The Delorean had a number of other problems other than just John D. and his mistakes.
1 - The first cars produced out of the plant in Belfast were terrible quality, so much so that they had to be rebuilt at a plant in Los Angeles. They were just horrible quality. Eventually they got things sorted out, though.
2 - It's heavy. The stainless steel body was very, very heavy for how powerful the engine was - a Delorean weighed about 2800 lbs, and had just 130 horsepower. The first engined cars struggled to get to 60 miles an hour in ten seconds. They needed a more powerful engine than the PRV V6. Delorean developed a twin-turbocharged version, and the Back to the Future cars had engines form Porsche 911s.
3 - Stainless steel bodywork is a pain in the ass to keep clean. Every little fingermark is readily visible. Some Deloreans were repainted later on in different colors, and some just put a clearcoat over the brushed stainless - which Delorean IMO shoulda done in the first place.
In the decadent 1980s however, had Delorean survived, they probably would have sold quite well, especially once they got the engine sorted out and the bodywork was settled.
My guess at a different history would be this:
1976 - The original plan to go with the Wankel Rotary engine is scrapped due to fuel economy concerns. (OOC: Rotaries get terrible gas mileage in every case that ever made it to production.) The PRV V6 is put in its place, but it becomes apparent to many that the car will likely be underpowered.
1977-1980 - The plant to build them at Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, is built as the car is engineered. Lotus does the engineering and does its usual masterful job. Colin Chapman openly gushes about DeLorean's commitment to the vehicle. Realizing the world market, DeLorean has Lotus engineer two versions, one left hand drive (for North America and Continental Europe) and one right hand drive (for the British Isles, Japan, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa).
1981 - the first production cars roll off the line in Dunmurry. The first number of cars were built to test out the production system, and the myriad quality control problems are fixed. These early test vehicles also show a few small but annoying flaws in the cars - inadequate alternators that caused charge to run out, poor radio reception, slightly flaky trim pieces, different gas caps and filler doors, a dead pedal and grab straps for the big doors.
The car comes to rapid acclaim in the United States. The Gullwing doors are unquestionably a style piece, and the car's extensive, thorough engineering is impressive. The car has a few flaws, namely a high ride height and its anemic V6 engine. Despite this, the cars sells very well, over 14,000 cars sold in 1981, over 2/3 in the United States. The car gets its first major media break when it is the chariot for a pair of beautiful women in Hal Needham's Cannonball Run. (OOC: These ladies are the rivals to the beauties in the Countach, FYI.)
1982 - The right hand drive car is shown at the Birmingham Motor Show to a great fanfare. The car the Birmingham show also has the conceptual twin-tubocharged version of the PRV V6, producing in European trim an impressive 285 horsepower despite noticeable turbo lag. Sales stay strong as the car is introduced in Brazil and Argentina, which does add to the sales totals.
1983 - the right hand drive version goes on sale in the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. Sales climb past 25,000 in 1983. The car gains new refinements, such as electric seats, power windows, fog lights and new color options for both the interior and exterior.
1984 - The turbocharged Delorean comes into production, making 285 horsepower in European trim, 235 horsepower in American trim. Thanks to higher-octane fuel and a re-map, Japanese cars are the most powerful of all - 296 horsepower. The car has gained a little weight and suffers from turbo lag, but when the turbos are on the DMC-12T version absolutely flies - 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds for the American version, 6 seconds flat for the European version. Later-model fuel injection is added to late 1984, improving fuel economy.
The DMC-12T has pretty much rid the original DeLorean of its flaws, and is becoming a style icon. In the movies again in Beverly Hills Cop and Cannonball Run II, the car itself is almost becoming a symbol of a wild decade.
1985 - The first bodywork changes are limited to no grooves in the hood and new front spoilers, as well as an optional rear wing. The 1985 models are the last year where the brushed stainless bodywork is standard equipment, though it is a no-charge option throughout the life of the DMC-12.
The car gets its break that would make it famous in legendary sci-fi cult movie Back To The Future, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. It also appears in more films, including To Live and Die in L.A. and in the TV show Miami Vice, where it is a car regularly driven by character Ricardo Tubbs. Sales top 40,000 vehicles worldwide. Demand is so high that two new plants at Los Angeles, California and Geelong, Australia are planned to keep production going, as Dunmurry is getting overloaded.
1986 - DMC begins developing a new engine to power the DMC-12, to replace the PRV V6. As a result, the naturally-aspirated engine is canned, leaving all Deloreans with the twin-turbo power. Suspension refinements give better handling while retaining an excellent ride comfort. New brakes are also added to the refinement list.
1986 also sees the ultimate example of excess. American Express asked for 100 Deloreans with 24-karat gold plating, as a promotional offer to its gold card customers. All 100 are sold at a whopping $116,500 each.
Despite rising prices, the Delorean stays a bargain by stylish performance car standards, costing up to $41,200 for fully loaded cars, which is about 2/3 of the price of a comparable Porsche 911 turbo.
1987 - The first examples of a 3.4-liter twin turbo V6 are out running around in test cars by mid-year, and the results are proving impressive. Lotus also assists in the development here, as they wish to use this engine in the Lotus Esprit. The first dyno tests show this motor making as much as 325 horsepower, and getting around the turbo lag that was a problem on most DMC-12s.
Colin Chapman's death in 1982 had put Lotus into a few financial issues, which ended when GM bought Lotus in 1987. There was talk of DeLorean selling the company to GM, but these never materialized. General Motors had not forgotten the good man DeLorean had been to them, and was impressed with the quality of engineering on the DeLorean.
The plant at Geelong, Victoria opens in June 1987, and the plant in Los Angeles in November. In both cases some work is needed to bring the cars up to the quality of the cars produced at Dunmurry, but that process is pretty rapid - the workers, particularly in Los Angeles, are enthusiastic about building a car considered a style icon. The first few production cars from Los Angeles are used for filming in Wall Street and Rain Man.
