Whether John Z. DeLorean was merely a car guy with a tragic life trajectory or a sociopath has been an ongoing debate here at Indie Auto. Thus, I was intrigued to come across David E. Davis’s recollections about DeLorean during a six-hour interview that Jamie Kitman (2011) of Motor Trend conducted only three weeks before the media tycoon died at the age of 80.
“[Pontiac general manager, later Chevrolet general manager, then VP for all GM car and truck production, John Z.] De Lorean was rapidly becoming a problem. He was a crook, a liar, irresponsible. There was nobody quite like him. I mean, there was nobody at General Motors during the years when I was involved with him that would have run the scam on both the Irish and the British governments and probably nobody, even some of the really slimy guys, would have been caught in a cocaine thing the way John was.
John kind of thought he was bulletproof, that he could do about anything he wanted to do. One time, we went to De Lorean’s house for dinner. John and his wife left the room. John’s lawyer was sitting across from me, and he said, ‘Boy, I’ll tell you something, he’s an interesting guy.’ I said, ‘Why do you say that?’ And he said, ‘Well, do you see that chandelier? There’s a queer in New York that has called me four times in tears because John owes him $1700 for that chandelier, and John just won’t pay it. He figures he doesn’t have to. And he’s got stuff like that going on all over the country.'”
If Davis’s story was true, does DeLorean sound a bit like someone else who has recently been in the news? What is it about American culture that allows people like this to rise to the top?
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RE:SOURCES
- Kitman, Jamie; 2011. “The Last Words of David E. Davis, Jr..” Motor Trend. Posted June 27.
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- autohistorypreservationsociety.org: DeLorean (1981)
I won’t speak of his doppelganger, I want this to keep apolitical. However for a guy who could think outside of a box like GM’s that could contain Shrodiger’s cat and get away with it is going to take a special type of person, probably amoral, probably narcissistic, and highly mission-focused. Were he not he would probably end up as regional manager in the Department of Redundancy Department waiting for his boss to retire for a shot at promotion.
Let’s keep the car blogs more apolitical. This is where I go for a break.
I can’t undo my journalism training, which pounded into me the importance of covering topics even if they are unpopular. The automobile is powerfully influenced by what happens in the political realm — so I cover it. That is particularly the case right now, when the tectonic plates of American politics are shifting in fundamental ways to the point where they are impacting other nations with large auto industries.
Indie Auto is structured like a magazine in that offers a variety of content. Those who do not wish to read “political” content can focus on what’s interesting to them. Or, if they can’t bear the sight of anything political, there are quite a few other auto history sites that will meet that need. What’s the point of having Indie Auto if it copied what is readily available elsewhere?
I don’t mind reporting on issues like tariffs or a debate on not letting California dictate emissions standards for the rest of the nation. If you’re going to allude to someone in the news, name the person. People on the left might imagine one newsmaker while people on the right might imagine a different person. Neither party has a monopoly on graft.
I was drawing attention to a cultural pattern. I don’t see automotive history as infotainment for bored retirees, but rather as a method for using the lessons of the past to more gracefully navigate the present and future. How is it that people like DeLorean keep on reaching positions of power?
How is it that people like DeLorean keep on reaching positions of power?
Because they will do whatever it takes.
Sure they do. However, I think that good governance can make a difference. For example, DeLorean was reportedly pushed out of GM. If what was alleged about him was true, that was the right move. By the same token, American Motors was smart to steer clear of him.
I think that journalism can contribute to good governance by holding people accountable rather than engaging in hero worship. Unfortunately, the car-buff media tended to do the latter with DeLorean until his automobile company was in too obvious trouble to ignore. And after all these years, I don’t sense that things have changed much except that there are now more media outlets, so there are more chances for good journalism to get published.
DeLorean rose through the ranks at GM because he was a gifted engineer who also possessed an astute understanding of what car buyers of that era wanted.
He was smart enough to listen to marketing whiz Jim Wangers, which helped the GTO become more than just a decent seller. The car became part of pop culture, thanks to the savvy marketing and promotional efforts of Wangers.
Thanks to the efforts of DeLorean and Wangers, the Firebird, which was given to Pontiac at the last minute, became more than a Camaro with a different nose and GTO taillights. He also launched what would become one of the hottest segments of the 1970s – the intermediate personal luxury coupe – by reducing the size of the bloated Grand Prix and giving the 1969 model very expressive styling (while upping the price over the larger 1968 version at the same time!). That was a bold move for the late 1960s.
By all accounts, he also initially handled the administrative responsibilities of his positions well.
No doubt GM’s stultifying bureaucracy initially kept him in line. After several years of success, he “believed his own press clippings,” and began chafing against its confines and pulling shenanigans like the one involving the chandelier.
I once read an article where the author claimed that Ed Cole’s widow, Dollie (now deceased, as well) confided that DeLorean had actually been fired by GM. Whether this is true or not is now impossible to tell, but one wonders if DeLorean’s reluctance to approve the final version of his “tell-all” book stemmed from a fear of what GM might reveal in retaliation.
His trial and acquittal presaged that of another high-profile trial – that of O.J. Simpson. Like Simpson, he was acquitted thanks to the effective work of his attorney, and some skepticism of the government’s tactics. And, like Simpson, he found that while he “won” and avoided prison, the trial left his public image in tatters over the long haul.
After the trial and verdict, most people just wanted him to…go away.
Just like O. J. Simpson.
Good points. I recall many years after the trial that Automotive News had a brief story about DeLorean planning a new sports car that promised unusually high 0-60 times for that time period — but would now be common among supercars. The article displayed a skepticism reserved for the likes of Malcolm Bricklin. DeLorean had lost his credibility, yet he couldn’t stay away from the auto industry.