John DeLorean Dead

[ULYCYC]

Auto Innovator John DeLorean Dies at 80
John DeLorean, Ex-General Motors Executive and Developer of Futuristic Sports Car, Dies at 80
By JEFFREY GOLD
The Associated Press
Mar. 21, 2005 - While only about 9,000 of his namesake cars were ever built, John Z. DeLorean's place in auto history was assured as soon as the gull-winged sports cars rumbled off the assembly line.

DeLorean was among just a handful of U.S. entrepreneurs who dared start a car company in the last 75 years and he helped shift Detroit toward smaller, more efficient autos.

DeLorean died late Saturday in Summit of complications from a recent stroke, said Paul Connell, an owner of A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors in Royal Oak, Mich., which was handling arrangements.

"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 said 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 automaking built on unique, souped-up cars.

A Detroit native, DeLorean broke the mold of staid Midwestern auto executives by "going Hollywood," and pushed General Motors Corp. to offer smaller models, auto historians said.

While at GM, he created what some consider the first "muscle car" in 1964 by cramming a V-8 engine into a Pontiac Tempest and calling it the GTO, fondly dubbed the "Goat" by auto enthusiasts.

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.

But the factory produced only about 8,900 cars in three years, estimated John Truscott, membership director of the DeLorean Owners Association. That figure is dwarfed by the major automakers, 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 $24 million of cocaine to salvage his venture.

DeLorean used an entrapment defense to win acquittal on the drug charges in 1984, despite a videotape in which he called a suitcase full of cocaine "good as gold."

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 said he wanted to produce a speedy plastic sports car selling for only $20,000.

John Zachary DeLorean joined GM in 1956 as an engineering director for Pontiac. His patents included the recessed windshield wiper and the overhead cam engine. DeLorean 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 quit in 1973.

The namesake car he created in the early '80s featured a rear-mounted, aluminum 2.8-liter V-6 fuel-injected engine that produced 130 horsepower and went 0-60 mph in less than 8 seconds. Independent four-wheel suspension, a broad 62-inch stance, and front wheels smaller than the rear set made for tight handling, aficionados said.

"Twenty years later, it's still just as modern as anything coming out of the factories now," Truscott said.

After the DeLorean car venture failed, he 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.

"I believe I deserve what happened to me," DeLorean told The Associated Press after the divorce, which followed his drug trial.

[Steve Wood]

Here is a toast to a true car guy

[Just a Six??]

[firebird_1252]

Originally Posted by Just a Six??

me too..

[1FASTV6]

Originally Posted by firebird_1252

me too..

[PhillyTurboSix]

Originally Posted by Steve Wood

Here is a toast to a true wanna be drug lord

[Grumpy]

ok now EVERYONE go buy one of his cars NOW !!!! Remember tha cam sensor deal ... $50 today ..tomorrow back to $200-400

[Shane]

I always thought that one of those with an LC2 in the back would be some major ass kicking in a can.

[Grumpy]

Sorry I rate them with an Edsel

[turbofish38]

I always wanted to meet him in person. Give him a thanks for creating the Vega. No seriously. I have 2 Cosworth Vegas and I think those are some of the neatest cars to come out of Detriot.

Makes you wonder how much of car history, as we know it today, would have changed if he had stayed with GM. Quite possibly could have been a different story with the turbo Regals.

Okay, If JD had stayed with GM what car do you think they would have used in the "Back To The Future" movies?

[CaPPY]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Sorry I rate them with an Edsel

Stop mentioning those cars. Now besides the DeLorean I have to buy an Edsel.

I want to stuff a turbo into a Crosley. Ooops, didn't mean to mention a car name.

[Gnat352]

Godbless John , only have seen 1 DeLorean in my life and was awesome as hell