Anniversary of DeLorean's peak
Top GM exec then quit to make automotive history
On this day in 1969, 35 years ago, John DeLorean was named the top executive at Chevrolet. He had rocketed through the ranks at Pontiac, where he pioneered the successful GTO and Grand Prix models.
As general manager of Chevrolet, DeLorean sold a record three million cars and trucks in 1973. Yet later that year, bursting with hubris, the exec with film star charisma and who was tipped for the top job at General Motors (GM), walked away from Chevrolet to kickstart his own company.
DeLorean said he would "show [GM] how to make cars" -- even the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC)'s badge looked similar to the GMC that adorned the General's products.
He raised some $200 million to finance the new venture and built a factory in Northern Ireland -- the UK government granted him £80 million of the money needed because of the area's huge unemployment problems. Production of the sleek, futuristic DMC-12 car began in 1978. Interest in the stainless-steel car was high, and the factory managed to turn out over 7,000 cars. Almost all were shipped to the US.
The cars themselves weren't actually that sporty in terms of raw performance, powered as they were by a Peugeot Renault Volvo 2.8-litre fuel injected 90 degree V6. They live on though, with some fetching reasonably high prices. A quick search finds cars selling for around US$20,000, and there's a small but enthusiastic band of users still out there.
What put DeLorean seriously on the skids was a combination of abysmal weather in the US that shut down car sales for several weeks, poor product quality that seemed to be the result of inexperience from both workers and management, and poor financial planning. The combination soon saw the company in serious financial trouble, as DeLorean seemed to have little margin for the unexpected.
He refused to abandon his project and allegedly got involved in racketeering and drug trafficking in a desperate attempt to make enough money to save his company. In 1982, he was captured on film trying to broker a $24 million cocaine deal, and was subsequently arrested on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
A US federal jury later ruled that DeLorean had been the victim of entrapment, and he was acquitted of all charges. Nevertheless, DeLorean's career and reputation were ruined.
if it all would have gone to plan i'm sure you wouldn't brand him a crook.
~russ
1980-1981 seems closer to reality as far as I know.
In 1978 DMC was still busy giving Lotus cars public money to supervise the engineering of the car.
The Lotus-De Lorean connection even generated silly rumours that Colin Chapman was in fact alive and well and living in South America where he had supposedly fled to avoid police investigation.
John Z. De Lorean actually tried to save his company from bankruptcy by trying to shift cocaine to mobsters who were in fact undercover FBI agents
Q: How many were made?
A: Recently discovered documentation puts the numbers at around or just over 9000 were built, most are in North America. Commonly quoted figures are of around 6000 worldwide with maybe 250 or so in Europe, a few in Australia, Hong Kong etc. 23 or so right-hand drive ones exist, primarily in England, Ireland and Australia.
Q: Is John DeLorean still around / still in prison?
A: He was only ever held on remand, and that was for 3 days. He has never been convicted of any criminal act. His "drug trafficing" case was thrown out of court after it was clearly shown that he was entrapped by the FBI. He's still very much alive and occasionally attends DeLorean car shows in the US.
Q: The Bodywork's Stainless Steel, right?
A: Yes. Alloy 304, commonly used in the catering industry.
Q: Must be tough getting it fixed if you ding a panel?
A: No. NOS replacements are still available. There are one or two geniuses capable of flawlessly repairing the panels. We are lucky to have the best one right here in England.
Q: Is it all stainless?
A: No. The car sits atop a Lotus-engineered epoxy-coated steel backbone chassis, similar in design to the Esprit. Above this rests the fibreglass underbody, constructed using Lotus' VARI process (Vacuum Assisted Resin Injection). The stainless panels are hung on the underbody. A company in the US will build you a stainless steel chassis with modern design upgrades.
Q: What about spares?
A: One criticisom of the car is that it's a "mish-mash of parts". It is true to a certain extent in that the factory in Ireland was responsible for assembly rather than manufacture, with only the underbodies being fabricated there. Mechanically the car's largely built from off-the-shelf european parts circa 1981. Most are still available today as NOS from any good motor factors, british classic specialists, Renault, Volvo (engine and transmission). All these as well as DeLorean-specific parts are available from DMUK with our relationship with DeLorean Motor Company, Houston. They are responsible for many reengineered modern replacements for weak OEM parts. To call it a "mish-mash of parts" implies the car's just a mix of a lot of other cars. This simply is not the case - the DeLorean was designed around convenience, availability and price of parts. It made perfect sense to use parts that would be plentiful for years to come.
Q: Are they all the same colour?
A: All cars left the factory in unpainted stainless. Some were painted at dealerships, others have been painted due to body damage. The interior came in two colours, grey and black, with the exception of two of the three gold cars which had saddle brown interiors. Some later cars have mixed grey and black interiors. Early wheels are grey, later wheels are silver. Two cars were sold by Amex that were gold plated. A third gold car was made from a spare set of panels and holds the highest VIN number.
Q: What's the engine?
A: It's a Peugeot Renault Volvo V6 (PRV-6) 2849cc Bosch K-Jet fuel injected SOHC 90 degree V6. It's a US emission-controlled amalgum of the Renault 30 and Volvo B28 engines. It's often mistaken for a Renault engine due to the belts, pulleys, alternator and water pump using the Renault configuration, but the internals are common to the Volvo engine. The transmission is a slightly modified version of the R30's (both 3-speed auto and 5-speed manual). The gears are taller and the transaxle is rotated through 180 degrees for rear-mounting. The PRV-6 has been a popular choice among kit-car enthusiasts for years due to its flexibility and availability. The 3-litre 24 valve version of the PRV-6 was in new production cars up until only a few short years ago, for example in the Citroen Xantia V6 and Renault Espace V6.
Q: How powerful is it?
A: In US form, it's not great. The engine only develops 130bhp. However the exhaust system is terrible for performance, and the catalytic converter makes it doubly bad. Just removing the cat can gain you 10-15hp. A free-flowing stainless exhaust can free up getting on for twice that, and remember the Volvo B28E engine of the time put out 170hp, and the differences are not massive... One of the upgrades DMUK offer is the modification to the Volvo version of the engine. Cosmetically, only a very trained eye will spot any differences. On the other hand, a more adventurous owner might consider the 3-litre 24valve PRV which can be tuned to 250-300hp, and the most powerful version is the 450hp 3-litre turbo used in the Renault Alpine A610, another rear-engined sportscar, with exactly the same engine mounts and bellhousing as the DeLorean. Please see our performance page for information on getting one of these engines for your DeLorean.
Q: So a stock engine is slow then?
A: The car only weighs 1200kg, so even given the tall gears, it's easy to keep up with the flow in the fast lane, and with the 170hp upgrade, you have a truly quick car.
Q: Where/when were they made?
A: In the Belfast suburb of Dunmurry in a purpose-built state-of-the-art factory. Cars were built from 1981-1982 with late '82 cars carrying '83 build dates.
Q: I'm told the doors never work properly?
A: Who said that? Seriously, the way they work is ingenious. A cryogenically prepared torsion bar does most of the work initially, and as it "untwists" and gets weaker, the geometry of the gas-strut mounts allow it to take over. A new gas strut is $40 and the torsion bars very occasionally need adjusting. Today, 20+ years on, many "neglected" cars need new struts or a torsion bar adjustment or both. This has lead to the myth that the doors never work.
Q: Why does the speedo only go up to 85mph?
A: It was a regulation in the US at the time. Corvettes of the same years also have 85mph speedos. The Canadian version carried a 240kph speedo, some of the Right-hand drive prototypes carry a 140mph face and theres a commonly available 170mph aftermarket replacement.
Q: What happens when you hit 88mph / Where's the flux Capacitor / when are you going back to the future / where's the cocaine then?
A: Ha ha. Very funny.
1981 308 GTSi
1983 512 BBi
Berlinetta Boxer
Have a look at them on google. No ones tax money deserves to go on a car as poor as the De Lorean. Nice idea but in hindsight I don't see it happening again. BIG BOO BOO
How much money has the government pumped into the millenium dome, all for nothing - at least £200 million publically, and probably loads more !
I am biased as among others, I own a DeLorean.
Without question creates more interest than any other car on the planet, and I have had the fortune of experiencing some very tasty stuff.
Built just as well as as most other stuff from the early 80's, drives pretty well although could never be described as fast, and without doubt has the coolest doors ever !
Take a look at www.deloreans.co.uk - theres quite a following.
R
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