Buzz Aldrin is one of only 12 humans to have walked on the moon.
These days, getting a vehicle built and delivered in a timely fashion is nearly as impressive a feat.
Aldrin, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, ordered a 2022 Lincoln Nautilus crossover in October from Galpin Lincoln in California. He wanted it delivered in time for his 92nd birthday on Jan. 30, but his order sat unproduced for months amid the semiconductor shortage.
Ford Motor Co.‘s Oakville Assembly, home to the Nautilus and Ford Edge, has lost more than 120 days of production since the chip crisis began last year, according to AutoForecast Solutions.
That’s more downtime than any other Ford facility, AFS says.
But when you’re one of the world’s most famous astronauts, you tend to have connections.
Lincoln President Joy Falotico was alerted to Aldrin’s plight through a text from former Ford CEO Jim Hackett, who had been contacted by Aldrin’s team.
“He said, ‘Hey, can you help get this vehicle produced? It’s for a very special client named Buzz Aldrin, as in Buzz Aldrin the astronaut,’ ” Falotico said.
To underscore the point, Hackett sent her a photo of the December 1969 National Geographic with Aldrin on the cover.
