believe it or not, that's not the first time it almost happened........
Year was 1912 (....as I recall....) (.....I was just a tyke then...
)
William C. Durant had just parted ways with Louis B. Chevrolet - over differences in what exactly a 'Chevrolet' should be.
The 1911 Chevrolet that is an Icon was more expensive than a Cadillac at the time - Louis wanted a very fast car - with upscale features. Durant, however, wanted the car to be in the low-priced field to compete with Ford.
After Louis and Durant parted company - Durant approached Henry Ford about a buy-out.......
The deal was nearly done - but at the last minute, Henry Ford insisted on cash, not stock............and thus the merger never came to be............
The auto industry has some amazing stories - and it's somewhat incestuous - for instance: Walter P. Chrysler was once President of General Motors (put there by the DuPont family after W. C. Durant was put out of his company for the second time.....) Nash also worked for GM...........