DeLorean Motor Company: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Defunct American automobile manufacturer (1975–1982)}}

{{About|the original company|the currentexistent company|DeLorean Motor Company (Texas)}}

The '''DeLorean Motor Company''' ('''DMC''') was an American [[automobile manufacturer]] formed by [[automobile industry]] executive [[John DeLorean]] in 1975.<ref name="DeLorean Bio">{{cite magazine |url= http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-19/the-deloreans-time-leap | title=The DeLorean's Time Leap |first=Claire |last=Suddath |magazine=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520045851/http://www.businessweek.com:80/articles/2012-04-19/the-deloreans-time-leap|archive-date=2013-05-20 |url-status=dead|access-date=September 4, 2019}}</ref> It isproduced remembered for thejust one model, from early 1981 to itlate produced—the1982—the [[stainless steel]] [[DMC DeLorean|DeLorean]] [[sports car]] featuring [[gull-wing door]]s—ands. forIts itshistory was brief and turbulent history, ending in [[receivership]] and [[bankruptcy]] in 1982. In October 1982, John DeLorean was [[videotape]]d in a [[sting operation]] agreeing to bankroll [[drug trafficking]], but was acquitted inat the subsequent trial on the basis of [[entrapment]].<ref>{{cite news| url = http://articles.latimes.com/1986-12-17/news/mn-3343_1_john-z-delorean|title= DeLorean Acquitted of All Criminal Finance Charges|author= |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date = December 17, 1986|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803012934/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-17-mn-3343-story.html|archive-date=2020-08-2003|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}</ref>

The DeLorean was memorably featured in the [[Back to the Future (franchise)|''Back to the Future'' film trilogy]] (1985, 1989, and 1990) as the model of car made into a [[Time travel|time machine]] by eccentric scientist [[Emmett Brown|Doc Brown]], although the company had [[Bankruptcy#United Kingdom|closed down]] before the first film was made.

In 1995, [[Liverpool]]-born mechanic Stephen Wynne founded the [[DeLorean Motor Company (Texas)|current DeLorean Motor Company (Texas)]],<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17428818 | work=BBC News | title=Back to the future as DeLorean goes electric | date=April 1, 2012}}</ref> an entirely new company not related to the original, located in [[Humble, Texas]], and shortly thereafter acquired the remaining parts inventory,<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/0811_de_lorean_motor_company_ceo_stephen_wynne/index.html| title = Stephen Wynne, CEO of The De Lorean Motor Company| author = Noordeloos, Marc| publisher = [[Automobile Magazine|Automobile]]| date = November 23, 2008| access-date = 1 April 2012| archive-date = 20 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120120152922/http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/0811_de_lorean_motor_company_ceo_stephen_wynne/index.html| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="CNET-2015-04-16">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0lrIqGphJx8 Ghostarchive] {{cbignore}} and registered his own [https://web.archive.org/web/20150511135851/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lrIqGphJx8 Wayback Machine] {{cbignore}}: {{cite video |title= You can still buy a brand new DeLorean, straight from the factory| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lrIqGphJx8 |publisher= CNET |date= 16 April 2015 |via= YouTube }}{{cbignore}}</ref> and registered his own stylized version of the "DMC" logo trademark of DeLorean Motor Company (Texas).<ref name="delorean.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.delorean.com/|title=DeLorean Motor Company}}</ref>

The DeLorean assembly plant was eventually occupied by the French automotive supplier Montupet, which began to manufacture cast aluminum cylinder heads for automobile engines at the Dunmurry facility in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/montupet-set-for-expansion-as-company-is-sold-for-629m-34648105.html|date= April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729191452/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/montupet-set-for-expansion-as-company-is-sold-for-629m-34648105.html|archive-date=2020-07-29|title=Montupet set for expansion as company is sold for £629m|newspaper=Belfasttelegraph}}</ref> As of Monputet's acquisition in 2015, the factory employed more than 600 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/manufacturing/bright-future-at-old-delorean-plant-in-belfast-1.2397970|title=Bright future at old DeLorean plant in Belfast|first=Francess|last=McDonnell|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> The facility is currently operated as Montupet UK, a subsidiary of [[Linamar Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/montupet-ma-linamar/canadas-linamar-buys-french-auto-parts-maker-montupet-idUSL8N12F3LW20151015|title=Canada's Linamar buys French auto parts maker Montupet|newspaper=Reuters|date=15 October 2015|last1=Schuetze|first1=Pamela Barbaglia}}</ref>

The '''DeLorean''' (known internally during development within DMC as the ''DMC-12''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wills |first1=Barrie |title=John Z, the DeLorean & Me: Tales from an Insider |date=2015 |publisher=DeLorean Garage |quote-page=4|quote=My stories cover the years during which the production DeLorean (code-named DMC-12) was created, manufactured and sold.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Seventeenth Board Meeting of De Lorean Motor Cars Limited |url=https://www.deloreanmuseum.org/bod18.html |website=DeLorean Museum |access-date=7 September 2021 |ref=bod18 |pages=2 |date=October 30, 1979}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lander |first1=D. H. |title=Managing Director's Report No.35 |url=https://www.deloreanmuseum.org/bod36.html |website=DeLorean Museum |access-date=7 September 2021 |ref=bod36 |pages=2 |date=April 22, 1981}}</ref>{{refn|The DMC-12 designation was a pre-production moniker and was not used in official sales or marketing material for the production car.|group=note}}) was the only car produced by DMC. Reception was mixed. Although the early vehicles had impressive waiting lists of prospective buyers, the MSRP of $25,000 (equivalent to approximately $70,000 in 2019) was prohibitive for most of the market—especially for what many considered an under-powered and impractical plaything.{{by whom|date=October 2023}} "It's not a barn burner," observed ''Road & Track'', "(with) a 0–60&nbsp;mph time of 10.5 seconds. Frankly, that's not quick for a sports/GT car in this price category." The stainless steel body panels were attractive and impervious to corrosion, but the sheen surface tended to show fingerprints and meant the car could not be easily painted; every DeLorean looked identical. Some dealerships painted their cars to make them distinctive. DMC tested translucent paint for different color options while allowing the stainless steel grain to show through, but no cars were sold with factory painted body panels. The only factory option initially available was automatic transmission. A grey interior was offered later in 1981 as an alternative to the standard black. Accessories such as pinstriping and luggage racks provided further individuality.<ref>[http://www.babbtechnology.com/thecar/misc.htm Misc. Information / Pictures].</ref>

A DeLorean was prominently featured in the 1985 film ''[[Back to the Future]]'' and its two sequels, in which it was converted into a [[time travel|time machine]]. The [[DeLorean time machine]] entered popular culture and played a major role in the continued popularity of the model.<ref name=PopMech-2015-10-21>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a17862/back-to-the-future-time-machines-schematics/ |title= Here Are the Schematics For the 'Back to the Future' DeLorean Time Machine |author=Limer, Eric |date= 21 October 2015 |magazine= Popular Mechanics }}</ref><ref name=CNBC-2018-06-07>{{cite news |url= https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/07/jay-leno-drives-a-750000-copy-of-the-back-to-the-future-delorean.html |title= This $750,000 replica of the 'Back to the Future' DeLorean looks great—there's just one problem |author=Blumberg, Yoni |date= 7 June 2018 |publisher= CNBC }}</ref>

The '''DMC-24''' was a proposal for a 4-seater [[sedan (automobile)|sedan]] car retaining the general shape and gull-wing doors of the DeLorean. Several designs were drafted. One design, a 2-door, had the doors and cabin of the DeLorean stretched to allow rear entry and rear seating. Another design had a separate set of rear doors. The 4- door design was produced as a rolling mock-up by [[ItalDesign]], based on the [[Lancia Medusa]] concept car. The bill for the ItalDesign version was unpaid by DMC, and ItalDesign modified it to become the [[Lamborghini Marco Polo]] concept car.<ref name="Jalopnik-2013-04-11">{{cite web |url= https://jalopnik.com/the-proposed-delorean-sedan-is-as-coke-tastically-80s-472089598 |title= The Proposed DeLorean Sedan Is As Coke-Tastically '80s As You'd Imagine |author=Petrány, Máté |date= 11 April 2013 |publisher= Jalopnik }}</ref><ref name="Jalopnik-2018-09-14">{{Cite episode |title=The Only Custom Built 4-Seat "DMC-24" DeLorean |episode-link= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzRUjJfKZLI |access-date= |series=Build of the Week |series-link= |author=<!--Not stated--> |work=Jalopnik |network=Youtube |date=14 September 2018 |season=1 |number=1 }}</ref><ref name="DeLoreanMuseum-DMC24sketches">{{cite web |url= https://www.deloreanmuseum.org/dmc-24-sketches.html |title= Dmc-24 sedan sketches |website= The DeLorean Museum |date= 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Jalopnik-2013-04-12">{{cite web |url= https://jalopnik.com/the-secret-history-of-the-delorean-that-became-a-lambor-472631160 |title= The Secret History Of The DeLorean That Became A Lamborghini Sedan |author=Petrány, Máté |date= 12 April 2013 |publisher= Jalopnik }}</ref>

The '''DMC-44''' was a proposal for a lightweight [[Four-wheel drive|4×4]] [[off-road vehicle]] using the [[drivetrain]] and other components from the [[Polski Fiat 126p]].<ref name="wills-dmc44">{{cite book |last1=Wills |first1=Barrie |title=John Z, the Delorean & Me: Tales from an Insider |date=2015 |publisher=DeLorean Garage | page=103}}</ref> The design is similar to the French [[Lohr Fardier]] paratrooper utility vehicle and DeLorean brought one to their headquarters for study.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Branch |first1=Ben |title=John DeLorean's 1976 Lohr Fardier 4×4 Is For Sale |url=https://silodrome.com/john-delorean-lohr-fardier-4x4/ |website=Silodrome |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=2023-01-01}}</ref> A tubular steel frame prototype was produced, and the company produced a promotional video to attract investors to the project. There would have been two versions; one a dedicated off-roader, the other road legal.<ref name=Jalopnik-2013-04-11/><ref name=DMC44promo>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/XtYgS2_S88Y Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140321182831/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtYgS2_S88Y Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video |author= DeLorean Motor Company |publisher= DeLorean Museum |work= Youtube |title= DMC-44 - The DeLorean off-road vehicle|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtYgS2_S88Y |date= 1979 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=Jalopnik-2017-03-10>{{cite web |url= https://jalopnik.com/delorean-once-considered-building-this-amazing-tiny-off-1793160961 |title= DeLorean Once Considered Building This Amazing Tiny Off-Road Vehicle |author=Torchinsky, Jason |date= 10 March 2017 |publisher= Jalopnik }}</ref>

A DMC bus, theThe '''DMC-80''', was a proposal for a bus which was mooted in the fall of 1981, with a variety of 6-cylinder engines and transmissions. The company produced a promotional brochure for public transit corporations. The bus would have been an Americanized German low-floor bus produced in the United States.<ref name=Jalopnik-2013-04-11/><ref name=DeloreanMuseum-DMC80brochure>{{cite web |url= https://www.deloreanmuseum.org/dmc-80-brochure.html |title= Dmc-80 Bus Brochure |website= The DeLorean Museum |date= 2018 }}</ref><ref name=DMC80brochure>{{cite book |url= http://www.babbtechnology.com/Collect/DMC80/index.htm |title= DeLorean DMC-80 Brochure |format= DeLorean Motor Company |publisher= Babb Technology }}</ref>