John Zachary DeLorean (January 6, 1925 – March 19, 2005) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer and executive in the U.S.
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
industryAn industry is the manufacturing of a good or service within a category. Although industry is a broad term for any kind of economic production, in economics and urban planning industry is a synonym for the secondary sector, which is a type of economic activity involved in the manufacturing of raw...
, and founder of the DeLorean Motor Company.
He was most well known for developing the
Pontiac GTOThe Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is often considered the first true muscle car. From 1964 until midway through 1973 it was closely related to the Pontiac Tempest and for the 1974 model year it...
muscle carMuscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high performance automobiles. At its most widely accepted the term refers to American 2-door rear wheel drive mid-size cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s equipped with large, powerful V8s and sold at an affordable price for street use and drag...
, the
Pontiac FirebirdThe Pontiac Firebird was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002. The Firebird was introduced the same year as its platform-sharing cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro...
& the DeLorean DMC-12
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
, which was later featured in the
movieFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
Back to the FutureBack to the Future is a 1985 science fiction adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-written by Bob Gale and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, as well as Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson...
, and for his high profile 1982 arrest on charges of drug trafficking in an apparent attempt to raise funds for his struggling company, which declared bankruptcy that same year. He successfully defended himself against these charges, showing that his alleged involvement was a result of
entrapmentEntrapment is the act of a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense which would be illegal and the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal guilt....
by federal agents.
Early life
John Zachary DeLorean was born on January 6, 1925 in
Detroit, MichiganDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
, the eldest of four sons of Zachary and Kathryn Pribak DeLorean.
DeLorean's father was a millwright, the youngest of thirteen children, who immigrated from Romania to America when he was twenty. He spent time in
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city...
before moving to Michigan. By the time his son, John, was born, he had found employment as a union organizer at the
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
factory in nearby
Highland ParkHighland Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,746 at the 2000 census. The city is completely surrounded by Detroit except a small portion that touches the city of Hamtramck, which is also surrounded by Detroit....
. His poor English and lack of education prevented him from higher-paid work. When not required at Ford, he occasionally worked as a carpenter.
DeLorean's mother was an immigrant from
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
, and was employed at the Carboloy Products Division of General Electric throughout much of DeLorean's early life. She accepted work whenever found to supplement the family's low income. She generally tolerated her husband's erratic behavior, but during several of the worst times of Zachary's violent tendencies, she would take her sons to live with her sister in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, and would stay there for a year or so at a time.
DeLorean's parents divorced in 1942, and John subsequently saw little of his father, who moved into a boarding house, becoming a solitary and estranged alcoholic. Several years after the divorce, John visited his father, finding him so impaired by alcohol that they could barely communicate.
Education
DeLorean attended Detroit's public grade schools, and was then accepted into
Cass Technical High SchoolCass Technical High School is a four-year college-prepatory high school in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The school is named in honor of Lewis Cass, an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Michigan Territory from 1813 until 1831...
, a technical high school for Detroit's honor students, where he signed up for the electrical curriculum. DeLorean found the Cass experience exhilarating and he excelled at his studies. His academic record and musical talents earned him a scholarship at Lawrence Institute of Technology (now known as
Lawrence Technological UniversityLawrence Technological University is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in engineering, science, mathematics, architecture, and business...
), a small but illustrious Detroit college that was the
alma materAlma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. In modern times it is ordinarily used to refer to the university or college a person attended...
of some of the automobile industry's best draftsmen and designers. At Lawrence, he excelled in the study of
industrial engineeringIndustrial engineer is a branch of engineering that concerns with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, material and process. It also deals with designing new prototypes to help save money and...
, and was elected to the school's
honor societyIn the United States, an honor society is a rank organization, the induction into which recognizes excellence among one's peers. There are numerous societies recognizing various fields and circumstances; the Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
.
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted his studies. In 1943, DeLorean was drafted for military service and served three years in the U.S. Army and receiving an honorable discharge. He returned to Detroit to find his mother and siblings in economic difficulty due to the strains of Kathryn's single income. DeLorean worked as a draftsman for the Public Lighting Commission for a year and a half to improve his family's financial status, then returned to Lawrence to finish his degree. While back in college, he worked part-time at Chrysler and at a local body shop, presaging his later contributions in the automotive industry. DeLorean graduated in 1948 with a
Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
degree in
mechanical engineeringMechanical Engineering is an engineering discipline that was developed from the application of principles from physics and materials science. Mechanical engineering involves the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of various systems...
.
Instead of entering the engineering workforce after earning his degree, DeLorean sold
life insuranceLife insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual's or individuals' death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner...
, and later worked for the Factory Equipment Corporation. DeLorean states in his autobiography that he sold life insurance to improve his communications skills. Both endeavors were successful financially, but DeLorean held little interest in these areas. DeLorean's uncle Earl Pribak, a foreman at Chrysler's engineering garage, recommended that he apply for work at Chrysler and DeLorean agreed. Chrysler ran a post-graduate educational facility named the Chrysler Institute of Engineering, which allowed DeLorean to advance his education while gaining real-world experience in automotive engineering.
In 1952, DeLorean graduated from the Chrysler Institute with a masters degree in
automotive engineeringModern automotive engineering is a branch of vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the design, manufacture and operation of motorcycles, automobiles, buses and trucks and their respective engineering...
and joined
ChryslerChrysler Group, LLC is an American automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG...
's engineering team. DeLorean also attended night classes at the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world...
's
Ross School of BusinessThe Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as an executive education program...
to earn credits for his
MBAThe Master of Business Administration is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
, which he completed in 1957.
Packard Motor Company
DeLorean's time at Chrysler lasted less than a year, ending when he was offered a US$14,000 salary at
Packard Motor CompanyPackard was an American luxury automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
under supervision of noted engineer Forest McFarland. DeLorean quickly gained the attention of his new employer with an improvement to the
UltramaticFor the Voigtländer SLR camera, see Voigtländer Ultramatic CSUltramatic was the trademarked name of the Packard Motor Car Company's automatic transmission introduced in 1949 and produced until 1956 at Packard's Detroit, Michigan factory....
automatic transmission, giving it an improved
torque converterA torque converter is a modified form of fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load. Like a basic fluid coupling, the torque converter normally takes the place of a mechanical clutch,...
and dual drive ranges; it was launched as the "Twin-Ultramatic".
Packard was experiencing financial difficulties when DeLorean joined, due to changes in the automobile consumer market. While
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
, General Motors and American Motors had begun producing affordable mainstream products, Packard, Ewing, and Marquette clung to their pre-WWII era notions of high-end, precisely engineered luxury cars. This exclusive philosophy was to take its toll on profitability. However, it proved to have a positive effect on DeLorean's attention to engineering detail, and after four years at Packard he became McFarland's successor as head of
research and developmentThe phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
.
While still a profitable company, Packard suffered alongside other independents as it struggled to compete when Ford and General Motors engaged in a
price warPrice war is a term used in business to indicate a state of intense competitive rivalry accompanied by a multi-lateral series of price reduction. One competitor will lower its price, then others will lower their prices to match. If one of them reduces their price again, a new round of reductions...
. James Nance, President of Packard, decided to merge the company with
Studebaker CorporationStudebaker Corporation, or simply Studebaker , was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers,...
in 1954. A subsequent proposed merger with American Motors Corporation never passed the discussion phase. DeLorean considered keeping his job and moving to Studebaker headquarters in
South Bend, IndianaSouth Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, when he received a call from Oliver K. Kelley, vice president of engineering at
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
, a man whom DeLorean greatly admired. Kelley called to offer DeLorean his choice of jobs in five divisions of GM.
Pontiac
DeLorean accepted a $16,000 salary offer with a bonus program, choosing to work at GM's
PontiacPontiac is a brand of automobiles first produced in 1926, and sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by General Motors . Pontiac has been marketed as an "athletic" brand, specializing in mainstream performance vehicles....
division as an assistant to chief engineer
Pete EstesElliot Marantette "Pete" Estes was an American automotive engineer and executive, most known as being the fifteenth president of General Motors, from 1974 to 1981...
and general manager Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. Knudsen was the son of the former president of GM, William Knudsen, who was called away from his post to head the war mobilization production effort at the request of President Roosevelt. Knudsen was also a
MITThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research...
engineering graduate, and at 42 he was the youngest man to head a division of GM. DeLorean and Knudsen quickly became close friends, and DeLorean eventually cited Knudsen as a major influence and mentor.
DeLorean's years of engineering at Pontiac were highly successful and produced dozens of patented innovations for the company, and in 1961 he was promoted to the position of division chief engineer. He is credited with developments such as wide-track wheels, torque-box perimeter frame, recessed and articulated windshield wipers, the lane-change turn signal, overhead-cam six-cylinder engine, Endura bumper, and a variety of other cosmetic and structural design elements.
DeLorean's most notable contribution to Pontiac was the
Pontiac GTOThe Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is often considered the first true muscle car. From 1964 until midway through 1973 it was closely related to the Pontiac Tempest and for the 1974 model year it...
(
Gran Turismo Omologato), a muscle car named after the
Ferrari 250 GTOThe Ferrari 250 GTO is a sports car that Ferrari made for racing in the early 1960s.The numerical part of its name denotes the displacement in cubic centimeters of each cylinder of the engine, whilst GTO stands for "Gran Turismo Omologato", Italian for "Grand Touring Homologated."When new, the GTO...
. It evolved from the practical 1961
Pontiac TempestThe Pontiac Tempest was an entry-level compact automobile produced by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, introduced in September 1960 for the 1961 model year. It shared the new monocoque Y platform with the Buick Special and Skylark, and Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass...
, which DeLorean later evolved into the
Pontiac LeMansThe Pontiac LeMans was a model name applied to compact and intermediate-sized automobiles offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981. The LeMans was replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year...
. The GTO debuted as a Tempest/LeMans option package with a larger, more powerful engine in 1964. It is credited for saving Pontiac from their dated stigma as producer of the "old lady's car" by creating a design that symbolized a generation of new, younger, more affluent drivers with a need for speed and style.
From its launch in 1964, sales of the car and its popularity continued to grow dramatically in the following years. DeLorean received almost total credit for the success of the "first muscle car", which is probably due in large part to his talent for self-promotion. As with any new vehicle development, scores of individuals are involved with the conceptualizing, engineering, and marketing – but John DeLorean became the singular golden boy of Pontiac, and was rewarded with his 1965 promotion to head the entire Pontiac division.
DeLorean was no longer a professional engineer. At the age of 40, he had broken the record for youngest division head at GM, and was determined to continue his string of successes. Adapting to the frustrations that he perceived in the executive offices was, however, a difficult transition for him. DeLorean believed there was an undue amount of infighting at GM between divisional heads, and several of Pontiac's advertising campaign themes met with internal resistance, such as the "Tiger" campaign used to promote the GTO and other Pontiac models in 1965 and 1966.
In response to the "pony car" market dominated by the wildly-successful
Ford MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Production began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York...
, DeLorean turned to the 14th Floor for permission to offer a Pontiac version of a similar vehicle then under development at the
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
division that was set for introduction as the 1967 model Camaro. DeLorean's version was rejected due to GM's concern that his design would take away sales from the
CorvetteA corvette is a small, manoeuvrable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or Fast Attack Craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role. During the Age of Sail, corvettes were smaller than frigates and larger than...
, their flagship performance vehicle, so instead they forced him to work with the existing Camaro design. He could only make changes to the front and rear of the car and even had to use the same fenders. The vehicle, the
Pontiac FirebirdThe Pontiac Firebird was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002. The Firebird was introduced the same year as its platform-sharing cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro...
, introduced for the 1967 model year become even more popular throughout the 70's.
Shortly after the Firebird's introduction, DeLorean turned his attention to development of an all-new Grand Prix, the division's personal luxury car based on the full sized Pontiac line since 1962. Sales were sagging by this time however, but the new for 1969 model would have its own distinct body shell with drivetrain and chassis components from the intermediate-sized Pontiac A-body (Tempest, LeMans, GTO). The 1969
Pontiac Grand PrixThe Pontiac Grand Prix is an automobile that was produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors. First introduced as part of Pontiac's full-size model offering for the 1962 model year, the Grand Prix name was also applied to cars in the personal luxury car market segment and the mid-size...
looked a lot like a slightly scaled down
Cadillac EldoradoThe Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2002. The Cadillac Eldorado was the longest running American personal luxury car as it was the only one sold after the 1999 model year...
with its razor-sharp bodylines and a six-foot long hood. Inside was a sporty and luxurious interior highlighted by a wraparound cockpit-style instrument panel, bucket seats and center console. The new model offered a sportier, high performance, somewhat smaller and lower-priced alternative to the other personal luxury cars then on the market such as
Ford ThunderbirdThe Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over thirteen model generations from 1955 through to 2005...
,
Buick RivieraThe Buick Riviera is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 2002 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.-Origin of the...
,
Lincoln Continental Mark IIIThe Lincoln Continental Mark III was a personal luxury car produced by Lincoln and sold in North America in the 1969 through 1971 model years.-Introduction:...
and
Oldsmobile ToronadoThe Toronado was a two-door coupe produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors from 1966 to 1992.The name "Toronado" has no meaning, and was originally invented for a 1963 Chevrolet show car...
,The 1969 Grand Prix production ending up at over 112,000 units, far higher than the 32,000 1968 Grand Prix built from the full-sized Pontiac body.
During his time at Pontiac, DeLorean had begun to enjoy the freedom and celebrity that came with his position, and spent a good deal of his time traveling to locations around the world to support promotional events. His frequent public appearances helped to solidify his image as a "rebel" corporate businessman with his trendy dress style and casual banter.
Ralph NaderRalph Nader is an American attorney, author, lecturer, political activist, and former candidate for President of the United States. He ran as an independent candidate in 2004 and 2008, and a Green Party candidate in 1996 and 2000. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection,...
's book,
Unsafe at Any SpeedUnsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile by Ralph Nader, published in 1965, is a book detailing resistance by car manufacturers to the introduction of safety features, like seat belts, and their general reluctance to spend money on improving safety...
, published in 1965, criticized a number of Detroit automobiles as poorly designed for safety concerns, including the
Chevrolet CorvairThe Chevrolet Corvair was an automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1959 to 1969, for the 1960–1969 model years. The Corvair was offered in a wide range of body styles, including four-door sedans, two-door coupes, convertibles, and station wagons...
model. Even as General Motors experienced revenue declines, Pontiac remained highly profitable under DeLorean, and despite his growing reputation as a corporate maverick, on February 15, 1969 he was again promoted. This time it was to head up the prestigious
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
division, General Motors' flagship brand.
Chevrolet
By this time, DeLorean was commanding an annual salary of $200,000, with yearly bonuses of up to $400,000. He had made sizable investments in the
San Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are an American Professional Football team based in San Diego, California. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League...
and the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
sports teams, and was becoming ever more ubiquitous in the
popular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture...
.
DeLorean continued his jet-setting lifestyle, and was often seen hanging out in business and entertainment celebrity circles. He became friends with James T. Aubrey, president of
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., or MGM, is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B...
Studios, and was introduced to celebrities such as
financierFinancier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
Kirk KerkorianKerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian is an Armenian-American billionaire, and president/CEO of Tracinda Corporation, his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California. Kerkorian is known as one of the important figures in shaping the city of Las Vegas, Nevada and, with architect Martin Stern, Jr...
,
Chris-CraftChris-Craft, Inc. is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian powerboats based in Sarasota, Florida. The original company was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith and became famous for its mahogany hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s.-Original...
chairman Herb Siegel, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and
The Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992....
host
Johnny CarsonJohn William “Johnny” Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
.
The executive offices of General Motors headquarters continued to clash with DeLorean's nonconformity, and he was still not able to fit the traditional mold of conservatism that was usually expected of someone of his stature. When John was appointed, Chevrolet was having financial and organizational troubles, and GM president
Ed ColeEdward Nicholas Cole was an automotive executive for General Motors. He is the father of David E. Cole, Center for Automotive Research, Chairman.Cole was the son of a dairy farmer...
needed a first-class manager in that position to sort things out — company man or not. The new model
NovaThe Chevrolet Nova is an automobile produced in the United States from 1962 to 1979 by the Chevrolet division of General Motors and from 1985 to 1988 by the NUMMI, a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota...
was due out for the 1970 model year, and it was rapidly falling behind schedule. Redesigns for the
CorvetteThe Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car manufactured in six generations by General Motors since 1953. The first Corvette was designed by Harley Earl and named by Myron Scott after the fast ship of the same name. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, it is currently built at a...
and
CamaroThe Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors, classified as a pony car. The "F" Body owes its creation to John Delorean who wanted to build a "sport car" called "Banshee" it was much like the Chevy "vette" but for Pontiac Motor Division, after a...
were also delayed, and unit sales had still not recovered from the past four years of turmoil, much of that due to the bad publicity surrounding the
CorvairCorvair may refer to*Chevrolet Corvair, a car*Corvair Monza GT , a car*The Caledonia Corvairs, an ice hockey team*"The Sky Corvair", a band led by Tim Kinsella*Corvair, a fictional spaceship from The Simpsons episode Deep Space Homer...
and well-publicized quality-control issues affecting other Chevy models, including defective motor mounts that led to an unprecedented recall of 6.7 million Chevrolets built between 1965 and 1969. DeLorean responded to the production problems by delaying the release of the Nova, and simplifying the modifications to the Corvette and Camaro.
He used the extra time to streamline Chevrolet's production overhead and reduce assembly costs. By 1971, Chevrolet was experiencing record sales in excess of 3 million vehicles, and his division alone was nearly matching that of the entire Ford Motor Company. Another promotion was imminent for DeLorean.
The
VegaThe Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, four passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971–1977 model years....
was assigned to Chevrolet by corporate management, notably, GM president Ed Cole, chief Vega engineer, just weeks before DeLorean's 1969 arrival as the Chevrolet division's General Manager. In a
Motor TrendMotor Trend is an automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, issued by Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles, and bearing the tag line The Magazine for a Motoring World. Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher EMAP in 1998, who sold the former Petersen magazines to...
interview a month prior to Vega's introduction he said, "Vega will be the highest quality product ever built by Chevrolet." By DeLorean's orders, for the first time, tens of extra inspectors were assigned on Vega's assembly line and the first two thousand cars were road tested. "The first cars, from a manufacturing standpoint, were well built," he stated. But in 1972, General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD) took over the Chevrolet Lordstown assembly plant and adjoining Fisher body plant. Their main goal was to cut costs, and they laid off more than 800 workers, including the additional inspectors. This led to assembly-line vandalism, with workers intentionally slowing the line and leaving off parts, and incomplete cars lining up in the factory lot. A one-month wildcat strike followed and dealers didn't receive enough cars in 1972. DeLorean regrouped for the 1973 models with Vega sales of 395,792. The millionth Vega was built in May 1973, one month after DeLorean's resignation from General Motors.
In 1972, DeLorean was appointed to the position of vice president of car and truck production for the entire General Motors line, and his eventual rise to president seemed inevitable. Instead, John DeLorean unexpectedly resigned from General Motors on April 2, 1973 at age 48, telling the confused press that "I want to do things in the social area. I have to do them, and unfortunately the nature of our business just didn't permit me to do as much as I wanted." GM gave him a Florida Cadillac franchise as a retirement gift, and DeLorean did in fact take over the presidency of The National Alliance of Businessmen, a
charitable organizationA charitable trust is a trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organisation".-United States:...
with the mission of employing Americans in need, founded by Lyndon Johnson and
Henry FordHenry Ford was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents...
. GM was a major contributor to the group, and agreed to continue his salary while he remained president of NAB.
Patrick Wright, author and former
Business Week reporter, approached DeLorean with the idea of writing a book based on his experiences at
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
. DeLorean agreed to dictate his recollections for Wright, who would write the book. The final product, published in 1979,
On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors, sold for approximately $1.6 million, but disagreements over the content led to a conflict between the collaborators and a libel suit against DeLorean. DeLorean claimed to have never received his share of the revenues.
DeLorean Motor Company
DeLorean left General Motors (GM) to form his own company, the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC), showing a two-seater sports car prototype in the mid-1970s called the DeLorean Safety Vehicle (DSV), with its bodyshell designed by Italdesign's
Giorgetto GiugiaroGiorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
. The car entered into production as the DMC-12, but generally known simply as the
DeLorean. The DeLorean's body distinctively used
stainless steelIn metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox, is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 11% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel...
and featured
gull-wing doorGull-wing door is an automotive industry term describing car doors that are hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL race car and its road-legal version introduced in 1954....
s. The production model was powered by the
"Douvrin" V6The PRV engine is an automobile petrol V6 engine that was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo Cars - and sold from 1974 to 1998. It was gradually replaced after 1994 by another joint PSA-Renault design, known as the ES engine at PSA and the L engine at Renault.-Corporate history:The...
engine developed by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo.
The manufacturing plant to build the new car was built in
DunmurryDunmurry is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland situated between the cities of Belfast and Lisburn. The village has in recent years grown enormously as private and public housing estates have been built...
,
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, with substantial financial incentives from the Northern Ireland Development Agency of around £100 million.
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
was contracted to build the factory, which employed over 2000 workers at its peak production. The engine was made by Renault, while
LotusLotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and high handling characteristics....
designed the chassis and bodywork details. The factory started manufacturing cars in early 1981, but the company was in
receivershipReceivership is used to denote a situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver. In law, a receiver is a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." Various types of receiver...
by February 1982. It turned out around 9,000 cars over 21 months before the British government ordered its closure in November 1982.
When the
Back to the FutureBack to the Future is a 1985 science fiction adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-written by Bob Gale and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, as well as Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson...
film came out in 1985, featuring DeLorean's namesake car, DeLorean wrote a letter to
Bob GaleMichael Robert "Bob" Gale is an Academy Award-nominated American screenwriter who co-wrote the science fiction film Back to the Future with writing partner Robert Zemeckis, and the screen plays for the film's two sequels. Gale also co-produced all three films. He is married and although he still...
, one of the movie's producers and writers, thanking him for immortalizing the car in the film. The letter can be seen in the special features of the
Back to the Future DVD release.
Entrapment
In the summer of 1982, DeLorean received a phone call from James Hoffman, a former drug smuggler turned FBI informant. DeLorean met with Hoffman on July 11, 1982, to discuss an investment opportunity to help save his company. Over the course of the next three months, Hoffman slowly explained his intricate plan involving cocaine smugglers, a bank for laundering money, and the specifics of how much money DeLorean would be required to front to procure the deal. DeLorean went along with these discussions, planning to trade DMC stock for the seed money for any deal that would benefit the company, but leaving the drug-smuggler investors with stock in a company completely controlled by the British government. On October 19, before going to meet the investors to consummate the deal, DeLorean wrote a letter to his attorney and sealed it, with instructions to open it only if he did not return. The letter explained the situation he was in and his fear for his family's safety if he tried to back out of the deal. On October 19, 1982, DeLorean was charged with trafficking in
cocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant...
by the U.S. government.
Before the trial began, the FBI's videotape of the sting was leaked to the media by Hustler Magazine publisher
Larry FlyntLarry Claxton Flynt, Jr. is an American publisher and the head of Larry Flynt Publications . In 2003, Arena magazine listed him at the top of the "50 Most Powerful People in Porn" list...
. In the videos, when arresting DeLorean, an FBI agent is shown asking him whether he would rather defend himself or have "his daughter's head smashed in." This prompted the judge to postpone the trial until the following year because of undue bias from the leaked tape.
DeLorean successfully
defendedIn civil proceedings and criminal prosecutions under the common law, a defendant may raise a defense in an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability...
himself with a
procedural defenseIn jurisprudence, procedural defenses are a form of defense, via which a party argues that they should not be held liable for a legal charge or claim brought against them. In common law jurisdictions the term has applications in both criminal law and civil law...
, arguing that the police had asked him to supply the money to buy the cocaine. His
attorneyA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
stated in
TimeTime is an American newsmagazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition...
(March 19, 1984), "This [was] a fictitious crime. Without the
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
, there would be no crime." The DeLorean defense team did not call any witnesses. DeLorean was found not guilty due to
entrapmentEntrapment is the act of a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense which would be illegal and the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal guilt....
on August 16, 1984.
In late 1982, DeLorean's legal troubles were
satirizedSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
in the
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
DoonesburyDoonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, now a middle-aged, remarried father.Frequently political...
, in which the character of
Uncle DukeUncle Duke is a fictional character in the comic strip Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau.He is nominally Zonker Harris's uncle, albeit an "uncle by courtesy" only. Duke was originally a straightforward caricature of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S...
travels to Hollywood to become a
film producerA film producer or movie producer is someone who creates the scenes and conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors...
and make a movie based on DeLorean's life story. In an ironic twist, Duke, in an attempt to raise the money needed to buy the rights to the story, sets up a cocaine deal and is arrested by
undercoverBeing undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
government agents.
Personal life
According to his autobiography, both DeLorean and ex-wife
Cristina FerrareCristina Ferrare is a former fashion model, actress, author and television talk-show host.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she was 14 years old when her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where her beauty landed her a contract with a major modeling agency and then with 20th Century Fox film...
became born-again Christians following the entrapment controversy. DeLorean was married four times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Higgins on 3 September 1954 and divorced in 1969. DeLorean then married Kelly Harmon on 31 May 1969 and divorced in 1972. His third marriage was to model
Cristina FerrareCristina Ferrare is a former fashion model, actress, author and television talk-show host.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she was 14 years old when her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where her beauty landed her a contract with a major modeling agency and then with 20th Century Fox film...
(with whom he had a daughter on 15 November 1977), ending in divorce in 1985. He was married to Sally Baldwin until his death in 2005. DeLorean also adopted a son, Zachary, as a single father.
DeLorean's name is most often seen spelled without the space, as
DeLorean. Typewritten documents of the
De Lorean Motor CompanyThe DeLorean Motor Company was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John DeLorean in 1975. It is remembered for the one model it produced – the distinctive stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12 sports car featuring gull-wing doors – and for its brief and...
universally used the space, and this appears to have been the company's chosen form. In typeset documents, a half space, not a full space, appears between the two portions, and the same is visible in more stylistic representations, as on the automobiles themselves. This use of a half space probably influenced many people to see no space there. The company's founder originally spelled his name as
John Delorean. The correct spelling of his last name as confirmed by his Romanian relatives is Delorean. During the period the De Lorean Motor Company was operating, he used a space exclusively when spelling his name in the course of business.
DeLorean appeared in a widely published magazine advertisement for Cutty Sark
whiskyWhisky or whiskey is a type of alcoholic beverage distilled from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize...
in the year prior to his arrest and the collapse of his company. It was captioned "One out of every 100 new businesses succeeds. Here's to those who take the odds."
In 1999, DeLorean declared personal
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
after fighting over forty legal cases since the collapse of DeLorean Motor Company.
Death and legacy
DeLorean died at Overlook Hospital in
Summit, New JerseySummit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States, and an affluent bedroom community of New York City. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 21,131...
from a stroke, on March 19, 2005 at age 80. He was a resident of
Bedminster Township, New JerseyBedminster Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 8,302....
. At the time of his death, DeLorean was working on a business venture project known as DeLorean Time, a company that would sell high-end wristwatches. DeLorean's death caused the dissolution of the company, and no DeLorean Time products were ever offered to the public. His ashes are buried at the White Chapel Cemetery, in
Troy, MichiganTroy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,959 at the 2000 census, making it the 12th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the second-largest city in Oakland County after Farmington Hills...
. At the request of his family, and in keeping with military tradition, he was interred with military honors for his service in World War II.
Trivia
- On February 14, 2006, GSN aired an episode of Anything to Win, featuring John DeLorean. The episode featured interviews with DeLorean's friends, family and DeLorean enthusiasts.
- In 2006, US Patent and Trademark Office documents were uncovered showing a patent #5,359,941 filed by John DeLorean on November 1, 1994 for a raised monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track. The term originates from the contraction of the words mono...
transport.
- In March 2008, the musical collaborative project Neon Neon
Neon Neon is a collaborative project from producer Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys, who is best known as the frontman for the Welsh rock band Super Furry Animals. They began work on the project in October 2006 originally under the moniker Delorean...
released a concept album, Stainless StyleStainless Style is the debut album from Neon Neon—a project from Super Furry Animals front man Gruff Rhys and electronic artist Boom Bip—which was released in March 2008 via Lex Records. The album was streamed in its entirety on the band's Myspace page for one week before its physical release...
, based on the life of John DeLorean.
- In Delorean Story-an
"Delorean Story-an" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad!.-Plot Summary:When Steve unsuccessfully vies for Stan's attention, he and the others learn that Stan has secretly been building his dream car, a DeLorean DMC-12, for the last six years, but it is...
of American Dad Stan states that he has always admired John DeLorean for his innovation and bravery for creating a company from the ground up. Also in this episode when Roger sees Stan's DeLorean he assumes he's going to smuggle drugs.
See also
- DeLorean Motor Company
- DeLorean DMC-12
- Chevrolet Vega: The Delorean Factor
External links