DEATH OF A SALESMAN....BILLY MAYS

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REMEMBER THIS CAR? 1971 SAAB SONNET

1971 Saab Sonnet, V-4, green, good cond, 4-speed needs trans work. $2995. 503-642-1849 westberg4342@verizon.net 

THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION ADVERTISING

I actually remember these extra verses back when the show aired in prime time.

The truck they pass is from Railway Express Agency, shut down years ago.

A CHINESE HUMMER? WHAT WOULD ARNOLD THINK OF THAT

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Bankrupt automaker General Motors said Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell Hummer, its military-styled vehicle, reportedly to a machine maker based in western China.

The company said the deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter, but declined to say who the buyer was or how much they would pay for the brand.

The New York Times, citing an anonymous source familiar with the Chinese government approval process, said the buyer was Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd., a privately-held company in Chengdu.

In a release, GM (GMGMQ 0.55, -0.20, -26.45%) said the pending deal would secure more than 3,000 manufacturing, engineering and dealership jobs in the U.S. Hummer will also continue to contract vehicle services from GM during a defined transitional time period.

The deal also includes plans by the investor to aggressively fund future Hummer product programs, the automaker said.

GM Chief Financial Officer Ray Young, speaking on a conference call with industry analysts earlier Tuesday, said the company had agreed not to say who planned to buy Hummer until the deal had been clinched. At this point, it's still a memorandum of understanding.

"I'm confident that Hummer will thrive globally under its new ownership," said Tony Clark, president of GM North America. "And for GM, this sale continues to accelerate the reinvention of GM into a leaner, more focused, and more cost-competitive automaker."

Detroit-based GM filed for bankruptcy early Monday and has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. It was also replaced on the Dow Jones Industrial Average(INDU 8,764, +42.91, +0.49%) by Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO 19.57, +0.07, +0.36%)

GM plans to reorganize itself as a leaner, more competitive automaker and emerge from bankruptcy within 90 days. As part of the plan, the company said it would shed its non-core brands Hummer, Saab, Saturn, and Pontiac.

Hummer sales have fallen sharply from their peak a few years ago, hurt by high fuel prices, a severe recession, and waning popularity for oversized sport utility vehicles.

During a press briefing, Chief Executive Fredrick Henderson said Swedish-built Saab already had three bidders, but declined to reveal their names.

Including its core brands Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC, the company said it has just over $82 billion in assets, but owes more than $172 billion to its creditors. See full story.

Christopher Hinton is a reporter for MarketWatch based in New York.

TIME FOR A SMOKE IN BEVERLY HILLS