Game of Thrones – The Automotive Great Houses

I am equating the northern houses as a whole (included the Starks and all other northern houses that I can’t remember their names) to the American automotive manufacturers, the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler). To me these houses are deep in tradition and were once very great houses that always did things their own way without much concern for those in the south. But for a time they were near devastation, with much turnover at the top and many years, if not decades, of failures and near ruin. Now these houses have made a comeback and are fighting for survival and the opportunity to be relevant yet again. Much like Jon Snow coming back from the dead and the Stark family being reunited with one another, the Big Three have had their share of bailouts and revitalization, aided by changes in management, help from the commoners (tax payers), and foreign support (from the sale of Chrysler to Fiat). As well these houses continue to lead the charge in showing that they are now great again with the creation of such great vehicles as the C7 Corvette, the new Ford GT, and the Hellcat twins.

Also, as a sub-section to the northern houses I am including house Baratheon to represent companies such as Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. These companies played by their own rules and once ruled the world and had a huge cult following with their quirkiness and total disregard for the norm. These were great products and had their day in the sun but have since been eliminated and almost forgotten.

I can’t think of any houses that better represent the Germans than the southern houses of Lannister and their allies. Much like the Lannisters, BMW, Mercedes Benz, VAG, (and to a lesser degree Range Rover, Jaguar, etc.) have all been known and respected as being great and powerful. These are the benchmarks for which all things are measured, from their sports car performance to their luxury and opulence. But, these great “houses” are too arrogant and smart for their own good and it shows in their over-engineering and under-delivery and their high views of themselves compared to the rest of the industry. These manufacturers feel they can do no wrong and everything they do is to protect themselves and their families, whatever the cost to the outside world. Though these houses were once great and revered they have had some problems of late with their lying and cheating and deceiving and their schemes are starting to catch up with them. The German Quality has been severely lacking over the last decade or two and others are starting to realize this and take advantage while they can. But will it last? There will come a day of reckoning for these houses at some point whether it be from the American’s or from the other houses, will the southern houses survive?

Oh the Italians, beautiful and flamboyant. Exciting to watch and admire, steeped in history and tradition and they carry themselves with a certain level of arrogance only to be matched by the Germans. I couldn’t think of any greater comparison here than houses Martell and Tyrell. These houses are the very definition of “I’m better than you, look at me and praise me for my greatness”. Their cars are admired the world over and almost every car is poster material for young people in the world to dream about someday having, although very few ever will.

The Army of the Dead, The White Walkers if you will, are less of a comparison to any particular car company or manufacturing region, but rather a comparison to all that is wrong with the automotive industry and where things appear to be headed in the future. Think automatic transmissions, CVTs, beige colored cars, FWD sedans, blind spot monitoring, self-driving cars, the soulless things that all take away the joy of driving. If these new technologies and invasions win, the automotive industry will be changed forever. Everything in their path is ruined and reinvented in their image, thus strengthening their forces even further. This Army of the soulless is no joke and if it continues, the automotive industry will be ruined forever, from an enthusiast point of view anyway. So, how do we stop the Army of the dead? Good question…

Fear not my fellow enthusiast. The Dragon Queen has come and is on a path for greatness and is committed to destroying the Army of the Dead while also pushing the automotive industry forward in a more enthusiast friendly direction. For House Targaryen and the other houses that have aligned with them in their commitment to ending the soulless and boring revolution, the logical comparison here was to Tesla and their all electric cars that are not only one solution to a growing energy crisis (although they bring with them their own energy concerns) but also a company that prides itself on their performance capabilities as well. In addition to Tesla I am including the new breed of hyper cars, the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918, and the Ferrari the Ferrari (LaFerrari), as well as Koenigsegg. These cars take the new technologies from the electric car industry and meld them to the racing technologies developed over the last century to create something extremely exciting and powerful. These cars combine what was old and what is new and have become something inspirational to the automotive industry. These kinds of cars give an enthusiast like me hope that not all manufacturers are numb to the idea of making something that meets the needs of growing concerns such as safety and energy reliance, but also can be fun to drive and still invoke a sense of pleasure when you are behind the wheel (and when you have turned off autopilot).

So there you go, I am sure you have your own thoughts about which companies or countries would be represented but which houses so feel free to post in the comments or discuss with me in person the next time I see you.