[ Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc. ] Typewritten account of a visit to the firm by English marketing manager B. D. Ryder, in album with photographs and ephemera.

The author Bruce Dudley Ryder was a second-cousin of the present Queen – his father Peter Hugh Dudley Ryder (1913-1993; see Who Was Who) having married the Queen's cousin Sarah Susannah Bowes-Lyon – and a great-grandson of the Earl of Harrowby. Ryder had family experience in the fields of business and transport, his father having been for many years head of the transport conglomerate Thomas Tilling Ltd. Ryder worked with German car manufacturers from the age of nineteen, when he joined Volkswagen's British subsidiary (his collection of eighteen volumes of material relating to VW is available separately). The present material is neatly presented, laid down on the 24 leaves of a 31 x 37 cm album. In good condition, lightly aged. Label on front cover: 'Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc. | 10.5.81 - 23.5.81'. Ryder's calling card on inside front cover. Ryder's typewritten account of his two-week trip is cut into strips which are laid down on thirty pages. It is practically a report, with a final page of 'Conclusions', describing in detail the organisation of the company, its economic situation, employees and other factors. Headings include: 'Distribution and Sales Planning - Passenger Cars', 'Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sales Training', 'Hampton Assembly Plant', 'Vehicle Preparation Centre'. The first three of the seven conclusions set the tone: 'Previous to the recent senior management changes, MBNA had a very separate structure between the passenger car and commercial vehicle side of their business. Mr. Bodack who was previously the Vice President in the Commercial Vehicle Division has generated a very strong and dynamic truck team which extends itself from the Head Office throughout into the zones. | The Passenger Car Zone organisation and especially the Zones are very well established with such a high sales volume. The Passenger Car Dealers appear to be highly succesful and very profitable. | The MBNA's experience of a National Dealer Council for the Passenger Car organisation, they believe, is not very beneficial. More beneficial having informal meetings with groups of Dealers as they are now doing on the truck side.' Also present are colour photographs taken by Ryder on the trip, reproductions of graphs and diagrams, a promotional booklet, and holiday postcards.