John Delorean

John DeLorean was the eldest son of an automobile foundry worker, which was in Detroit. He spent all of his younger years growing up around cars with his father working at Ford Motor Company. John had a very rough childhood, but after graduating from high school he attended Lawrence Institute of Technolo- gy and came out of there with a scholarship. After graduating he went on to the Chrysler Institute to get his masters degree, and later went to school at nights so he could complete his MBA. After all John's educati- on cars DeLorean worked as an insurance salesman. Soon after he started he left and took employment with Packard. While John was with Packard he helped develop the Ultramatic, which was the first transmission to use an aluminum housing.

After working a Packard not too long Semon Knudsen, a GM legend, picked up DeLorean to become a chief engineer for Pontiac.

John Hay Residence

DeLorean DMC12

John DeLorean

Knudsen had planned to have he and DeLorean make cars to get "the young crowd", to buy. So DeLorean put a big engine into the Pontiac Tempest, the new creation became known as the G.T.O. They created the G.T.O. without being approved by GM management, because DeLorean thought that that GM would throw his great idea away. The G.T.O. was expected to fail miserably, but when it came out in 1964 the G.T.O sold over 31,00 and 312,000 over the next four years. The sales of the G.T.O. was said to save the Pontiac division (GM was unhappy that DeLorean didn't get it approved). Because of the G.T.O.'s great success he was promoted to General Manager of Chevrolet in 1969. DeL- orean's next ingenious idea was to put rubber blocks to make the car much quieter and improve the ride.

Making Chevrolet a much nicer and...