novel by Arthur Hailey, concerning the automobile industry and the day-to-day pressures involved in its operation. The plot lines follow many of the topical issues of the day, including race relations, corporate politics, and business ethics. The auto company of the novel is a little-disguised Ford Motor Company and some of the characters are recognizable to company insiders.
The novel was made into a TV mini series in 1978 starring Rock Hudson and Lee Remick.
Arthur Hailey has shown that great writing can and does stand the test of time. "Wheels" takes place circa 1971 when American automobiles and the people that build them, were working three shifts, shiney, brand new automobiles being driven off of the assembly line, approx. one per minute.
Hailey brings all of his characters to life, from Adam Trenton a "go-getter" white-collar management member to Rollie Knight, a black street thug who finds he almost can make a better life for himself in "Wheels" as he is finally employed and off of the mean streets of inner-city Detroit.