John Z. De Lorean

Born:	January 6, 1925 Detroit, Michigan
Died:	March 19, 2005 Summit, New Jersey
Occupation:	U.S. automobile engineer and executive

John Zachary De Lorean (b. January 6, 1925, Detroit, Michigan — d. March 19, 2005, Summit, New Jersey) was an American engineer and executive in the U.S. automobile industry, and founder of the De Lorean Motor Company. He was most well known for developing the Pontiac GTO muscle car, and the De Lorean DMC-12 sports car, which was later featured in the movie Back to the Future. DMC publicity photo of John Delorean This work is copyrighted. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Motor City, Motown Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area    - City 370. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Summit in Union County Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Motor City, Motown Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area    - City 370. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Summit in Union County Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. ... For the magazine called automobile, see Automobile Magazine. ... The DMC logo The De Lorean Motor Company (DMC) was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John De Lorean in 1975. ... It has been suggested that Pontiac GTO (2004) be merged into this article or section. ... The Pontiac GTO is a classic example of the muscle car. ... The De Lorean DMC-12 is a sports car which was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 through 1983. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Back to the Future is an American science fiction/comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1985. ...

De Lorean was also well known for his high profile 1982 arrest on charges of drug trafficking, which preceded the demise of his automobile manufacturing company. He successfully defended these charges, showing that his involvement was a result of entrapment by federal agents. Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... In jurisprudence, entrapment is a procedural defense by which a defendant may argue that they should not be held criminally liable for actions which broke the law, because they were induced (or entrapped) by the police to commit said acts. ...

Early life

John De Lorean's Detroit home

John Zachary DeLorean was born on January 6, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest of four sons of Zachary and Kathryn Pribak DeLorean. The DeLoreans lived in a small house at 17199 Marx, near the corner of Six Mile Road and Dequindre in Detroit's Near East Side. It was a three bedroom abode in a tough, lower-middle-class neighborhood. Download high resolution version (1029x711, 101 KB)John De Loreans boyhood home This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (1029x711, 101 KB)John De Loreans boyhood home This work is copyrighted. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Motor City, Motown Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area    - City 370. ...

A millwright by trade, Zachary DeLorean was an immigrant from Romania. The youngest of thirteen children, he came to America when he was twenty, spending time in Montana and Gary, Indiana before moving to Michigan. Derived from the trade of carpentry, a millwright originally was a specialised carpenter who was trained as a carpenter and as well had working knowledge of gear ratios, driveshaft speeds, and other equations. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the city in Indiana, for other uses of Gary, see Gary (disambiguation). ...

By the time his son, John, was born, he had employment with the Ford Motor Company foundry in nearby Highland Park. His limited command of the English language, combined with his almost total lack of education relegated him to toil at menial and low paying appointments at the factory. When no work was to be found at Ford, he occasionally took jobs as a carpenter around town. Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales in 2005. ... Highland Park is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ...

At 6 ft-1 in and 220 lb (100 kg), he was a formidable man, and was known around the neighborhood as something of a drinker and a brawler, and for common bouts of familial abuse. Despite this propensity for drunken violence ^{[citation needed]}, John enjoyed spending time with his father working on the Model A in the yard, and simple woodworking projects that Zachary would undertake. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Artists can use woodworking to create delicate sculptures. ...

John's mother, Kathryn, was an immigrant from Hungary, and was employed mainly at the Carboloy Products Division of General Electric through much of John's early life. She would also take work wherever it could be found to subsidize the family's meager 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, California and would stay there for a year or so at a time. Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ...

The DeLoreans certainly did not live in opulence, but in depression-era terms, things undoubtedly could have been much worse. There was never a lack of food or clothing around the house, and the family was able to afford a few small luxuries like the music lessons that helped John earn scholarships to the better schools in Detroit.

In 1942, Zachary and Kathryn were divorced, and John subsequently saw little of his father, who moved in to a boarding house only to become a solitary and estranged full-blown alcoholic. Several years after the divorce, John went to visit him, and found his father so impaired by drinking that he could barely communicate. It has been suggested that Divorcee be merged into this article or section. ... King Alcohol and his Prime Minister circa 1820 Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholics normal personal, family, social, or work life. ...

Education

John attended Detroit's public grade schools, and was then accepted into Cass Technical High School, a technical high school for Detroit's honor students. There he signed up for the electrical curriculum. The young DeLorean found the Cass experience to be exhilarating, and excelled at his studies. Cass Technical High School is a high school in Detroit, Michigan. ...

DeLorean's excellent academic record combined with his talents in music netted him a scholarship at Lawrence Institute of Technology (now known as Lawrence Technological University), a small but illustrious Detroit college that was alma mater of some of the area's best draftsmen and designers. There again he excelled in the study of industrial engineering, and was elected to the school's Honor Society. Lawrence Technological University is a university located in Southfield, Michigan. ... Lawrence Technological University is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. ... Industrial engineering is a branch in engineering that concerns the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, knowledge, equipment, energy, material and process. ...

World War II interrupted his studies. In 1943, DeLorean was drafted for military service and served three years in the U.S. Army before being honorably discharged, when he returned to Detroit to find his mother and siblings in economic difficulty due to the strains of Kathryn's single income. John went to work for the Public Lighting Commission for a year and a half in order to put his family on firmer financial ground before resuming at Lawrence to finish his degree. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

His 1947 return to college saw his candidacy for Student Council President end in defeat, but he was quick to print a witty self-depreciating concession in the school paper, for which he was a popular contributor. These final years at Lawrence were also DeLorean's prologue to his contributions in the automotive world, when he worked part-time at Chrysler and a local body shop. In 1948, DeLorean graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. The Chrysler Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer that existed independently from 1925–1998. ... A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. ... It has been suggested that Professional degree be merged into this article or section. ... Mechanical engineers design and build engines and power plants. ...

Instead of entering the engineering workforce after earning his degree, DeLorean worked a stint as a salesman of life insurance, and for the Factory Equipment Corporation. Both of these endeavors proved a success financially, but John's maternal uncle Earl Pribak, a foreman at Chrysler's engineering garage, recommended that he attend the Chrysler Institute, and John concurred. The car manufacturer ran a post-graduate facility that would allow him to advance his education while concurrently being allowed exposure to real-world engineering in action. It has been suggested that Life assurance be merged into this article or section. ... Quaternary education or postgraduate education is the fourth-stage educational level which follows the completion of an undergraduate degree at a college or university. ...

In 1952, DeLorean graduated the institute with a masters degree in automotive engineering, and signed on to Chrysler's engineering team. During this time, John also took on night classes at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business to earn credits toward his MBA, which was awarded in 1957. ... UM also has campuses in Dearborn and Flint. ... An aerial view of Michigans central campus, with the art museum and law quadrangle in the foreground, and the business school in the background prior to the facilities enhancement project. ... Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a tertiary degree in business management. ...

Career

Packard Motor Company

De Lorean's time at Chrysler lasted less than a year, ending when he was offered a US$14,000 per year position at Packard Motor Company under supervision of noted engineer Forest McFarland. De Lorean quickly drew attention to his new employer with development of an improvement to the company's Ultramatic automatic transmission, giving it a much improved torque converter and dual drive ranges; it was launched as the "Twin-Ultramatic". Packard red hexagon symbol made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motors Company of Detroit,Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... Ultramatic was the trademarked name of Packard Motors Company automatic transmission introduced in 1950 and produced until 1956 at Packards Detroit, Michigan factory. ... A cut-away model of a torque converter A torque converter is modified form of a hydrodynamic fluid coupling, and like the fluid coupling, is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load. ...

Packard was in serious financial trouble when De Lorean joined, due to a shifting paradigm in the automobile consumer market. While Ford, 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 De Lorean's attention to engineering detail, and after four years at Packard he would become McFarland's successor as head of research and development. Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales in 2005. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or R&D) has a special commercial significance apart from its conventional coupling of scientific research and technological development. ...

While still a profitable company, Packard suffered alongside other independents by their inability to compete as Ford and General Motors engaged in a price war. Seeing little to no hope, James Nance, President of Packard, merged with Studebaker Corporation. A subsequent merger involving the equally new Nash-Hudson conglomeration American Motors never emerged past the discussion phase. De Lorean was considering the offer of keeping his job and moving to Studebaker headquarters in South Bend, Indiana when he received a call from Oliver K. Kelley, vice president of engineering at General Motors, a man whom De Lorean greatly admired. Kelley called to offer John his choice of jobs in five divisions of GM. Price war is a term used in business to indicate a state of intense competitive rivalry accompanied by a multi-lateral series of price reductions. ... Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County St. ...

General Motors

Pontiac

De Lorean accepted the $16,000 per year offer (plus a bonus program that normally took engineers several years to participate in), by choosing to work at the Pontiac division as an assistant to chief engineer Pete Estes and general manager Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. Knudsen was the son of the former president of General Motors, William Knudsen – who was called away from his post to head up the war mobilization production effort at the request of President Roosevelt. This article concerns the automobile; for the Native American leader, see Chief Pontiac, for other uses see the disambiguation page. ... Elliot M. Estes Elliot Marantette Pete Estes (January 7, 1916 - March 24, 1988) was the fifteenth president of General Motors, from 1974 to 1981. ... Semon Bunkie Knudsen, October 2, 1912-July 6, 1998, was a prominent automobile executive. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ...

Bunkie was also an MIT engineering graduate, and at 42 he was the youngest man to head a division of GM. De Lorean and Knudsen quickly became close friends, and John would eventually cite Bunkie as a major influence and mentor. Knudsen wanted to improve Pontiac's youth and performance image, and De Lorean was in the middle of the action. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a private coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT has five schools and one college, containing 32 academic departments,[2] with a strong emphasis on theoretical, applied, and interdisciplinary scientific and technological research. ...

De Lorean'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.

De Lorean's greatest contribution to Pontiac would be more conceptual than technical: The practical 1961 model Tempest, which he would later evolve into the LeMans, and ultimately become the sports car of the 1960s, the GTO, which debuted as a Tempest/LeMans option package with a larger, more powerful engine in 1964. Motor Life magazine cover, showing rear view of 1961 Pontiac Tempest chassis, with rear transaxle. ... 1965 Pontiac Le Mans The Pontiac LeMans was an intermediate-sized automobile offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981, replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year after the fuel crises of the 1970s. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

Despite a GM corporate policy that prohibited the use of engines larger than 330 in³ in intermediate-sized cars such as the Tempest/LeMans, De Lorean got around the rules by specifically offering the 389 in³ V8 as an option package. The rules were vague at GM as "new models" required corporate approval but "option packages" did not. When the 14th Floor (GM's executive row) caught on to the existence of the GTO, it was too late to pull it out of production and Pontiac responded that no more than 5,000 GTOs would be built in 1964, with that the corporate brass was appeased.

Shortly thereafter, Car & Driver magazine in its March,1964 issue featured a road test of a '64 GTO with the optional Tri Power (three two-barrel carburetor) version of the 389 V8 and four-speed transmission to be tested against a Ferrari GTO, but the Ferrari didn't make it to the party so the magazine ended up testing the "Pontiac" alone and recorded a then-unheard of 0-60 mph time (for a stock production car as opposed to an exotic sports car)of 4.6 seconds and a standing quarter-mile of 115 mph in 13.1 seconds. Cover of Car and Driver from age of psychedelic lettering Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

The publishing of that road test substantially increased demand for GTOs as Pontiac dealers often found themselves swamped with more potential buyers than cars to sell. Pontiac then responded by dramatically increasing GTO production to meet the demand. By the end of the 1964 model year, approximately 32,000 GTOs had been assembled - well above the initial projections of 5,000 units. For the 1965 model year, GM would increase the in³ limit for intermediate-sized cars to 400 in³ es, ensuring the future of the GTO as well as competitive musclecars from other GM divisions such as the Oldsmobile 4-4-2, Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 and Buick Skylark GS.

A black 1965 Pontiac GTO

The Pontiac GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato, named after the Ferrari coupé) 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. 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible. ... 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible. ... It has been suggested that Pontiac GTO (2004) be merged into this article or section. ... Ferrari is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupé 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupé, noted for its large, angular design A coupé (from the French for cut) or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for...

John DeLorean was no longer a professional engineer. At 40 years old, he had broken the record for youngest division head at GM, and was determined to continue his string of success. 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 ponycar market dominated by the wildly-successful Ford Mustang, DeLorean turned to the 14th Floor for permission to offer a Pontiac version of a similar vehicle then under development at the Chevrolet division that was set for introduction as a 1967 model named the Camaro. For other Ford Mustang models, see Ford Mustang Variants The Ford Mustang is an American automobile, originally based on the Ford Falcon compact. ... Chevrolet (IPA: ʃɛv. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Modified 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. ...

In May 1966, Pontiac was granted approval to offer its version of the sporty X-body car. However, by this time it was too late for Pontiac to put the car in production with the usual fall introduction of the 1967 models in late September, so the division decided to hold off its introduction until February, 1967. Even the later introduction precluded the possibility of a truly distinctive Pontiac ponycar with its own sheetmetal so the 1967 Pontiac Firebird ended with virtually all sheetmetal shared with the Chevrolet Camaro except for the hood. The front end would get a pointed Pontiac split grille with quad headlights in contrast with the Camaro's flat front end and single headlights along with louvered taillights from the larger GTO. The Firebird would also be powered by Pontiac engines and marketed in five different models (both coupe and convertible) ranging from a base model with an economical six-cylinder overhead cam engine to the 400 in³ V8 from the GTO. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Pontiac Firebird was a pony car built by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors and was manufactured from 1967 until 2002. ... The Chevrolet Camaro is a popular pony car made in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors. ...

Shortly after the Firebird's introduction in 1967, 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 but whose sales were sagging by this time, for the 1969 model year that would have its own distinct bodyshell with drivetrain and chassis components sourced from the intermediate-sized Pontiac A-body (Tempest, LeMans, GTO). The 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix looked a lot like a slightly scaled down Cadillac Eldorado 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 1969 Grand Prix offered a sportier and higher performance alternative to the other personal luxury cars then on the market such as Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, Lincoln Continental Mark III and Oldsmobile Toronado in a smaller size and lower price tag. The '69 Grand Prix was one of the industry's biggest success that year with production ending up at over 112,000 units - far higher than the 32,000 1968 Grand Prixs built from the full-sized Pontiac body. The Pontiac Grand Prix is an automobile produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors Corporation. ... The Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2002. ... The Ford Thunderbird is a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. ... The Buick Riviera was an automobile produced by Buick in the United States between the 1963 and 1999 model years. ... 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III. See Lincoln Mark for a complete overview of the Lincoln Mark Series. ... The Toronado was produced by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors from 1966 to 1992. ...

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 Nader's book, Unsafe at Any Speed, which was published in 1965 criticized a number of Detroit automobiles as poorly designed for safety concerns, including the Chevrolet Corvair model. Even as General Motors would experience 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 Chevrolet division, General Motors' flagship brand. Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist. ... Exhibit featuring the book at Henry Ford Museum, Detroit Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile by Ralph Nader, published in 1965, is a book detailing his claims of resistance by car manufacturers to the introduction of safety features, like seat belts, and their general... The Chevrolet Corvair was a rear-engined automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1960 to 1969. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Chevrolet (IPA: ʃɛv. ...

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 Chargers and the New York Yankees sports teams, and was becoming ever more ubiquitous in the popular culture. City San Diego, California Other nicknames Bolts, Super Chargers Team colors Navy Blue, White, and Gold Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Owner Alex Spanos George Pernicano (Minority owner (3%)) General manager A.J. Smith Fight song San Diego Super Chargers League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as Americans... Popular culture, or pop culture, (literally: the culture of the people) consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ...

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-Mayer Studios, and was introduced to some of fame's biggest names such as financier Kirk Kerkorian, Chris-Craft chairman Herb Siegel, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... Financier (IPA: /ˌfi nãn ˈsjei/) is an elegant term for a person who handles large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. ... Kirk Kerkorian Kirk Kerkorian (b. ... Sammy Davis, Jr. ... The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the full name of NBCs The Tonight Show during the years that Johnny Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. ... For other people named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ...

The executive offices of General Motors headquarters continued to clash with De Lorean's non-conformity, 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 Cole needed a first class manager in that position to sort things out – company man or not. The new model Nova was due out for the 1970 model year, and it was rapidly falling behind schedule. Redesigns for the Corvette and Camaro were also delayed, and unit sales had still not recovered from the past 4 years of turmoil, much of that due to the bad publicity surrounding the Corvair 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. De Lorean responded to the production problems by delaying the release of the Nova, and simplifying the modifications to the Corvette and Camaro. Edward Nicholas Cole was an automotive executive for General Motors. ... The Chevrolet Nova or Chevy II was an American compact car introduced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in 1962. ... The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car that has been manufactured by Chevrolet since 1953. ... The Chevrolet Camaro is a popular pony car made in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors. ... The Chevrolet Corvair remains one of General Motors most unusual creations. ...

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 De Lorean despite the deep-seated problems with the new compact Vega, introduced in 1971 as Chevy's import-fighter. The Chevrolet Vega suffered from cost overruns both on the assembly line and the showroom floor. The Vega's aluminum-block four-cylinder engine was prone to overheating, block warpage and high oil consumption and the Vega's body was susceptible to body cancer - often dubbed as "the car that began rusting on the showroom floor." However, De Lorean is not entirely to blame for the Vega's woes as that car was developed at the corporate level and handed to Chevrolet to build and sell just weeks before his arrival in 1969. The Chevrolet Vega was a subcompact car sold from 1971 through 1977. ...

In 1972, De Lorean 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 De Lorean 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 organization with the mission of employing Americans in need, founded by Lyndon Johnson and Henry Ford. GM were major contributors to the group, and agreed to continue his salary while he remained president of NAB. April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... A charitable trust (or charity) is a trust organized to serve private or public charitable purposes. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ...

Patrick Wright, author and former Business Week reporter, approached De Lorean with the idea of writing a book based on his experiences at General Motors. De Lorean agreed to dictate his recollections for Wright who would author the book. The final product, published in 1979, On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors, sold to the tune of some $1.6 million, but disagreements over the content led to a conflict between the collaborators and a libel suit against DeLorean. De Lorean claimed to have never received his share of the revenues. BusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM, is the worlds largest automaker and has been since 1931. ...

De Lorean Motor Company

DMC logo

DeLorean then left General Motors 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 Giugiaro. The car entered into production as the DMC-12, but generally known simply as the DeLorean. The DeLorean was skinned in stainless steel and featured gull-wing doors. The production model was powered by the "Douvrin" V6 engine developed by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. Much of the money that was used to help develop the DeLorean was loaned to him by a good friend that worked with him at GM, Robert d'Angelo. Image File history File links DMC_Logo. ... Image File history File links DMC_Logo. ... De Lorean can refer to: John De Lorean, an American businessman who founded (in Ireland) the De Lorean Motor Company, which manufactured an automobile, the De Lorean DMC-12, which was used in the film Back to the Future This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists... Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p. ... Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (August 7, 1938) is an Italian car designer. ... The De Lorean DMC-12 was a sports car made by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 to 1983. ... The PRV engine is an automobile petrol V6 engine that was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo Cars and sold from 1974 to 1998. ...

The factory to build this car was set up in at Dunmurry, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with substantial financial incentives from the Northern Ireland Development Agency (around £100 million) – this despite a report from a management consultancy firm that gave the project only a 1 in 10 chance of success. Renault was contracted to build the factory, which employed 2,600 workers at its peak production. The engine was made by Renault, while Lotus designed the chassis and bodywork details. The factory started manufacturing cars in early 1981, but was in receivership by February 1982. It turned out around 9,000 cars over 21 months before the British government ordered it closed down in November 1982. Dunmurry (County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a village situated between the cities of Belfast and Lisburn. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Motto: (Latin for Who would separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony... Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. ... Lotus Logo with initials of its founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

When the Back to the Future film came out in 1985, featuring De Lorean's namesake car, De Lorean wrote a letter to Bob Gale, 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. Back to the Future is an American science fiction/comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1985. ... Bob Gale (May 25, 1951, University City, Missouri), born Michael Robert Gale, is an Academy Award nominated American screenwriter who, amongst other things, co-wrote Back to the Future with writing partner Robert Zemeckis and also wrote the two sequels for the film. ...

Entrapment

De Lorean was featured on the cover of Time in 1982 after being arrested, but was found not guilty of all charges in 1984.

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, partly out of fear and desperation, had gone along with these discussions. He had planned to trade DMC stock for the seed money for any deal, which would have benefited the company, but left the drug smuggler investors with stock in a company completely controlled by the British government. On October 19, on the way to meet the investors to consummate the deal, DeLorean had written a letter to his attorney and sealed it with instructions to only open it if he did not return. The letter stated the situation he was in and that he feared for his family's safety if he tried to back out of the deal. On October 19, 1982, DeLorean was charged with the trafficking of cocaine by the US Government. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (569x769, 657 KB) John De Lorean on the cover of TIME magazine, 1982. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (569x769, 657 KB) John De Lorean on the cover of TIME magazine, 1982. ... Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cocaine or crack is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...

Before the trial had begun, the FBI's videotape of the sting was leaked to the media. This prompted the judge to postpone the trial until the following year because of undue bias from the leaked tape.

DeLorean successfully defended himself with a procedural defense, arguing that the police had asked him to supply the money to buy the cocaine. His attorney stated in Time (March 19, 1984), "This [was] a fictitious crime. Without the government, there would be no crime." The DeLorean defense team had no need to call a single witness. Delorean was found not guilty due to entrapment on August 16, 1984. In most litigation under the common law adversarial system the defendant, perhaps with the assistance of counsel, may allege or present defenses (or defences) in order to avoid liability, civil or criminal. ... In jurisprudence, procedural defenses are a form of defense, via which a defendant may argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law, as the criminal justice program violated procedural law as it was creating its case, and trial, against said defendant. ... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In jurisprudence, entrapment is a procedural defense by which a defendant may argue that they should not be held criminally liable for actions which broke the law, because they were induced (or entrapped) by the police to commit said acts. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Personal life

According to his autobiography, both De Lorean and ex-wife Cristina Ferrare 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 Ferrare on 8 May 1973, ending in divorce in 1985. He was married to Sally Baldwin until his death in 2005. Cristina Ferrare on the cover of her book Cristina Ferrare (born February 8, 1950) is a former supermodel, actress, author and television talk-show host. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Cristina Ferrare on the cover of her book Cristina Ferrare (born February 8, 1950) is a former supermodel, actress, author and television talk-show host. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

De Lorean's name is most often seen spelled without the space, as DeLorean. Typewritten documents of the De Lorean Motor Company universally used the space, however, 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. At some point in his life he began using the more European-looking De Lorean instead (but the proper spelling of a genuine aristocratic name of Romanic origin would be "de Lorean"). During the period the De Lorean Motor Company was operating, he used a space exclusively when spelling his name in the course of business. The DMC logo The De Lorean Motor Company (DMC) was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John De Lorean in 1975. ...

De Lorean appeared in a widely published magazine ad for Cutty Sark whisky 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." ^[1] Cutty Sark is a range of blended Scotch whiskies, owned by Berry Bros & Rudd, the London wine and spirits merchant. ... Whisky, or whiskey, refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from grains and aged in oak casks. ...

In 1999, De Lorean declared personal bankruptcy after fighting over forty legal cases since the collapse of De Lorean Motor Company. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Death and legacy

De Lorean died at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey on March 19, 2005 from a stroke, aged 80. At the time of his death, De Lorean was working on a business venture project known as De Lorean Time, a company that would sell high-end wristwatches. De Lorean's death caused the dissolution of the company, and no De Lorean Time products were ever offered to the public. His ashes are buried at the White Chapel Cemetery, in Troy, Michigan. At the request of his family, for his honorable service in World War II, he was given full military honors at the interment. Map of Summit in Union County Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted by occlusion (an ischemic stroke- approximately 90% of strokes), by hemorrhage (a hemorrhagic stroke - less than 10% of strokes) or other causes. ... Troy is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

On February 14, 2006 Game Show Network aired an episode of Anything To Win, featuring John De Lorean. The episode featured interviews with De Lorean's friends, family and De Lorean enthusiasts. A feature film is being developed on the life of John DeLorean by the independent film company, Stainless Steel Productions. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Game Show Network logo (1997-2004) The Game Show Network Logo (1994-1996) The Game Show Network (now known as GSN - The Network for Games) is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows, reality shows, and interactive television games. ...

In 2006 US Patent and Trademark Office documents were uncovered showing a patent # 5,359,941 filed by John DeLorean on November 1st, 1994 for a raised monorail transport. ^[2] The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... The KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, a colourful straddle-beam monorail Gyroscopically Balanced Monorail (1907) by Brennan and Scherl The term monorail or industrial monorail is also used to describe any number of systems in which a chair or carrier is suspended from, or rides on, an overhead rail structure...

Notes

1. ^ http://www.babbtechnology.com/Collect/cutty/index.htm
2. ^ http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=3&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&S1=delorean.INNM.&OS=in/delorean&RS=IN/delorean

References

• DeLorean, John Z.; Ted Schwarz (September 1985). DeLorean. Zondervan. ISBN 0310379407.
• Haddad, William (August 1985). Hard Driving : My Years with John DeLorean. ISBN 0-394-53410-7.
• Fallon, Ivan; James Srodes (November 1985). Dream Maker: The Rise and Fall of John Z Delorean, 455. ISBN 0-399-12821-2.
• Levin, Hillel (1983). Grand Delusions: The Cosmic Career of John DeLorean. Viking, 336. ISBN 0-670-26685-X.

External links

• NNDB - John DeLorean
• The Rise and Fall of John DeLorean
• 1980s carmaker DeLorean dies at 80