In a lawsuit instituted by his second ex-wife Linda in 2011, it was alleged that Thursfield had recently been given £3.5 million in payments from Cerberus Capital Management, a New York private equity firm that employed him post Ford.
David Thursfield, a former executive vice president of Ford Motor Company and then a top Cerberus executive, has been sentenced to two years in jail in Great Britain for allegedly hiding assets during a contentious divorce settlement in 2005.
Thursfield’s ex-wife Linda, a U.K. dental surgeon, blamed the break-up of the marriage on her husband’s interest in Rachel Measures whom he married immediately after their divorce settlement was finalized, according to an interview in the Daily Mail. Thursfield denies wrongdoing and is appealing the judgment against him issued in his absence.
Thursfield made millions of dollars annually as a senior Ford Motor executive in Australia, Spain, the U.K, Germany and the Unites States. He was known, and feared among suppliers, for his ruthless cost cutting, so much so that one famously quipped that Thursfield was like the Izod alligator logo – all teeth and no ears.
In a lawsuit instituted by his second ex-wife Linda in 2011, it was alleged that Thursfield had recently been given £3.5 million in payments from Cerberus Capital Management, a New York private equity firm that employed him post Ford where he advised Cerberus not to purchase Chrysler from Daimler, according to well placed sources known to AutoInformed. The judge ruled that he violated a court order to disclose details of his assets.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Not many tears to be shed for Thursfield in the North American industry, I reckon. He epitomized the Snotty Brit executive. Most in Dearborn were glad to see him leave.