we knew then in 1973 DeLorean quits GM to create its own company, but what if instead of creating its own company, he goes to Ford or Chrysler or even AMC?
DeLorean moved to Ford, Chrysler or AMC?
- Thread starter Stéphane Dumas
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I don't really care about the details, only the overall sense of the man.
Did he decide to produce a car built to last and cheap to run, of quality the same whether bought in Poughkeepsie or San Diego, costing 35 dollars, tops, in any colour, so long as its black?
Did he hell. He produced a luxury sports car - the loss-leader end of the motor industry.
If this individual was so incompetent he had to turn to drug dealing to support his own company, I can't see he'd do any good for any other motor company.
Did he decide to produce a car built to last and cheap to run, of quality the same whether bought in Poughkeepsie or San Diego, costing 35 dollars, tops, in any colour, so long as its black?
Did he hell. He produced a luxury sports car - the loss-leader end of the motor industry.
If this individual was so incompetent he had to turn to drug dealing to support his own company, I can't see he'd do any good for any other motor company.
If he moved elsewhere, chances are he'd go where he could be top dog--or close to it--so I'd say AMC.
The Hornet would have been kept on and transformed into something akin to the original Hudson Hornet in terms of performance and panache. Otherwise, travesties like the Gremlin and the Pacer would never have seen the light of day.
I could see where marketing skills and the resources of AMC as it stood then could have led to a marque revival of Nash and Hudson, with echoes of some of the best of both such that today there might well be a Nash Ambassador at the top of the line, along with a Hudson Commodore, Hudson Hornet, Nash Lafayette, and Nash Statesman. And there would be pickups and 4WD vehicles on the Jeep platforms bearing both Jeep and Hudson badges.
The Hornet would have been kept on and transformed into something akin to the original Hudson Hornet in terms of performance and panache. Otherwise, travesties like the Gremlin and the Pacer would never have seen the light of day.
I could see where marketing skills and the resources of AMC as it stood then could have led to a marque revival of Nash and Hudson, with echoes of some of the best of both such that today there might well be a Nash Ambassador at the top of the line, along with a Hudson Commodore, Hudson Hornet, Nash Lafayette, and Nash Statesman. And there would be pickups and 4WD vehicles on the Jeep platforms bearing both Jeep and Hudson badges.
In the alternate timeline I've put forth where the major U.S. independent automakers from the 1950's survived, John DeLorean might have simply stayed at Studebaker-Packard, possibly becomming head of engineering.
DeLorean came to Packard in the late 1940's and helped to develop the Ultramatic transmission. Packard was the only independent to develop their own automatic transmission. I think he also helped to work on the Torsion-Level suspension. So he might have simply stayed at Studebaker-Packard Corporation.
DeLorean came to Packard in the late 1940's and helped to develop the Ultramatic transmission. Packard was the only independent to develop their own automatic transmission. I think he also helped to work on the Torsion-Level suspension. So he might have simply stayed at Studebaker-Packard Corporation.
Fearless Leader
Donor
More importantly, If DeLorean didn't start up his own company the DMC-12 probably wouldn't have seen the light of day.
That leaves one fundamental question
What kind of car does Doc Brown use for the time machine in Back to the Future?
That leaves one fundamental question
What kind of car does Doc Brown use for the time machine in Back to the Future?
I imagine it would be some type of muscle car, like a Corvette or Mustang. Humor-wise I would like it to be an Edsel.
The Mists Of Time said:
And had that happened, I could see an über-American Motors that would have taken in Kaiser/Frazer, Willys, Nash, Hudson--and possibly even Checker. Can you imagine what the 2006 Hudson Hornet might look like?
Count Dearborn said:
Don't worry Count Dearborn, I'm sure they would have found another way out looking sportscar to use instead. Perhaps a Studebaker Avanti?
1940LaSalle said:
I would much rather see a 2006 Hudson Hornet than I would a 2006 Honda, Nissan, or Toyota. Given what a 1949 through 54 step down Hudson looked like a 2006 Hudson would probably be a very attractive streamlined car. The 55 through 57 Hudsons were pretty cars too.
But you know me, I'd also like to see a 2006 Studebaker, 2006 Packard, 2006 Clipper, 2006 Nash and Rambler, and a 2006 Kaiser, 2006 Frazer, and a 2006 Willys. Probably had that happened we wouldn't be seeing a 2006 Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or other such imports.
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We all know what you want, TMoT. I agree with you that seeing more American-made cars would be nice, but that ain't happening unless modern day Japan, Korea, Germany, and Sweden are suddenly ISOTed to 1 million BC.
But Back to the Future just wouldn't be the same without the DeLorean.
But Back to the Future just wouldn't be the same without the DeLorean.
Archangel Michael said:But Back to the Future just wouldn't be the same without the DeLorean.
Please excuse me if I have this misspelled, but would something like a Lamborgini work for Back To The Future?
pacifichistorian
Banned
That's obvious: a Bricklin.What kind of car does Doc Brown use for the time machine in Back to the Future?
But it'd fall apart at the end, so there'd be no trilogy. (Is that a bad thing?)
Sorta OT: If it wasn't the Delorean, it would need to be something futuristic and wild - and yeah, a Countach would probably get the nod. Especially since you couldn't legally drive them in the USA in 1985.
Back on topic:
DeLorean, with OTL history, had he left GM and not gone and wanted to build his own car, he'd probably have ended up consulting for a while, then going to Ford after Henry Ford II fired Iacocca in 1978. He'd then probably run Ford until he retires, which would probably be late '80s.
ATL: Well, the possibilities here are wide-open. Had Studebaker been able to work with AMC, and brought out their pony car design they had in 1962, they'd have beaten Ford to the punch - and probably the money, too. Hence, four-way musclecar war by 1970 - Javelin, Mustang, Camaro, Challenger.
Assuming this American Motors stays working on higher-technology cars than what Detroit did, They'd have an easier time taking on the imports once they got their act together, which they did by the mid 1970s. This would allow them to have a much easier time in the 1970s, which would likely help the smaller car revolution. Hence, the J-car and Escort come out better than they did in OTL.
A fitter Detroit makes life harder for the imports. I don't doubt that Toyota, Honda and Nissan would make it, but I can imagine here that VW after their Westmoreland plant failing pulls out of the US entirely in the mid to late 1980s. Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru might be in the same boat. American Motors would make the Big 3 the Big 4, though AMC's much greater experiences with small cars and smaller-displacement engines would give them an advantage. As Honda largely plays as a technologically-advanced second to Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi in Japan, so would AMC in North America.
Iacocca would probably still bring about Chrysler's early 1980s rescue, and as the small cars of the time - Escort, Cavalier, K-car, AMC's offerings - come out better, there is more enthusiasm - and sales - for smaller automobiles.
Now suppose that Clinton does not change the CAFE rules to allow exemptiosn for SUVs. This keeps the car market strong, and forces the imports to play on a much tougher playing field.
Back on topic:
DeLorean, with OTL history, had he left GM and not gone and wanted to build his own car, he'd probably have ended up consulting for a while, then going to Ford after Henry Ford II fired Iacocca in 1978. He'd then probably run Ford until he retires, which would probably be late '80s.
ATL: Well, the possibilities here are wide-open. Had Studebaker been able to work with AMC, and brought out their pony car design they had in 1962, they'd have beaten Ford to the punch - and probably the money, too. Hence, four-way musclecar war by 1970 - Javelin, Mustang, Camaro, Challenger.
Assuming this American Motors stays working on higher-technology cars than what Detroit did, They'd have an easier time taking on the imports once they got their act together, which they did by the mid 1970s. This would allow them to have a much easier time in the 1970s, which would likely help the smaller car revolution. Hence, the J-car and Escort come out better than they did in OTL.
A fitter Detroit makes life harder for the imports. I don't doubt that Toyota, Honda and Nissan would make it, but I can imagine here that VW after their Westmoreland plant failing pulls out of the US entirely in the mid to late 1980s. Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru might be in the same boat. American Motors would make the Big 3 the Big 4, though AMC's much greater experiences with small cars and smaller-displacement engines would give them an advantage. As Honda largely plays as a technologically-advanced second to Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi in Japan, so would AMC in North America.
Iacocca would probably still bring about Chrysler's early 1980s rescue, and as the small cars of the time - Escort, Cavalier, K-car, AMC's offerings - come out better, there is more enthusiasm - and sales - for smaller automobiles.
Now suppose that Clinton does not change the CAFE rules to allow exemptiosn for SUVs. This keeps the car market strong, and forces the imports to play on a much tougher playing field.
Interesting idea, but had DeLorean worked on the Javelin - assuming that he goes to AMC instead of Ford - it would probably have to be a different Javelin than in OTL.
This is true. Perhaps Richard Teague and DeLorean both work on the Javelin. The current one is a gorgeous car, but perhaps it comes out with better suspension and brakes.
Knowing of Studebaker's work with forced induction, them as part of ANC might be able to have a supercharged V6 version of the Javelin, producing all of the V8's performance but with better fuel economy.