While only about 9,000 of his namesake cars were ever built, John Zachary DeLorean’s place in motor industry history was assured as soon as the gull-winged sports cars rumbled off the assembly line, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The news agency noted that DeLorean was among just a handful of US entrepreneurs who dared start a car company in the last 75 years and he helped shift Detroit toward smaller, more efficient cars.
A funeral director told the Associated Press that DeLorean died late in Saturday of complications from a recent stroke.
“John DeLorean was one of Detroit’s larger-than-life figures who secured a noteworthy place in our industry’s history,” GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner reportedly said on Sunday in a statement. “He made a name for himself through his talent, creativity, innovation and daring.”
While apt to be remembered popularly as the man behind the car modified for time travel in the “Back to the Future” movies, DeLorean left a powerful imprint in car-making built on unique, souped-up cars, AP said.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataA Detroit native, DeLorean reportedly broke the mould of staid mid-western motor company executives by “going Hollywood,” [i.e. flamboyant dress and lifestyle] and pushed General Motors to offer smaller models, motor industry historians told the Associated Press.
A Los Angeles Times obituary said DeLorean, born in 1925 a mile from a Ford plant as the son of an alcoholic foundryman and union organiser who worked there, showed great academic promise and was fast-tracked into engineering via a special school for gifted pupils.
The Associated Press said, while on his ascendancy at GM, he created what some consider the first “muscle car” in 1964 by cramming a V8 engine into a Pontiac Tempest and calling it the GTO, fondly dubbed the “Goat” by car enthusiasts.
AP added that DeLorean was a rising if unconventional executive at GM who many believe was destined for its presidency before he quit in 1973 to launch the DeLorean Motor Car Co. in Northern Ireland – eight years later, the DeLorean DMC-12 hit the streets.
Its hallmarks, such as an unpainted stainless steel skin and the gull-wing doors, have been ignored by mainstream automakers. The angular design, however, earned it a cult following, the news agency noted.
John Truscott, membership director of the DeLorean Owners Association told the Associated Press he estimated the factory produced only about 8,900 cars in three years – a figure dwarfed by the major car makers, who sell more than a million vehicles a month.
DeLorean’s company collapsed in 1983, a year after he was arrested in Los Angeles and accused of conspiring to sell $US24 million of cocaine to salvage his venture, AP added.
DeLorean reportedly used an entrapment defence to win acquittal on the drug charges in 1984, despite a videotape in which he called a suitcase full of cocaine “good as gold.”
The Associated Press said DeLorean was later cleared of defrauding investors, but continuing legal entanglements kept him on the sidelines of the automotive world, although his passion for cars did not abate – after declaring bankruptcy in 1999, he reportedly said he wanted to produce a speedy plastic sports car selling for only $20,000.
AP said that DeLorean joined GM in 1956 as an engineering director for Pontiac and his patents included the recessed windscreen wiper and the overhead cam engine – he led Pontiac by age 40, and four years later became the youngest head of GM’s giant Chevrolet division.
He helped shift Detroit toward smaller, more efficient autos, such as the Vega 2300 in 1970. DeLorean was a GM vice president in charge of all North American car and truck operations when he resigned in 1973, the news agency added.
DeLorean’s death brought back memories for US-based just-auto contributor Bill Cawthon.
“Johnny DeLorean worked for my dad in the 1950s, when they were both in engineering at Chrysler. Though my dad said DeLorean didn’t like getting his hands dirty, they both shared a passion for powerful engines and driving fast, which was handy as they were both in ‘road test’.
“This was back in the days when ‘road test’ meant actually taking the cars out on the public roads and seeing what they could do. Or experiments like sticking a Rolls-Royce engine in a Chrysler sedan to see what it could do (according to dad, it did quite well).
“In any event, I found it a bit ironic that on the same weekend we learned of the death of the man who put Pontiac on the map for high performance, we learned of the cancellation of GM’s Zeta RWD platform, which might have allowed Pontiac to get back on track with a new Firebird or similar car,” Cawthon said.
The Associated Press noted that, after the Northern Ireland car venture failed, DeLorean was involved in some 40 legal cases, including his 1985 divorce from model and talk show personality Cristina Ferrare – his third wife – after a 12-year marriage.
The LA Times said that, in recent years, he slipped into relative obscurity. Having once owned four palatial houses around the world he lost his vast New Jersey estate and valuable contents in bankruptcy proceedings and ended his days in an apartment nearby.
