Sleuth: The Week of September 8

Big-brand sell-offs: First Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India-based automaker Tata Motors. Then General Motors said it was trying to unload its Hummer brand to get out from under the weight of thirsty image vehicles faced the challenge of high gas prices. Now another icon is on the block. Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli says that the automaker has heard from several potential suitors, but he’s not naming names. More interesting is that Chrysler is actually listening to them as part of a strategic review, which means everything is on the table, including the Dodge Viper sports-car brand. Sales of the Viper in the United States peaked at 2,103 in 2003, the only year the car topped 2,000. In 2006, Dodge sold 1,455 Vipers in the United States. In 2007, no Vipers were built as a new model was being readied. Potential buyers include companies from Chinese, India and the Middle East. The VIper is the king of Chrysler’s high-performance SRT (Street and Racing Technology) line. Now, just imagine for a moment if Chevrolet was considering selling the Corvette brand . . .