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John DeLorean Obituary
DeLorean died Saturday at Overlook Hospital in S ummit, N.J., of complications from a recent stroke, said Paul Connell, an owner of A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors in Royal Oak, Mich., which was handling arrangements.
DeLorean, whose namesake car was turned into a time machine in the "Back to the Future" movies, was among just a handful of U.S. entrepreneurs who dared start a car company in the last 75 years.
DeLorean "broke the mold" of staid Midwestern auto executives by pushing General Motors Corp. to offer smaller models, auto historians said.
While at GM, he created what some consider the first "muscle car" in 1964 by cramming a V-8 engine into a Pontiac Tempest and calling it the GTO.
Although he was a rising if unconventional executive at GM, and was believed by many to be destined for its presidency, he quit in 1973 to launch the DeLorean Motor Car Co. in Northern Ireland.
Eight years later, the DeLorean DMC-12 hit the streets with its unpainted stainless steel skin and gull-wing doors.
Its angular design earned it a cult following, and the car was a time-traveling vehicle for Michael J. Fox in the "Back to the Future" films of the late 1980s.
However, the factory produced only about 8,900 cars in three years, estimated John Truscott, membership director of the DeLorean Owners Association.
DeLorean's company collapsed in 1983, a year after he was arrested in Los Angeles, accused in a sting of conspiring to sell $24 million of cocaine to salvage the company.
DeLorean used an entrapment defense to win acquittal on the drug charges in 1984, despite a surveillance videotape in which he was shown calling a suitcase full of cocaine "good as gold."
He was later cleared of defrauding his investors, but continuing legal entanglements kept him on the sidelines of the automotive world. He declared bankruptcy in 1999.
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press
35 Entries
John Rooney
October 22, 2021
A man who stove hard and drove fast. People like John DeLorean, people who strike out on their own, should have a well-deserved place in history.
Robert Spinello
October 2, 2021
The Chevy-Cosworth Vega was John Z. DeLorean's vision of the performance car of the 1970s and beyond. He nailed it. 50 years on, domestic and foreign, from Camaros to Cadillacs to Audis are powered by a 2-Liter, fuel-injected, twin-cam four-cylinder aluminum engine. RIP.
James Charles Torreele
November 20, 2020
Many did not understand Mr. John Z. Delorean.
John presented himself to the people with a first step to the future.
John Z. Delorean was a professional .
Ralph Howe
December 25, 2018
Is his younger brotherstill alive, we were in same fraternity in Long Beach Calif, in 1958- 59
How you can show support
Frjebddir Maher
March 25, 2017
From one old car guy to another rest in peace John your work here is done.Thanks for putting all those great ideas to good use .
Harry Simpson
March 19, 2015
Thank you for sharing a part of your life with us. My generation will always remember the Pontiac GTO.
Rest John, until you hear at dawn,
the low, clear reveille of God.
Thank you for your service to this nation.
John Lividotti
September 18, 2010
John;
I was the first person you hired at Pontiac and I worked with you for 8 years, I considered it a privilage. you mad a few mistakes but left the world much more. I will miss you.
John Lividotti
March 30, 2010
For John...
WEEP NOT FOR ME
Do not weep for me when I no longer dwell among the wonders of the earth; for my larger self is free, and my soul rejoices on the other side of pain...on the other side of darkness.
Do not weep for me, for I am a ray of sunshine that touches your skin, a tropical breeze upon your face, the hush of joy within your heart and the innocence of babes in mothers arms.
I am the hope in a darkened night. And, in your hour of need, I will be there to comfort you. I will share your tears, your joys, your fears, your disappointments and your triumphs.
Do not weep for me, for I am cradled
in the arms of God. I walk with the angels, and hear the music beyond the stars.
Do not weep for me, for I am within you;
I am peace, love, I am a soft wind that caresses the flowers. I am the calm that follows a raging storm. I am an autumns leaf that floats among the garden of God, and I am pure white snow that softly falls upon your hand.
Do not weep for me, for I shall never die, as long as you remember me...
with a smile and a sigh.
© Joe Fazio
~
[email protected] /Joe Fazio,
Beverly Hills, California
Thomas A. Engel
March 11, 2007
To John's Family: March 12, 07
The 1st time I had the pleasure to meet John was in the GM Pontiac Design Studio. At all of 18 years I was impressed by his quite professionalism. Over the years at GM I became more impressed with John's Leadership as man of integrity & class. John was truly a man ahead of his time in a large bureaucratic organization like GM. He had a dream & vision that was difficult to find in automotive circles; clarity of purpose in automotive technology. Man of inspiration to those of us who worked with & for him at GM. Zackary JR. your father was a decent man a man of his word.
[email protected]
jose eduardo pacheco gonzalez
August 30, 2006
i'm from mexico. i only want to say that delorean is the one of greatest engeneering of all times biside only a few pearsons. i would desire that the dmc 12 could back someday. viva delorean!!!!!!!!!
Dan Banici
February 26, 2006
As a Romanian immigrant myself, I was always fascinated by John and his accomplishments. May he rest in peace. I was unaware that he passed away. Last I read about him I thought he lived somewhenre in Connecticut.
Dumnezeu sa-l ierte; he was an inspiration to many.
laura mcfeat
June 18, 2005
I wish that the DeLorean was still made. I always wished him a very happy life. May all of us do as well.
Mike Cipriano
May 4, 2005
I met John one day on Copperwaith Rd, near his estate in 1996. He was a regular person and we spoke about cars. This great man accomplished much for many. My best wishes to his family.
Ralph Isenberg
March 27, 2005
As a former DMC owner, and a fan of the man/car/company since the beginning, heartfelt wishes to the family, and thank you for sharing this great man and his ideas with us.
Anthony Patti
March 25, 2005
My regrets and prayers go out to the family of what was truely a gentleman and innovator.
Jennifer Gore
March 25, 2005
I would like to personally extend my sympathy to John's family and friends. His legacy to the automotive world will never be forgotten. His dream lives on through his many accomplishments. I have traveled to many different states and events with my husband in our Delorean DMC-12, and have met many different people, who all have one thing in common. They have all been brought together because of John Delorean's realization of his dream. His dream of creating a truly unique automobile. What he accomplished during his lifetime will never be forgotten.
Sally Alessi
March 24, 2005
Prayers and condolences to the Family.Mr.DeLorean,rest in peace, and Thank You-- mostly because of your vision; you made it possible for us baby boomers to own,for a small price, the cars that dreams are made of--beautiful works of art; and the great memories to remember for a lifetime driving in those cars on a Friday Or Saturday night down Woodward Avenue....There will not be another to put GM on the map ever again.Your prescence will surely be missed.
Mike Polzin
March 24, 2005
My condolences and prayers go out to the family of what was truely a great man. To John, thanks for delivering my dream.
Richard A Caliendo Jr
March 24, 2005
I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Delorean family. John Delorean was my earliest idol. He has inspired and forged my entrepreneurial spirit for as far back as I can remember. Through it all John, you had style and grace. Thank you, Rest in Peace.
rodney rael
March 23, 2005
Sincerest condolences to the family. A truly larger than life character. I am proud to own a DMC12 My dream car since I was 20. John a true pioneer and legend. YOU WILL BE MISSED.
Robert Price
March 23, 2005
Great man , great car. I'm proud to own one of his cars. I wish his family great faith and send my deepest condolances.May God Bless and comfort you during this time of bereavement.
Lisa Conner
March 23, 2005
I would like to express my condolences to the entire Delorean family. I had the pleasure of meeting John in 1998 at his home in New Jersey, and again at an event in Cleveland in 2000. As a prior owner of the Delorean, I agree with Gary that the auto industry, and the world as a whole, has a lost a great man of vision. His dream lives on with every DMC owner.
Ryan Wright
March 23, 2005
John DeLorean will never be forgotten. He was a true visionary, one of the few with the inspiration and drive to create something so amazing. I deeply regret that I never had the chance to meet the man; to thank him for making his dream a reality, for inspiring so many. His work brings deep joy to my life every day.
The dream lives on, now and forever.
My deepest sympathy to John’s family; our prayers are with you.
Ryan Wright
DeLorean Vin #5447 “Timeles”
Gary Gore
March 23, 2005
I would like to express my condolences to the entire Delorean family. I had the pleasure of meeting John in 1998 at his home in New Jersey, and again at an event in Cleveland in 2000. I am a proud owner of the car that bears his name, the Delorean DMC-12. The auto industry, and the world as a whole, has a lost a great man of vision. His dream lives on for me every time I turn the key.
March 22, 2005
Mr. DeLorean should be admired and remembered for his foresight and contributions to American's great tradition of innovation. His influence will live on.
Linda Montgomery
March 22, 2005
I met John many years ago at a FGBMFI gathering.
He was a gift to us all; a man with a searching mind, not satisfied with the status quo - a pioneer spirit.
My sympathies to those he leaves behind.
RAY YOHN
March 21, 2005
A great innovator,A man with great ideas that went by us with no followers...We need more of his kind.
john pfister
March 21, 2005
I was saddened to hear of his passing. He was a very inspiring man. My heart goes out to his family. His legacy will live on in the form of a Stainless Steel work of Art.
Charles G. Turner, Sr. & Family
March 21, 2005
May God Bless and comfort you during this time of bereavement.
Donald Fowler
March 21, 2005
Mr. John Z. DeLorean was a great man and an innovator of the automobile. I remember reading his book, "DeLorean" when I was in college. It moved me to look at him as an American hero. I never met the man, but I am sure that he was as tall in character as he was in stature. He is a truly great American.
Susan Glover-Black
March 21, 2005
My boys (now grown) have always loved the "DeLorean" and consider John DeLorean a genius. My heart goes out to his family.
Walter Franklin
March 21, 2005
Mr. DeLorean's daughter, Kathryn,was a "summer friend" of my 3 children while attending summer camp in Gladstone. We chatted on numerous occasions while swapping kids for stayovers. Mr. DeLorean was always warm and friendly. Kathryn was a delight. My now fully grown sons and daughter with families of their own have often reflected back upon the pleasure of those experiences and that ever so brief friendship. Mr. DeLorean made the very best of a difficult life. He will be fondly remembered by those who knew him best.
Donald Harris
March 21, 2005
This was a great man, and inovator to the auto industry. Meet him at the DeLoreon plant in Santa Ana. Great person
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