This could have been a great car company, all it needed was a better motor and time for the workers to become more skilled to get better quality, I love the stainless steel look of it, its a classic
Yeah if the United States government had helped him the way that they helped Chrysler the engine deficiency could have been solved and the employment situation could have been improved.
Funny part is they had the engine in the works. They had a supplier fit a twin turbo on the PRV it would have made the car what it should have been. They also had a 4 door designed which would have sold to a few since no one else was doing that. A little more help from the British government and getting Delorian out of there or reducing his authority and they would have gotten every penny back instead Thatcher and the like had to stick to their rhetoric instead of seeing the reality of what had already been invested and seeing it through. All the hard work was done. The project was 7/8 done.such a shame for the workers.
@@alandenson6649 That is called economic fascism, and leads to communism government control of production,---like today. Your great idea did not work well.
:) I am the proud owner of a 1967 Pontiac that has a unique engine John DeLorean designed for GM I believe in 1965-66.... Happy to be able to say even thou the engine is 50 years old and never been rebuilt, it started right up today and operated flawlessly during my entire journey of 30 or so miles.... :)
Don't care what anyone says, I love John Delorean, he's a legend, he was a great soul for the world. And what a wonderful machine, I can see his true vision of how DMC12 was meant to be intended, and it's a beautiful vehicle (a benchmark really). Especially with the modern day engine uprates and customisation you can do with it. R.I.P.
One of GM's best engineers and that car was a big threat to the American automotive industry. He knew the car needed a better engine. Funny the big 3 do not see Elon Musk Tesla as a threat for some reason. Maybe its cuz Musk don't know shit about making cars.
The government should have given the company a bunch more money. He was loaned so much money already, the company got to the point it was and then it closed. If the company was given the money it needed to get to where it needed to be the company could still be here today. People up here in the rust belt would love a stainless steel car that wouldn’t rust out in 5 years from the salt from the winters
Well said. He tried to be a real hero. Working for the state is not heroic. Creating a factory that hires people, gets them out of poverty and gives them their own opportunity, (They may become competition, like Delorean),--that's a HERO! :) We just have to be free to do it.
Say what you want about John Z Delorean but he had cojones! He was GM's top design engineer with 44 automotive patents to his name. He wanted GM to be more innovative and cutting-edge by building these kind of cars but all GM wanted to do is build these little candy-ass four-cylinder cars to compete against the Japanese. So JZ gave up a $600,000-a-year job to start his own company. How many of us would have that kind of courage? Of the 9000 cars ever built, almost 7000 were still on the road 25 years later so these cars were built to last. More than we can say about most cars today.
Great car man, I gotta say one of my dream cars is that 1968 Dodge Charger the hitmen are in during that epic SF chase! My dream car is a '69 Roadrunner!!
1969 Plymouth Roadrunner* I also really want a 69' Mustang! I think that's the year of Steve McQueens 'Stang right? But that ride is a badass, green machine!
+Martin Smith I wonder if he might have managed to get the funding necessary if he hadn't been arrested. Certainly seemed like he was very dedicated to keeping the company alive.
I think DeLorean was asking around for anything like this. So the FBI swooped in and stung him. Entrapment is like approaching a person offering them money if they commit crime X. Here, JD was asking and looking for it. It's a very fine line and he managed to be acquitted but I'm sure it could've easily gone the other way.
+Martin Smith Is legal just as bush jr. made an attack on UNEXISTING evidence,and that "eviddence" give them reason to "make a PREVENTIVE attack". It's the way the american "mind" works. They're the country that HAVE AN OFFICIAL PLAN AT PENTAGON NAMED 8888 something,FOR "ZOMBIE" APPOCALYPSE and in that dossier they mention 3 types of zombies : Zombie something,MAGICAL zombie and zombie CHICKEN ... Does I have to say more about this INEXISTING "nation" and how they're MAD ... ? I guess not.
Granted the car isn't perfect, I love my DeLorean for its style, reliability, and its place in automotive history. Thanks, JZD. Matt Carpenter AZ-D VIN4669
reliability... with K-Jetronic? are you JOKING? granted I have no DeLorean, but I had 2 VWs with that horrible fuel injection system and I wouldn't call that reliable. matter of fact, the shop where my brother works had a DeLorean in just last week with issues and I believe they were to adjust that crappy FI system among other things.
zeroswings2 I've had several german cars with K-Jet, and for the most part it's a reliable system. God help You if something goes wrong though. Only one car I owned had a problem, and even after it was "fixed" it never was right. I hated the system to be honest, there was nothing You could do to really improve it. It wasn't the worst though, that would be Chrysler's early TBI system on the 80/ 81 Imperial. Even they gave up on it fast, the fix was swap it with a carb and intake manifold.
Matt Carpenter I had a neighbor who worked for a Pontiac dealer who was getting DMC cars. When the first one came in back in 81 He let Me check it out pretty well. I loved it and still think well of them. That engine was in production for many years and many variants, including a turbocharged model. Look online, there's performance tuners who've done fun stuff with DMC cars. I'd take one in a heartbeat!
I remember seeing my first DeLorean when I was a kid in college, It looked like it was worth $50,000 sitting in front of one of the most prestigious hotels in Philly. As I walk around it I said to myself, someday, someday. About 10 years ago I finally thought maybe this was that day, then the economy when into its worse decline since the great depression and I lost my business. I try to stay positive and keep telling myself, someday kid, someday.
Exactly John DeLorean sold the dream considering it was in stainless steel,that's the whole point of selling cars it's not just to sell the car but the sell the dream.
The car was not stainless steel, the body was covered in it. The reason no one else did it was because it added unnecessary weight, no color options and also it scratches way too easily. A good clear coat is much harder than stainless. It is also more expensive because you can't just spray and bake, you have to hand brush the whole thing.
jjmonns The first idea DeLorean had for the body was fiberglass, but that seemed cheap and opened the door for ridiculed, so they decided to use a metal that was never used before on a car body (SS) and used a marketing strategy that it would never rust and didn't have to be painted. At the time, DeLorean was considered a car designing genius.
Bobster986 Except the car did rust as it was only SS clad. The frame and underside was still regular steel. He was a genius when he was able to hide behind the oversight of his previous employer. There he did well, perhaps it was more the company than just him.
My flight instructor owened one and let me have it for a weekend while he borrowed my truck to haul materials for a cabin he was building in the mountains. I loved it. What a babe magnet with those gull wings!
People mock the engine power but the 1981 Corvette had 181 hp at the time. Today the Corvette has about 490 hp. You cannot compare 1981 engine technology to modern engines
Probably going to be buying one soon. I've always loved them as a child. Going on 30 years old now and still can't get enough of them, while the other cars have come and passed.
Delorean's biggest downfall's were for one building the plant where he did, starting it with only 100 million dollars and not having strict oversight on running the business from quality to finance. The Delorean itself was an incredible car for the price. The Delorean itself was junk from an engine standpoint, he put a junk engine in a car that deserved a more refined quality engine. He easily could have put a Buick V6 with a turbo and he would have a car that would compete or beat the US Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs. Then he would have an engine and horsepower Americans could relate to with the Italian styling they couldn't afford.
GM would have never sold him any engines, one, for being a competitor, two, for being an ex-executive. DMC built a prototype twin turbo with the PRV engine, but never put it into production.
No,John's biggest downfall was that he was grandiose...for a start-up company that plant was way way way tooo big...way to many employees...way too much overhead expenses for a startup company...he DID NOT need a Park Ave. NYC Corporate office...he did NOT need to fly the Concord jetliner.. from the UK to the USA..he did NOT have to spend Millions on Mansions(which trump bought later and turned into his Golf resort...the NJ mansion)....Delorean was a Salesman and that was his passion...he cared little about the everyday running of DMC...all he cared about was acquiring other peoples Money and spend it on his dreams...whether they made profits...that was for his accountants and CEO's to figure out...a good part of the DMC Funds were used to acquire other Businesses...that also failed...and to live his lavoius lifestyle.
Very interesting to me. I had never known all the details of this endeavor. It was poignant in particular, for me, because I was working as an engineer for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan and got laid off from work the same year as the DeLorean fiasco. But, unlike the management at Ford, I lost my job like the workers in Belfast and I never got my job back. And like DeLorean, the management at Ford was unscathed, even though they were the cause of the failures at the car companies. Smooth talking privileged salemen always win out.
After having viewed the tragic story I really feel sorry for the entire failed project, not least for the high hopes created in Northern Ireland. But I also feel that the whole disaster roots in John DeLorean's hubris generated by his fast career with US car makers. He thought that he'd succeed in everything he touched. Had he listened to specialists for development and production, he could have had a more realistic approach and might have actually produced a better car. Thus, he clearly overestimated his competence, which finally had to lead to this deplorable "car crash".
Its interesting to see how the translation of 70's era GM management rolled right into DMC. The 3 design teams competing with one another was straight out of GM, as was the style of negotiations as well as the spin with the finances... its like taking a GM project and applying it to a startup operation. Alas, there was no parent GM to bail things out towards the end when everything started rolling against them. The part thats fascinating though was how quickly everything fell into place... those time frames are incredible, not only to build a plant, but to take employees off the street with a brand new design and to be able to crank out cars. The 400 hour rework doesn't seem unreasonable for pilot production on pretty much anything that's so new, even with experienced people at the helm. Amazing!
It was some years earlier so they were really able at that time to tear into Tucker, besides his not ever being part of the mainstream auto industry. For example they leaked a sealed sec report which was never made public or made available to tucker and his defense. The main us attorney persuing the company became the first federal appellate judge in history to go to prison. Very ironically over stock fraud, charges of bribery, perjury, conspiracy etc.. Sadly had these companies been allowed to continue on or have their ideas incorporated into the "mainstream" the industry would have advanced much quicker. With respect to tucker the american auto industry espically could have stayed in a much stronger position to have reacted differently to them.
Thanks to John Z. Delorean America got its muscle car era. He was the man behind the idea of putting a full size engine into a midsize car and calling it the GTO. People forget all the positives he did for the auto industry. You can knock the DMC 12 all you want but you cannot deny that the car looks cool. An LS swap is all it takes to make it run cool too.
When he was at Gm he had a big stable of first class auto engineers, draftsman, designers as well as an experienced work force, and the immediate availabity of parts manufacturers. He had nothing like that in Northern Ireland. I think he was pretty naive to not anticipate real problems. He did not get the Capital he needed meaning that the early cars had to sell quickly or he wouldn’t have the funds to keep making more, that also caused the designers and engineers to have great pressure to get everything ready way too quickly. As a result the cars had to be re,anufactured once they were delivered to Long Beach. His staff had to grab whatever parts they could find whether idea or not. The engine was hardly what he had in mind. It fit which was essentially the main requirement. Good show with a slant critical of the man in areas where he was really out of his league.
Jesus Behind the Wheel With little resources the car he built put the fear of God into the big 3. Funny they don't care about the electric nerd Elon Musk (Tesla).
The GTO is just a fucking "optional equipment group" on a fucking Pontiac Tempest that had a "full-size engine" before John DeLorean had anything thing to do with it.
When government bailouts of recent are weighed against what DeLorean required to keep the Northern Ireland plant alive, he was asking for mere pennies.
InvisibleYetVisible Do you realize that when Bernake called all the NY central bankers into an emergency meeting, many actually thought they were possibly being set up and going to be arrested rather than receive billions in bailout checks. Fucking amazing!
robert glenn As a Brit, I didn't know that, but I do know that it cost Britain 456 billion to bail out the banks, all at the cost of the British taxpayer. What's more, that was only out of luck. It nearly cost 1.2 trillion. DeLorean was asking for pennies.
Well, the problem most likely was that it was unlikely the company would ever be a success and was not really important to the economy as a whole, only to Belfast. I mean, yeah, the money the banks got is insane, but I don't think it's surprising that Delorean didn't get any more money, especially at that time.
robert glen : WELL CAUSE THEY KNEW HOW THE TRUE POWERS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT THEY ONCE WERE GLADLY PART OF WUD TRY TO DISPOSE OF THEM IF KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY THEY WERE TO GO AGAINST IT. JUS THE WAY JOHN DELOREAN TRIED TO WHEN HE REBELED AND TRIED TO BE THE ELON MUSK MUCH BEFORE IT WAS TIME FOR AN ELON MUSK AND A" TESLA " TO COME ON THE SCENE. ON THE BAISS OF HIS 44 PATENTS HE HELD FOR INNOVATIONS IN AUTOMOBILES HE THOUGHT HE CUD REBEL AGAINST THAT ESTABLISHMENT. BUT WELL THEY ARE REALLY TOO GOOD AT THIS. AND ALL THOSE WHO SAW WAT HAD BEEN DONE WITH DE LOREAN MIGHT BE DONE TO THEM BUT WELL AS THEY FOUND OUT THE TRUE ESTABLISHMENT HAD VERY MUCH USE FOR THEM. HENCE INSPITE OF WEIRDLY CLEAR EXPECTATIONS ON THE PART OF THOSE BANKERS. SOMETHING ELSE TOTALLY HAPPENED SIMPLE :-I
Gotta love how he John DeLorean went down. I bet this is how it went. FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "So, I hear you need investors in your car company." John Delorean: "Yes, yes I do. I don't care about my money or the British Government's money, I have employees that i need to be payed. I have to make sure they get a fair shake." FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "Good to hear we will give you the money" John Delorean: "Great" FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord:"Oh and by the way I am a Colombian Drug lord not a wealthy banker. Also, Now, I need you to smuggle all these Drugs" John Delorean: "What?" FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "Oh and by the way I am not actually a Colombian Drug Lord, I am an FBI agent (takes off glue on mustache to reveal another mustache) Mr. DeLorean, You're under arrest for conspiracy"
well dats wat the establisment does when u are trying to be a " tesla " much before it was time for a tesla to come on the scene and capture peoples attention. dats wat u get when u rebel against the time table ... :-I
Rexx Bailey Musk don't know shit about making cars. Delorean was a GM engineer and one of the best. It was like one of their own working against them (the big 3).
Phantom096 Musk is building cars that almost everyone loves and revolutionary ones at that. DMC was a nice idea, a slight evolution but not remotely revolutionary, that was poorly executed with weak performance. There is nothing special about a DeLorean other than it's properly rare. I wouldn't want one if I had to drive it.
Bo McGillacutty Clearly you do not know your DMC history cuz if you did u would know the car did not get all the parts DeLorean wanted due to money. Musk on the other hand asks for money with no product and people give it to him. Electric cars are nothing new been around since the 80's maybe even before that.
It's a shame they didn't use some sort of different engine...the Rover V8, buy the tooling of the Corvair flat six(so it could have TWO trunks) the Buick 3.8 or 4.1 L V6 with throttle body injection(if not a carb), get the tooling for the SOHC I6 he he made for Pontiac (maybe laid on it's side or at least slanted some. If I got one I would just have to LS swap it. The one on RCR with the 5.3 LS4 was sweet. I would want to build a 416 stroker LS3, stick it in the middle with a TH425 and a tall axle ratio so it could hit 0-60 in first gear and 3rd would be tall enough low rpm cruising on the highway and a similar manual transaxle. I could maybe just try the use the LS4 mounted as it came stock sideways hooked to G6 Aisin 6 speed manual.
Going flat out into a full on assembly line to build a "supercar" with little backing was stupid. He should have opened a small shop somewhere in the states, employ a couple hundred employee's and hand craft the first generations of his Delorean. If he got a small shop in the US with less employee's he would have saved alot on wages, equipment, a better motor, and better parts. A small shop that hand crafts its cars is what building supercars is all about.
That's a pretty good one... your last sentence... I do say that the Delorean is a beautiful car in its own right... ashamed that it had to end... I've always wanted one...
well you got to hand it to him...he had balls...pity it had not worked,he got people from both sides of the fence in NI to work together and leave all the bullshit outside..what a pity.
I love the DeLorean car, but there's no way, even by year two, the company was profitable. Having only made 7,ooo units and him owing over 25 million in loans.
chinchy111 The workers jumped the fence to take over the factory. It was a sit in which last a number of weeks. They were tricked by the Receiver to give up the sit in. He told them that he had a buyer and there jobs would be saved. How do I know? I was at the mass union meeting at the time!
Am I the only one that finds the politicians playing the "you just couldn't trust him"/"he lied right to my face" card a bit disingenuous? Politicians, by definition are dishonest. One needn't be a familiar with "The Prince" to know that a guy who gets as far as parliament - certainly all cabinet members - has sold out. So, as these guys reflect on their careers "fighting for the British people", pardon me while I vomit
Nonsense. All politicians must engage in salesmanship to some degree, but not every politician outright lies "by definition" as you put it. Many do, but it's not a requirement for gaining elective office and never has been.
@@humanbeing2420 sorry, but it very much is part of the deal. ALL politicians are scum. The last politician with any balls or principles was Robin Cook. Don't defend them, because that's part of the reason that they have so much power over the people that they are supposed to represent...and people forget that too. THEY represent US. WE pay THEM. They are scum. Every one of them.
Hi zerowings2, I've yet to run into problems with the FI with the two cars I've owned. Most DeLorean owners I know (large network worldwide) have had little issues with the FI if their cars are properly maintained. Are the cars fast? Nope. Are the cars without problems here and there? No, but what '81 built car doesn't. Matt
It`s a perfect, almost "eternal" car. Stainless steel body - no corrosion, no need to paint. But it may be matted or polished. Do you know another car what was made like this?
Delorean was a great car designer and an even better salesman. Trouble was he wasn't a good businessman. Yeah the car looks great from an visual point, but underneath its a bit of a Frankenstein, bits and bobs from all over the place. the build quality was questionable at best, try getting the clutch out of one lol!!!!
nofrackingzone...sooo fast...it could not outrun a Volkswagan Bus...with Lybians chasing MJ Fox....good thing it was a time machine...and he could escape back to 1955...otherwise MJF would have been blown to bits by the Libyan with the Rocket repelled grenade...lol
DeLorean was only able to rise so quickly at GM because of its existing structures of an experienced, professional car producing enterprise. Neglecting this, he overestimated himself and at the same time underestimated the task of building up an organization that functions like GM from scratch in record time and without money. How could he not have failed?
I think John is still a hero I also think the BBC stands for British Broadcasting. that having been said I think London did not want skilled workers in Northern Ireland making a good wage it did not serve them I know the American auto industry did not want John to succeed yes the power plant was dismal but there was a v8 twin turbo being tested that was great I would recommend watching the movie Tucker it explains what happens to people who step out of line not holding John blameless just genius with a great vision in his stainless steel Icarus rest in peace John
All the PRV V6 engines had premature simplex cam chain wear. The car was heavy as was the steering at low speed. The 130HP output was optimistic...any production engine made around 125 HP or less. Dyno'd at 98 HP at the wheels . As the chain wore it was even less and the valves fouled up with carbon deposits restricting intake air from around 65,000 miles.. The Bosch CIS fuel system was okay up to a point but prone to leaks especially at the accumulator., and cold running hesitation. The gull doors leaked rain water. The Lucas dash warning lamps fell out of the dash or were always loose. Lucas electrics were typically unreliable. I worked on many . ( am now retired. ) Would give this vehicle ( Made in Ireland) 4 out of 10 for interior finish and 7 out of 10 for overall performance. Should have used a small GM or Chrysler V8 or turbo charged the PRV.....but Hey! What do I know.?
Agreed, not to mention that the car did terrible in crash test even by 80s standards. It died for a reason, there is a reason car companies didn't try to mimic this vehicle in any way.
I suggest you read the crash test report and compare it with other cars of the same period. In the crash tests it performed exactly as designed, allowing the front end of the car to crush in a controlled manner. Something ALL modern cars are now designed to do.
The A pillar completely gave way. I know you have a bias for this car but it clouds your better judgement. I admit it was an interesting concept but in the end it failed for a reason and the only reason and I mean ONLY reason it was ever attempted to be revived was BTTF.
"It should be noted that the vehicles tested were pre-production prototypes with various cosmetic flaws. One problem we encountered was the driver door on Test No. 2 vehicle. Of the two door latches on the driver side - one forward and one rearward - we could at test time only latch the forward latch. Because of this, the aft side of the driver door came unlatched as it began to pickup load, thereby removing an important structural element from the driver side. This was manifested by more crush on the driver side and a net clock-wise rotation (when looking from above) of the entire vehicle during the test. Another factor contributing to the degree of structural damage seen in the vehicle was the rather massive instrumentation packaged located immediately behind the seats. We therefore had a "worst case" situation for the vehicle structure. In spite of this worst case test condition however, the "survival space" inside the compartment was maintained so that the compartment interior dimensions were not greatly different than before the test." The full report makes for good reading. As I said before it performed as it was designed to. www.delorean.net/crashtest.pdf
What are you talking about? My parents bought a brand new 1979 5 Speed Peugeot 604 (133hp Solex 3 barrel carb setup was all that was offered in the USA); they have put over a 250,000+ miles on that car. The engine burns no oil,makes no unusual sounds,or has no drive-ability issues, etc. It has had regular oil changes over nearly 40 years. The chain and water pump was replaced about 20 years ago(as prevention) when the timing chain cover was re-sealed to solve an occasional oil drip here and there along with the front main-seal. It still has its original clutch. The mechanic that did the repair used Honda-Bond RTV silicone and it has never dripped a drop of oil since then. Only thing they did about 15 years ago....was have some R134 hoses made....other than that...car has been bullet-proof in terms of reliability-durability. The ignition system was converted to simple, cheap and bullet proof Chrysler Electronic ignition early on (no wires had to be cut), the Bosch electronic ignition system was garbage from the start...especially on hot days the module did not like to work. Granted,it's a slow turd launching with a empty curb weight of nearly 3,500 lbs. A very high 1st gear and stock 3.58 rear gears does not help with immediate acceleration...but once on the go...it manages ok.
Many parallels with Malcolm Bricklin and his dream of a sports car. DeLorean was better at engineering than Bricklin, but neither knew enough about how to launch a venture of this scale on such short notice.
I have owned 4 of these Tomato cans over a 25 year span, And all I can tell you is the purchase is just the beginning. The upkeep and labor has gotten way out of hand the last few years. The left fender alone is 5k . This will be my last one, because they are becoming more of a money pit than anything else
wheelinthesky300 : HE WAS TRYING TO BE "TESLA" WAYY BEFORE, CAR WISE A TESLA LIKE UNIQUENESS WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE. DE LOREAN REBELLED AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT AND HE NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT DOWN. DAT TO IN A WAY WHICH ENSURED DAT HIS HOLDING OF 44 AUTOMOTIVE PATENTS IN CAR DEVELOPMENT WUDNT HELP HIM. THE FIRST ATTEMPT OBVIOUSLY WAS DIS OUT OF NOWHERE ASSISTANT WHO WENT STRAIGHT TO AN M.P NO LESS WITH PERFECT FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF A COMPANY WHICH HAD A REAL AND GENUINE PRODUCT AND MOTIVE BUT WAS IN NO DIFFERENT A MESS THEN TESLA HAD BEEN IN ITS INITIAL YEARS, VERY CONVENIENTLY WITH THE NARRATIVE OF JOHN DELOREAN " BEING A CONMAN ALL ALONG " :-I GUESS HE REBELLED AGAINST THE REAL ESTABLISHMENT AND STARTED MESSING WITH THE TIMETABLE OF THINGS LIKE DAT ARRIVING ON THE SCENE WERE MEANT TO HAPPEN SO.. HE NEEDED TO BE TAKEN DOWN. AND DATS WHAT WAS ACHIEVED. DIDNT MUSK HAVE A MODEL WIFE JUS LIKE DAT ?? :-I
"In 1999, DeLorean declared personal bankruptcy after fighting around 40 legal cases since the collapse of DeLorean Motor Company. He was forced to sell his 434-acre estate in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2000. It was purchased by real estate tycoon and future 45th President of the United States Donald Trump and converted to a golf course."
I was in Ireland on a project and just before I arrived, all of the bucks for the body panels were dumped into the ocean to help with erosion control. DMC was managed with amazing cash flow optimism. Only looking at the upside with no provision for the downside. Leaving all the stakes on the table and betting that it would keep on rolling.
+TheConorsmithusa (Scotty to Kirk) "I'm giving all she's got Captain"! "We're still at 85 mph!" "We will not reach warp speed Captain!" (Kirk to Scotty) "Your fired Scotty!" (Spock chimes in) "Illogical"!
He reminds me of "Commonwealth" country governments. Complete scams and all designed to cover up for the "elite" running the show from behind the scenes pretending they're just "window dressing" while brainwashing billions of other inbred idiots worldwide for centuries. Speaking of which, did you get the day off work for the "Royal Wedding"?
@@deeremeyer1749 Well he employed over 1,000 people in a devastated area and produced something really unique-the DMC-12 was not a perfect car but it wasn't a bad car either. If you give people 1 year of happiness and a chance to be off the dole that's a "scam" I want in on.
I love the DMC 12, one of the most interesting cars and interesting stories in automotive history. But I feel so bad for the people who built it. They were full of hope for the future and so proud of themselves for building the car. Sadly, they were let down by the boss who was skimming money of the top.
In reality... John Z. DeLorean DID succeed... spectacularly. Everyone still knows and talks about this car. Everyone still marvels at its design. Everyone still "what ifs" and "if onlys," and schemes of turbos, engine swaps, and LS conversions. A decent car is coveted for twice the cost of its original price (not even taking in to account 35 years... $25k in 1981 bucks). It's still beautiful, has buckets of NOS parts and support for its numbers. And everyone-- even the usual YT negative trolling dipshits ("piece of crap!")-- would take one if offered one, and be beaming proud of it, showing it off all over town.... All of this is far more a success than if the DeLorean had simply been another car of the 80s... or even a mass produced success, like a PT Cruiser or a Saturn. And if we're honest, some of its engineering touches are as nifty as anything built or designed today, even if the car didn't have a chance to evolve to its potential (and even so, its performance numbers are well within the bounds of other 1980s cars... it was a suffocating era for performance all around). DeLorean failed, why? Because we don't all own one today? Every time we see one, we know it and it is an exciting event. Calling the man or the car a "failure" is all about context and relativity (and perhaps, relative to what each of us has ever accomplished...) In the end, the car was a smashing success beyond anything any one of us could've dreamed up. Neat car! Love to own one some day....
And Chevrolet was simultaneously building Impalas and Novas and Bel Airs and Biscaynes and.... John DeLorean didn't "give birth" to anything besides large loads of bullshit successfully sold to fools like you. And the "GTO" is/was nothing but a "special equipment group" optional on the BASE MODEL PONTIAC TEMPEST.
The only people that don’t make mistakes have never tried! Good on him for trying! In the end the failure of DeLoran wasn’t his fault, it was the weather in the U.S.A his primary market. It came at a critical time in the early days of a new company. Nobody could have predicted that.
Sorry but that's a Huuuuuge No! Had JD not WASTED so many millions of dollars that were specifically given to the company, DMC would have had the money to float the operation itself for upwards of almost 2 years! If that were the case the government would have seen he was honest and earnest and it would have proven to them he truly was a man of the people and would have been inclined to provide a bit more financial assistance until the crises was over and DMC might still be a major player in the automotive industry today. Then again, look at Saab. Even as a successful automobile brand they inexplicably went under. What did DMC in was JD's gross misappropriation of funds and nothing more! He was too busy living an unrealistic lifestyle that was not in line with the needs of "HIS" company, and his misspending made it so that ANY little hurdle would force the company into financial ruin. That's exactly what happened and DMC is literally history. Just sad. He actually achieved the impossible and then threw it all away in almost no time. That said, the build quality was atrocious and if you watch people restoring and rebuilding them you've seen countless facepalm inducing things that you'd never believe in a million years unless you saw it. Screws in gas tanks, rags in random corners under the body panels, literal WOOD components used in the interior… just wow! Incredible they charged what they did for these hunks of junk that were marketed as the sportscar of the future, and worse, it had a terrible and completely weak power plant. Colin Chapman likely played a larger role in the deceptive "ethics" DMC fell victim to being as he too was always living a lavish lifestyle and was a charismatic salesman of sorts.
It's kind of surprising that there is no real mention of the effect of the elastic reservoir molding process Delorean bought the rights to being deemed unusable. Having to change to a different process is what caused it to become more of a lotus. It caused the addition of weight, diminished crash performance, wasted time and money on the process which was key to the original design. The change in suspension in the US made the lack of power that much more prominent. All this taken into the equation had that turbo gone into production it could have been a game changer. Look that another company bought all the parts, blueprints etc.. and the continued interest which still carries on. You can now purchase or retro-fit a car very close to his intention.
The delorean is a icon in the motor industry and a very sad ending for all the workers who lost thier jobs but really john delorean never thought this car out to the last detail and thats why it was built like shit and it was under powered and a high price tag of 25 k no wonder the customers weren't queing up to buy it Sad ending
gazmin81...I took a look at one at my local Mercedes dealership showroom when the first ones arrived here in Connecticut..and the asking price was DOUBLE the price of a Corvette at the time or $32,000.00
+Simple Read his book.GM put him out of business. They threw his dies in the ocean. This is when they set him up. He had to go to court and fight criminal charges of being a drug dealer. They did this so he could not make his dead line , when it came down to building his car. Read the tell all book. They were and still are jealous
Cornelieus Fields Agreed. The DeLorean was certainly far from perfect but we need to understand that GM played an underhanded role in the company's demise as well. They were pissed about all the headaches and problems that John DeLorean caused them when he was a top executive at GM by exposing widespread corporate incompetence and corruption, especially with respect to the production and sale of unsafe cars such as the Chevrolet Corvair. They, of course, never forgave him when he left GM to start his own company and worked in any covert manner that they could to help bring about the DeLorean Motor Company's ultimate demise. I'm not saying that DMC *wouldn't* have gone under without a "helping hand" from General Motors but their cloaked efforts certainly helped.
This could have been a great car company, all it needed was a better motor and time for the workers to become more skilled to get better quality, I love the stainless steel look of it, its a classic
Ugly square boxes. Each to their own.
Yeah if the United States government had helped him the way that they helped Chrysler the engine deficiency could have been solved and the employment situation could have been improved.
Funny part is they had the engine in the works. They had a supplier fit a twin turbo on the PRV it would have made the car what it should have been. They also had a 4 door designed which would have sold to a few since no one else was doing that. A little more help from the British government and getting Delorian out of there or reducing his authority and they would have gotten every penny back instead Thatcher and the like had to stick to their rhetoric instead of seeing the reality of what had already been invested and seeing it through. All the hard work was done. The project was 7/8 done.such a shame for the workers.
@@rski1036 better than your honda civic
@@alandenson6649 That is called economic fascism, and leads to communism government control of production,---like today. Your great idea did not work well.
:)
I am the proud owner of a 1967 Pontiac that has a unique engine John DeLorean designed
for GM I believe in 1965-66.... Happy to be able to say even thou the engine is 50 years old
and never been rebuilt, it started right up today and operated flawlessly during my entire
journey of 30 or so miles....
:)
Don't care what anyone says, I love John Delorean, he's a legend, he was a great soul for the world. And what a wonderful machine, I can see his true vision of how DMC12 was meant to be intended, and it's a beautiful vehicle (a benchmark really). Especially with the modern day engine uprates and customisation you can do with it. R.I.P.
Buying a Delorian, and turning it into a muscle car is on my bucket list.
Its been done some guy swaped a LS into a delorean.
One of GM's best engineers and that car was a big threat to the American automotive industry. He knew the car needed a better engine. Funny the big 3 do not see Elon Musk Tesla as a threat for some reason. Maybe its cuz Musk don't know shit about making cars.
The government should have given the company a bunch more money. He was loaned so much money already, the company got to the point it was and then it closed. If the company was given the money it needed to get to where it needed to be the company could still be here today. People up here in the rust belt would love a stainless steel car that wouldn’t rust out in 5 years from the salt from the winters
Well said. He tried to be a real hero. Working for the state is not heroic. Creating a factory that hires people, gets them out of poverty and gives them their own opportunity, (They may become competition, like Delorean),--that's a HERO! :)
We just have to be free to do it.
Say what you want about John Z Delorean but he had cojones! He was GM's top design engineer with 44 automotive patents to his name. He wanted GM to be more innovative and cutting-edge by building these kind of cars but all GM wanted to do is build these little candy-ass four-cylinder cars to compete against the Japanese. So JZ gave up a $600,000-a-year job to start his own company. How many of us would have that kind of courage? Of the 9000 cars ever built, almost 7000 were still on the road 25 years later so these cars were built to last. More than we can say about most cars today.
I agree 100%
The GTO muscle cars are the holy grails! Even though I'm a Mopar fanatic!
Doom666 No arguments here. My "dream car" remains a Mustang GT, the one McQueen drove in "Bullitt".
Great car man, I gotta say one of my dream cars is that 1968 Dodge Charger the hitmen are in during that epic SF chase! My dream car is a '69 Roadrunner!!
1969 Plymouth Roadrunner* I also really want a 69' Mustang! I think that's the year of Steve McQueens 'Stang right? But that ride is a badass, green machine!
Sting: Creating a crime that doesn't exist and arresting someone for it. How is this legal?
+Martin Smith I wonder if he might have managed to get the funding necessary if he hadn't been arrested. Certainly seemed like he was very dedicated to keeping the company alive.
I think DeLorean was asking around for anything like this. So the FBI swooped in and stung him. Entrapment is like approaching a person offering them money if they commit crime X. Here, JD was asking and looking for it. It's a very fine line and he managed to be acquitted but I'm sure it could've easily gone the other way.
+Martin Smith Is legal just as bush jr. made an attack on UNEXISTING evidence,and that "eviddence" give them reason to "make a PREVENTIVE attack".
It's the way the american "mind" works.
They're the country that HAVE AN OFFICIAL PLAN AT PENTAGON NAMED 8888 something,FOR "ZOMBIE" APPOCALYPSE and in that dossier they mention 3 types of zombies : Zombie something,MAGICAL zombie and zombie CHICKEN ...
Does I have to say more about this INEXISTING "nation" and how they're MAD ... ?
I guess not.
Supposedly funding had been secured the day of the bust and John had yet to be contacted before he was arrested.
@@hendo337 I saw that on a new documentary.
Granted the car isn't perfect, I love my DeLorean for its style, reliability, and its place in automotive history. Thanks, JZD.
Matt Carpenter
AZ-D VIN4669
reliability... with K-Jetronic? are you JOKING? granted I have no DeLorean, but I had 2 VWs with that horrible fuel injection system and I wouldn't call that reliable. matter of fact, the shop where my brother works had a DeLorean in just last week with issues and I believe they were to adjust that crappy FI system among other things.
LOL Delorean reliable ? They are the WORST reliability cars ever. Voted for the top worst cars ever. Powered by a peugeot engine UNDERPOWERED.
zeroswings2 I've had several german cars with K-Jet, and for the most part it's a reliable system. God help You if something goes wrong though. Only one car I owned had a problem, and even after it was "fixed" it never was right. I hated the system to be honest, there was nothing You could do to really improve it. It wasn't the worst though, that would be Chrysler's early TBI system on the 80/ 81 Imperial. Even they gave up on it fast, the fix was swap it with a carb and intake manifold.
Underpowered, absolutely. But I'll bet you if you get a DeLorean that's been properly maintained you'll love the car.
Matt Carpenter I had a neighbor who worked for a Pontiac dealer who was getting DMC cars. When the first one came in back in 81 He let Me check it out pretty well. I loved it and still think well of them. That engine was in production for many years and many variants, including a turbocharged model. Look online, there's performance tuners who've done fun stuff with DMC cars. I'd take one in a heartbeat!
I remember seeing my first DeLorean when I was a kid in college, It looked like it was worth $50,000 sitting in front of one of the most prestigious hotels in Philly. As I walk around it I said to myself, someday, someday. About 10 years ago I finally thought maybe this was that day, then the economy when into its worse decline since the great depression and I lost my business. I try to stay positive and keep telling myself, someday kid, someday.
Exactly John DeLorean sold the dream considering it was in stainless steel,that's the whole point of selling cars it's not just to sell the car but the sell the dream.
The car was not stainless steel, the body was covered in it. The reason no one else did it was because it added unnecessary weight, no color options and also it scratches way too easily. A good clear coat is much harder than stainless. It is also more expensive because you can't just spray and bake, you have to hand brush the whole thing.
flip inheck Then why make it from SS?
jjmonns The first idea DeLorean had for the body was fiberglass, but that seemed cheap and opened the door for ridiculed, so they decided to use a metal that was never used before on a car body (SS) and used a marketing strategy that it would never rust and didn't have to be painted. At the time, DeLorean was considered a car designing genius.
Bobster986 Except the car did rust as it was only SS clad. The frame and underside was still regular steel. He was a genius when he was able to hide behind the oversight of his previous employer. There he did well, perhaps it was more the company than just him.
Thank you so much for this upload.
My flight instructor owened one and let me have it for a weekend while he borrowed my truck to haul materials for a cabin he was building in the mountains. I loved it. What a babe magnet with those gull wings!
my father has a delorian from 1982
Ooh that's a great story. I felt like I was there 🙄
People mock the engine power but the 1981 Corvette had 181 hp at the time. Today the Corvette has about 490 hp. You cannot compare 1981 engine technology to modern engines
Probably going to be buying one soon. I've always loved them as a child. Going on 30 years old now and still can't get enough of them, while the other cars have come and passed.
You certainly sound like you deserve a DeLorean.
Still a breathtaking car. It actually only needs a better motor, and it's ready to be rereleased, because it is such modern looking and a solid car.
My favorite movie (the Trilogy) of all time is 'Back to the Future'. The DeLorean helped immensely. Enough said.
If you consider DeLorean a crook, he was also a highly capable car executive who built a fine car that Northern Ireland can be proud of.
Delorean's biggest downfall's were for one building the plant where he did, starting it with only 100 million dollars and not having strict oversight on running the business from quality to finance. The Delorean itself was an incredible car for the price. The Delorean itself was junk from an engine standpoint, he put a junk engine in a car that deserved a more refined quality engine. He easily could have put a Buick V6 with a turbo and he would have a car that would compete or beat the US Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs. Then he would have an engine and horsepower Americans could relate to with the Italian styling they couldn't afford.
GM would have never sold him any engines, one, for being a competitor, two, for being an ex-executive. DMC built a prototype twin turbo with the PRV engine, but never put it into production.
No,John's biggest downfall was that he was grandiose...for a start-up company that plant was way way way tooo big...way to many employees...way too much overhead expenses for a startup company...he DID NOT need a Park Ave. NYC Corporate office...he did NOT need to fly the Concord jetliner.. from the UK to the USA..he did NOT have to spend Millions on Mansions(which trump bought later and turned into his Golf resort...the NJ mansion)....Delorean was a Salesman and that was his passion...he cared little about the everyday running of DMC...all he cared about was acquiring other peoples Money and spend it on his dreams...whether they made profits...that was for his accountants and CEO's to figure out...a good part of the DMC Funds were used to acquire other Businesses...that also failed...and to live his lavoius lifestyle.
57:04. He's absolutely correct, I worked at the De Lorean car factory in Ireland and I loved being there, it was such a happy work environment.
+hoopenhanger Any chance you went back to 1955?
+ToaOfScotland22 If I had the chance to go back to 1955 I would have stayed there.
Ahm, exqueeze me sir, but that's a distintcly _Norern Ahrn_ accent I hear :^)
Prubbs Is that a Wayne's World word? Uhhh exsqueezz me, baking powder?
Very interesting to me. I had never known all the details of this endeavor. It was poignant in particular, for me, because I was working as an engineer for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan and got laid off from work the same year as the DeLorean fiasco. But, unlike the management at Ford, I lost my job like the workers in Belfast and I never got my job back. And like DeLorean, the management at Ford was unscathed, even though they were the cause of the failures at the car companies. Smooth talking privileged salemen always win out.
Every Delorean should come with a copy of Atari's E.T.
Well doc its destroyed just like you wanted
easter egg?
That actually hits hard!
After having viewed the tragic story I really feel sorry for the entire failed project, not least for the high hopes created in Northern Ireland. But I also feel that the whole disaster roots in John DeLorean's hubris generated by his fast career with US car makers. He thought that he'd succeed in everything he touched. Had he listened to specialists for development and production, he could have had a more realistic approach and might have actually produced a better car. Thus, he clearly overestimated his competence, which finally had to lead to this deplorable "car crash".
Its interesting to see how the translation of 70's era GM management rolled right into DMC. The 3 design teams competing with one another was straight out of GM, as was the style of negotiations as well as the spin with the finances... its like taking a GM project and applying it to a startup operation. Alas, there was no parent GM to bail things out towards the end when everything started rolling against them.
The part thats fascinating though was how quickly everything fell into place... those time frames are incredible, not only to build a plant, but to take employees off the street with a brand new design and to be able to crank out cars. The 400 hour rework doesn't seem unreasonable for pilot production on pretty much anything that's so new, even with experienced people at the helm. Amazing!
Deloreans story in some aspects is similar to Preston Tucker story with his Tucker Torpedo.
It was some years earlier so they were really able at that time to tear into Tucker, besides his not ever being part of the mainstream auto industry. For example they leaked a sealed sec report which was never made public or made available to tucker and his defense. The main us attorney persuing the company became the first federal appellate judge in history to go to prison. Very ironically over stock fraud, charges of bribery, perjury, conspiracy etc.. Sadly had these companies been allowed to continue on or have their ideas incorporated into the "mainstream" the industry would have advanced much quicker. With respect to tucker the american auto industry espically could have stayed in a much stronger position to have reacted differently to them.
Tucker 48. The torpedo was only a design concept.
Thanks to John Z. Delorean America got its muscle car era. He was the man behind the idea of putting a full size engine into a midsize car and calling it the GTO. People forget all the positives he did for the auto industry. You can knock the DMC 12 all you want but you cannot deny that the car looks cool. An LS swap is all it takes to make it run cool too.
When he was at Gm he had a big stable of first class auto engineers, draftsman, designers as well as an experienced work force, and the immediate availabity of parts manufacturers. He had nothing like that in Northern Ireland. I think he was pretty naive to not anticipate real problems. He did not get the Capital he needed meaning that the early cars had to sell quickly or he wouldn’t have the funds to keep making more, that also caused the designers and engineers to have great pressure to get everything ready way too quickly. As a result the cars had to be re,anufactured once they were delivered to Long Beach. His staff had to grab whatever parts they could find whether idea or not. The engine was hardly what he had in mind. It fit which was essentially the main requirement. Good show with a slant critical of the man in areas where he was really out of his league.
Jesus Behind the Wheel With little resources the car he built put the fear of God into the big 3. Funny they don't care about the electric nerd Elon Musk (Tesla).
if you think the big 3 dont care about tesla then you have your head in the sand
The GTO is just a fucking "optional equipment group" on a fucking Pontiac Tempest that had a "full-size engine" before John DeLorean had anything thing to do with it.
Tesla gonna be fucked when the German electric cars come you watch
When government bailouts of recent are weighed against what DeLorean required to keep the Northern Ireland plant alive, he was asking for mere pennies.
+robert glenn precisely. We bailed out the banks for the cost of BILLIONS.
InvisibleYetVisible Do you realize that when Bernake called all the NY central bankers into an emergency meeting, many actually thought they were possibly being set up and going to be arrested rather than receive billions in bailout checks. Fucking amazing!
robert glenn As a Brit, I didn't know that, but I do know that it cost Britain 456 billion to bail out the banks, all at the cost of the British taxpayer. What's more, that was only out of luck. It nearly cost 1.2 trillion. DeLorean was asking for pennies.
Well, the problem most likely was that it was unlikely the company would ever be a success and was not really important to the economy as a whole, only to Belfast.
I mean, yeah, the money the banks got is insane, but I don't think it's surprising that Delorean didn't get any more money, especially at that time.
robert glen : WELL CAUSE THEY KNEW HOW THE TRUE POWERS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT THEY ONCE WERE GLADLY PART OF WUD TRY TO DISPOSE OF THEM IF KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY THEY WERE TO GO AGAINST IT. JUS THE WAY JOHN DELOREAN TRIED TO WHEN HE REBELED AND TRIED TO BE THE ELON MUSK MUCH BEFORE IT WAS TIME FOR AN ELON MUSK AND A" TESLA " TO COME ON THE SCENE. ON THE BAISS OF HIS 44 PATENTS HE HELD FOR INNOVATIONS IN AUTOMOBILES HE THOUGHT HE CUD REBEL AGAINST THAT ESTABLISHMENT. BUT WELL THEY ARE REALLY TOO GOOD AT THIS. AND ALL THOSE WHO SAW WAT HAD BEEN DONE WITH DE LOREAN MIGHT BE DONE TO THEM BUT WELL AS THEY FOUND OUT THE TRUE ESTABLISHMENT HAD VERY MUCH USE FOR THEM. HENCE INSPITE OF WEIRDLY CLEAR EXPECTATIONS ON THE PART OF THOSE BANKERS. SOMETHING ELSE TOTALLY HAPPENED SIMPLE :-I
Gotta love how he John DeLorean went down. I bet this is how it went.
FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "So, I hear you need investors in your car company."
John Delorean: "Yes, yes I do. I don't care about my money or the British Government's money, I have employees that i need to be payed. I have to make sure they get a fair shake."
FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "Good to hear we will give you the money"
John Delorean: "Great"
FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord:"Oh and by the way I am a Colombian Drug lord not a wealthy banker. Also, Now, I need you to smuggle all these Drugs"
John Delorean: "What?"
FBI Agent Poorly Disguised as a Colombian Druglord: "Oh and by the way I am not actually a Colombian Drug Lord, I am an FBI agent (takes off glue on mustache to reveal another mustache) Mr. DeLorean, You're under arrest for conspiracy"
well dats wat the establisment does when u are trying to be a " tesla " much before it was time for a tesla to come on the scene and capture peoples attention. dats wat u get when u rebel against the time table ... :-I
He went out like a boss lol
Rexx Bailey Musk don't know shit about making cars. Delorean was a GM engineer and one of the best. It was like one of their own working against them (the big 3).
Phantom096
Musk is building cars that almost everyone loves and revolutionary ones at that. DMC was a nice idea, a slight evolution but not remotely revolutionary, that was poorly executed with weak performance. There is nothing special about a DeLorean other than it's properly rare. I wouldn't want one if I had to drive it.
Bo McGillacutty Clearly you do not know your DMC history cuz if you did u would know the car did not get all the parts DeLorean wanted due to money.
Musk on the other hand asks for money with no product and people give it to him. Electric cars are nothing new been around since the 80's maybe even before that.
Wow, great documentary. I learned a lot.
good docomemntaries, thanks for uploading
The same Nicholas Winterton who was caught fiddling his expenses.
Glass houses.
Don't be stupid.
@@Ingens_Scherz ?
It's a shame they didn't use some sort of different engine...the Rover V8, buy the tooling of the Corvair flat six(so it could have TWO trunks) the Buick 3.8 or 4.1 L V6 with throttle body injection(if not a carb), get the tooling for the SOHC I6 he he made for Pontiac (maybe laid on it's side or at least slanted some. If I got one I would just have to LS swap it. The one on RCR with the 5.3 LS4 was sweet. I would want to build a 416 stroker LS3, stick it in the middle with a TH425 and a tall axle ratio so it could hit 0-60 in first gear and 3rd would be tall enough low rpm cruising on the highway and a similar manual transaxle. I could maybe just try the use the LS4 mounted as it came stock sideways hooked to G6 Aisin 6 speed manual.
i love the pink floyd in the background.. very cool touch..
Going flat out into a full on assembly line to build a "supercar" with little backing was stupid. He should have opened a small shop somewhere in the states, employ a couple hundred employee's and hand craft the first generations of his Delorean.
If he got a small shop in the US with less employee's he would have saved alot on wages, equipment, a better motor, and better parts. A small shop that hand crafts its cars is what building supercars is all about.
If the documentary is from 2004, but at 58:35 they know that John died in 2005, does that mean that the producers used a DeLorean to ........
Or, they filmed his interview long before he passed away.
Isn't it ironic that GM introduced the rear engine, rear drive, two seat sports car Fiero a year after DeLorean folded?
Isn't it poetic justice that the Failero also was a motorized grocery getter?
Rýán Túçk Yes indeed, karma is a bitc.....
LOL
Fiero fireball
***** Only the V6 models can make such claim, 4 cylinder models were slugs..........
***** Wasn't aware I was helping. My ex had a 2M4 and it was sssssslow, my '74 Capri 2000cc would run rings around it. This was over 25 years ago.
That's a pretty good one... your last sentence... I do say that the Delorean is a beautiful car in its own right... ashamed that it had to end... I've always wanted one...
just imagine if John Delorean was still alive and he got to create a new Delorean sports car
Such a shame it had to end that way! it could have been the start of something amazing!
Sad story
The BMW i8 is faithful to the original Delorean. It's a must have.
thanks. a real eye opener.
well you got to hand it to him...he had balls...pity it had not worked,he got people from both sides of the fence in NI to work together and leave all the bullshit outside..what a pity.
i never knew the whole story,great guy....
Not so. ua-cam.com/video/CnjUfw5Ixxc/v-deo.html
I love the DeLorean car, but there's no way, even by year two, the company was profitable. Having only made 7,ooo units and him owing over 25 million in loans.
Good video. Thanks. (What is that piano tune played in at 53 mins in, when the last cars were leaving the factory? Does anyone know, please).
Damn,... he really should have taken the Puerto Rico route. :/
Why do I feel like they're trying to paint Mr. Delorean as a bad guy.
+Donovan notmyname the ugly truth was the fact that the workers were paying dues to the IRA and London wanted that to come to an end.
+Josef Venport Not sure I believe that.
Donovan notmyname : That's funny paint.
Because he is.
Donovan notmyname Where did you get that idea?
Was a mad idea...build a substandard overpriced "sports" car in Belfast (no history of car building) in the middle of a recession!
The delorean was a sexy car especially for it's time.
Just to sad it came out at the Wong time 😢
Such a cool car. I wish DMC had succeeded as a car company.
gotta love the workers that jumped the fence to continue working on the cars trying to keep the factory going with no pay. Those are the real heroes.
chinchy111 The workers jumped the fence to take over the factory. It was a sit in which last a number of weeks. They were tricked by the Receiver to give up the sit in. He told them that he had a buyer and there jobs would be saved. How do I know? I was at the mass union meeting at the time!
If it ain't selling what is the point?
@@hue008x Desperation often finds a way around logic.
The managers when they found out the Delorean company was in trouble: “Great Scott!”
8.30 mark i hear Robert Miles, Children. That was a great tune. 💜💜💜
Wow and some shone on u crazy 💎 towards the end. Great musi in this doc
Couple of Leftfield tracks in there too. That was a great album.
Am I the only one that finds the politicians playing the "you just couldn't trust him"/"he lied right to my face" card a bit disingenuous? Politicians, by definition are dishonest. One needn't be a familiar with "The Prince" to know that a guy who gets as far as parliament - certainly all cabinet members - has sold out. So, as these guys reflect on their careers "fighting for the British people", pardon me while I vomit
J.S. Reilly - right on
Nonsense. All politicians must engage in salesmanship to some degree, but not every politician outright lies "by definition" as you put it. Many do, but it's not a requirement for gaining elective office and never has been.
@@humanbeing2420 sorry, but it very much is part of the deal. ALL politicians are scum. The last politician with any balls or principles was Robin Cook. Don't defend them, because that's part of the reason that they have so much power over the people that they are supposed to represent...and people forget that too. THEY represent US. WE pay THEM. They are scum. Every one of them.
Hi zerowings2, I've yet to run into problems with the FI with the two cars I've owned. Most DeLorean owners I know (large network worldwide) have had little issues with the FI if their cars are properly maintained. Are the cars fast? Nope. Are the cars without problems here and there? No, but what '81 built car doesn't. Matt
Fantastic looking machine.
It`s a perfect, almost "eternal" car. Stainless steel body - no corrosion, no need to paint. But it may be matted or polished. Do you know another car what was made like this?
Delorean was a great car designer and an even better salesman. Trouble was he wasn't a good businessman. Yeah the car looks great from an visual point, but underneath its a bit of a Frankenstein, bits and bobs from all over the place. the build quality was questionable at best, try getting the clutch out of one lol!!!!
tach reads 1500 rpm when car is completely off. lol
+evilcowboy All the means it fast, even while standing still. LOL!
nofrackingzone...sooo fast...it could not outrun a Volkswagan Bus...with Lybians chasing MJ Fox....good thing it was a time machine...and he could escape back to 1955...otherwise MJF would have been blown to bits by the Libyan with the Rocket repelled grenade...lol
He was more of an engineer than a designer.
If the movie came out wen the car came out he would have been rich
Brother believe me
He was rich beyond our imagination and wallets 😅😅😅
DeLorean was only able to rise so quickly at GM because of its existing structures of an experienced, professional car producing enterprise. Neglecting this, he overestimated himself and at the same time underestimated the task of building up an organization that functions like GM from scratch in record time and without money. How could he not have failed?
The pink floyd background music in perfect time with the telling of such a tale
Did this guy... Run DMC?
Its like that and thats the way it is
👏
i see what you did there !!@!
It was the whole world working as a team
@@stevemtc1 That reference just flew over my head sorry XD
I cried watching this, I love that car so much . -_-.
that burning beetle at 8:30 made me sad :(
Is there any way I could get a track listing for the background music?
it was Preston Tucker all over again
Jeff Hayes Very true
No it wasn't. Tucker never built an actual "production car" and no two "Tuckers" are identical and the car never advanced past the "prototype" stage.
I think John is still a hero I also think the BBC stands for British Broadcasting. that having been said I think London did not want skilled workers in Northern Ireland making a good wage it did not serve them I know the American auto industry did not want John to succeed yes the power plant was dismal but there was a v8 twin turbo being tested that was great I would recommend watching the movie Tucker it explains what happens to people who step out of line not holding John blameless just genius with a great vision in his stainless steel Icarus rest in peace John
One of my ever favs, love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone else catch DJ Shadow - Midnight In a Perfect World at 46:30 ? I've never heard this version of it without the drum loop though....
Could you add some English subtitles when the Irish guys speak?
Right?! Wtf is that dude saying?
All the PRV V6 engines had premature simplex cam chain wear. The car was heavy as was the steering at low speed. The 130HP output was optimistic...any production engine made around 125 HP or less. Dyno'd at 98 HP at the wheels . As the chain wore it was even less and the valves fouled up with carbon deposits restricting intake air from around 65,000 miles.. The Bosch CIS fuel system was okay up to a point but prone to leaks especially at the accumulator., and cold running hesitation. The gull doors leaked rain water. The Lucas dash warning lamps fell out of the dash or were always loose. Lucas electrics were typically unreliable. I worked on many . ( am now retired. ) Would give this vehicle ( Made in Ireland) 4 out of 10 for interior finish and 7 out of 10 for overall performance. Should have used a small GM or Chrysler V8 or turbo charged the PRV.....but Hey! What do I know.?
Agreed, not to mention that the car did terrible in crash test even by 80s standards. It died for a reason, there is a reason car companies didn't try to mimic this vehicle in any way.
I suggest you read the crash test report and compare it with other cars of the same period. In the crash tests it performed exactly as designed, allowing the front end of the car to crush in a controlled manner. Something ALL modern cars are now designed to do.
The A pillar completely gave way. I know you have a bias for this car but it clouds your better judgement. I admit it was an interesting concept but in the end it failed for a reason and the only reason and I mean ONLY reason it was ever attempted to be revived was BTTF.
"It should be noted that the vehicles tested were pre-production prototypes with various cosmetic flaws. One problem we encountered was the driver door on Test No. 2 vehicle. Of the two door latches on the driver side - one forward and one rearward - we could at test time only latch the forward latch. Because of this, the aft side of the driver door came unlatched as it began to pickup load, thereby removing an important structural element from the driver side. This was manifested by more crush on the driver side and a net clock-wise rotation (when looking from above) of the entire vehicle during the test.
Another factor contributing to the degree of structural damage seen in the vehicle was the rather massive instrumentation packaged located immediately behind the seats. We therefore had a "worst case" situation for the vehicle structure. In spite of this worst case test condition however, the "survival space" inside the compartment was maintained so that the compartment interior dimensions were not greatly different than before the test."
The full report makes for good reading. As I said before it performed as it was designed to.
www.delorean.net/crashtest.pdf
What are you talking about? My parents bought a brand new 1979 5 Speed Peugeot 604 (133hp Solex 3 barrel carb setup was all that was offered in the USA); they have put over a 250,000+ miles on that car. The engine burns no oil,makes no unusual sounds,or has no drive-ability issues, etc. It has had regular oil changes over nearly 40 years.
The chain and water pump was replaced about 20 years ago(as prevention) when the timing chain cover was re-sealed to solve an occasional oil drip here and there along with the front main-seal. It still has its original clutch.
The mechanic that did the repair used Honda-Bond RTV silicone and it has never dripped a drop of oil since then. Only thing they did about 15 years ago....was have some R134 hoses made....other than that...car has been bullet-proof in terms of reliability-durability.
The ignition system was converted to simple, cheap and bullet proof Chrysler Electronic ignition early on (no wires had to be cut), the Bosch electronic ignition system was garbage from the start...especially on hot days the module did not like to work.
Granted,it's a slow turd launching with a empty curb weight of nearly 3,500 lbs. A very high 1st gear and stock 3.58 rear gears does not help with immediate acceleration...but once on the go...it manages ok.
Such a sad ending :(
Many parallels with Malcolm Bricklin and his dream of a sports car. DeLorean was better at engineering than Bricklin, but neither knew enough about how to launch a venture of this scale on such short notice.
Had the engines and internal mechanics been perfected a little more, the DeLoreans would’ve been the greatest cars in history.
I have owned 4 of these Tomato cans over a 25 year span, And all I can tell you is the purchase is just the beginning. The upkeep and labor has gotten way out of hand the last few years. The left fender alone is 5k . This will be my last one, because they are becoming more of a money pit than anything else
Why did you buy 4 of these tomato cans?
"I'm gonna take a little joy ride!"
"NO! BIFF!"
hahahahah
I LOVE that the Austin Powers theme (as it is now known) is used at the 7:10 mark.
Was he being punished for being independant and succesful?
This somehow reminds me of Tesla,
with the technical problems, Government subsidies, and "charismatic" CEO.
wheelinthesky300 : HE WAS TRYING TO BE "TESLA" WAYY BEFORE, CAR WISE A TESLA LIKE UNIQUENESS WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE. DE LOREAN REBELLED AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT AND HE NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT DOWN. DAT TO IN A WAY WHICH ENSURED DAT HIS HOLDING OF 44 AUTOMOTIVE PATENTS IN CAR DEVELOPMENT WUDNT HELP HIM. THE FIRST ATTEMPT OBVIOUSLY WAS DIS OUT OF NOWHERE ASSISTANT WHO WENT STRAIGHT TO AN M.P NO LESS WITH PERFECT FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF A COMPANY WHICH HAD A REAL AND GENUINE PRODUCT AND MOTIVE BUT WAS IN NO DIFFERENT A MESS THEN TESLA HAD BEEN IN ITS INITIAL YEARS, VERY CONVENIENTLY WITH THE NARRATIVE OF JOHN DELOREAN " BEING A CONMAN ALL ALONG " :-I GUESS HE REBELLED AGAINST THE REAL ESTABLISHMENT AND STARTED MESSING WITH THE TIMETABLE OF THINGS LIKE DAT ARRIVING ON THE SCENE WERE MEANT TO HAPPEN SO.. HE NEEDED TO BE TAKEN DOWN. AND DATS WHAT WAS ACHIEVED. DIDNT MUSK HAVE A MODEL WIFE JUS LIKE DAT ?? :-I
"In 1999, DeLorean declared personal bankruptcy after fighting around 40 legal cases since the collapse of DeLorean Motor Company. He was forced to sell his 434-acre estate in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2000. It was purchased by real estate tycoon and future 45th President of the United States Donald Trump and converted to a golf course."
I was in Ireland on a project and just before I arrived, all of the bucks for the body panels were dumped into the ocean to help with erosion control. DMC was managed with amazing cash flow optimism. Only looking at the upside with no provision for the downside. Leaving all the stakes on the table and betting that it would keep on rolling.
GREAT SCOTT!!!
+TheConorsmithusa (Scotty to Kirk) "I'm giving all she's got Captain"! "We're still at 85 mph!" "We will not reach warp speed Captain!" (Kirk to Scotty) "Your fired Scotty!" (Spock chimes in) "Illogical"!
Delorean reminds me of the U.S.F.L. and W.F.L. football leagues: better and more ethical but without money.
He reminds me of "Commonwealth" country governments. Complete scams and all designed to cover up for the "elite" running the show from behind the scenes pretending they're just "window dressing" while brainwashing billions of other inbred idiots worldwide for centuries. Speaking of which, did you get the day off work for the "Royal Wedding"?
@@deeremeyer1749 Well he employed over 1,000 people in a devastated area and produced something really unique-the DMC-12 was not a perfect car but it wasn't a bad car either. If you give people 1 year of happiness and a chance to be off the dole that's a "scam" I want in on.
0:35 The Escort catching strays right off the bat lolol
They should make a movie of this story.
Several "docudramas"are available now. Not aware of any full scale Hollywood major motion pictures though. From Minnesota USA
I love the DMC 12, one of the most interesting cars and interesting stories in automotive history.
But I feel so bad for the people who built it. They were full of hope for the future and so proud of themselves for building the car. Sadly, they were let down by the boss who was skimming money of the top.
Pink Floyd at 39:40!
Shine On You Crazy Diamond... Loved that, and it fit so well.
I hate when I see a sweet car, only to find out it is yet another Lotus. Boy I learned something new in this video!
whats the piano tune that starts playing at 8:15? i know its pretty popular
In reality... John Z. DeLorean DID succeed... spectacularly. Everyone still knows and talks about this car. Everyone still marvels at its design. Everyone still "what ifs" and "if onlys," and schemes of turbos, engine swaps, and LS conversions. A decent car is coveted for twice the cost of its original price (not even taking in to account 35 years... $25k in 1981 bucks). It's still beautiful, has buckets of NOS parts and support for its numbers. And everyone-- even the usual YT negative trolling dipshits ("piece of crap!")-- would take one if offered one, and be beaming proud of it, showing it off all over town.... All of this is far more a success than if the DeLorean had simply been another car of the 80s... or even a mass produced success, like a PT Cruiser or a Saturn. And if we're honest, some of its engineering touches are as nifty as anything built or designed today, even if the car didn't have a chance to evolve to its potential (and even so, its performance numbers are well within the bounds of other 1980s cars... it was a suffocating era for performance all around). DeLorean failed, why? Because we don't all own one today?
Every time we see one, we know it and it is an exciting event. Calling the man or the car a "failure" is all about context and relativity (and perhaps, relative to what each of us has ever accomplished...) In the end, the car was a smashing success beyond anything any one of us could've dreamed up. Neat car! Love to own one some day....
DeLorean gave birth to the Pontiac GTO and out sold sibiling car Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396.
Mark G When I see a GTO I think DeLorean. Love that car.
And Chevrolet was simultaneously building Impalas and Novas and Bel Airs and Biscaynes and.... John DeLorean didn't "give birth" to anything besides large loads of bullshit successfully sold to fools like you. And the "GTO" is/was nothing but a "special equipment group" optional on the BASE MODEL PONTIAC TEMPEST.
@@deeremeyer1749
It began as an option package, but later became it's own model. And yes, it was a huge marketing success
Does anyone know what the ambient tune is at about 27.06 ?
what is the name of the artist and song playing during the credits?
The only people that don’t make mistakes have never tried! Good on him for trying!
In the end the failure of DeLoran wasn’t his fault, it was the weather in the U.S.A his primary market.
It came at a critical time in the early days of a new company. Nobody could have predicted that.
Sorry but that's a Huuuuuge No!
Had JD not WASTED so many millions of dollars that were specifically given to the company, DMC would have had the money to float the operation itself for upwards of almost 2 years!
If that were the case the government would have seen he was honest and earnest and it would have proven to them he truly was a man of the people and would have been inclined to provide a bit more financial assistance until the crises was over and DMC might still be a major player in the automotive industry today. Then again, look at Saab. Even as a successful automobile brand they inexplicably went under.
What did DMC in was JD's gross misappropriation of funds and nothing more!
He was too busy living an unrealistic lifestyle that was not in line with the needs of "HIS" company, and his misspending made it so that ANY little hurdle would force the company into financial ruin. That's exactly what happened and DMC is literally history. Just sad. He actually achieved the impossible and then threw it all away in almost no time.
That said, the build quality was atrocious and if you watch people restoring and rebuilding them you've seen countless facepalm inducing things that you'd never believe in a million years unless you saw it. Screws in gas tanks, rags in random corners under the body panels, literal WOOD components used in the interior… just wow! Incredible they charged what they did for these hunks of junk that were marketed as the sportscar of the future, and worse, it had a terrible and completely weak power plant. Colin Chapman likely played a larger role in the deceptive "ethics" DMC fell victim to being as he too was always living a lavish lifestyle and was a charismatic salesman of sorts.
Back to the Future will always be my favorite movie of all time. Sigh.
Your kidding ... you've got to be kidding.
evinlck...Maybe MJ Fox...went back into time to warn JZD that the FBI was doing a sting on him.....
It's kind of surprising that there is no real mention of the effect of the elastic reservoir molding process Delorean bought the rights to being deemed unusable. Having to change to a different process is what caused it to become more of a lotus. It caused the addition of weight, diminished crash performance, wasted time and money on the process which was key to the original design. The change in suspension in the US made the lack of power that much more prominent. All this taken into the equation had that turbo gone into production it could have been a game changer. Look that another company bought all the parts, blueprints etc.. and the continued interest which still carries on. You can now purchase or retro-fit a car very close to his intention.
Thank God for the subtitles. It is so hard to understand the Queen's English being mangled.
The delorean is a icon in the motor industry and a very sad ending for all the workers who lost thier jobs but really john delorean never thought this car out to the last detail and thats why it was built like shit and it was under powered and a high price tag of 25 k no wonder the customers weren't queing up to buy it
Sad ending
Yes, sorry for the workers and that a great mark was missed due to lack of insight by bean counters and vindictive bias on the part of politicians..
gazmini81
gazmin81...I took a look at one at my local Mercedes dealership showroom when the first ones arrived here in Connecticut..and the asking price was DOUBLE the price of a Corvette at the time or $32,000.00
I realy respect John Z. DeLorean!
+Simple Read his book.GM put him out of business. They threw his dies in the ocean. This is when they set him up. He had to go to court and fight criminal charges of being a drug dealer. They did this so he could not make his dead line , when it came down to building his car. Read the tell all book. They were and still are jealous
Cornelieus Fields Agreed. The DeLorean was certainly far from perfect but we need to understand that GM played an underhanded role in the company's demise as well. They were pissed about all the headaches and problems that John DeLorean caused them when he was a top executive at GM by exposing widespread corporate incompetence and corruption, especially with respect to the production and sale of unsafe cars such as the Chevrolet Corvair. They, of course, never forgave him when he left GM to start his own company and worked in any covert manner that they could to help bring about the DeLorean Motor Company's ultimate demise. I'm not saying that DMC *wouldn't* have gone under without a "helping hand" from General Motors but their cloaked efforts certainly helped.
Simple Something tells me he was one of GM's best engineers.
@MeaningXOfXFear The song is "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" By Pink Floyd, on the album Wish You Were Here
craig50 The tune is called Melt by Leftfield