WI: DeLorean Motor Company a Success?



John Zachary DeLorean. Some see him as a failed maverick. Others see him as a crook who barely dodged the law.

His legacy was one of the most unique sports cars ever built.

But what if he had succeeded?

Let's say he manages to ride out the economic recession of the early 80s, avoids the drug charges, remains in good graces with the government of Northern Ireland, and puts in a little more work building the car.

How would a successful DeLorean car company have changed the world?
 
Perhaps being built at Mallusk instead of Dunmurry, using a Ferguson Formula 4X4 to tighten ties to Belfast and a descent engine would’ve helped.
 

Marc

Donor
So, would we see more auto start-ups in the future, due to the success of DeLorean?

TeamTimeCar.com-BTTF_DeLorean_Time_Machine-OtoGodfrey.com-JMortonPhoto.com-07.jpg


We would see this as Detroit's salvation...
 
Yes, but how would a surviving DeLorean car company change the auto industry?
As much as De Tomaso did with their Pantera.

For the non-car Nerds, that's 'Not very Much'

It's hard to have a working DMC and John Delorean running it at the same time.

Built in the wrong country with the wrong components with the wrong guy as Chairman

Doing some handwaving.

1st PoD John D gets bumped on the head after his 1st marriage, and isn't so much a playboy as OTL. He still is one, just a little more straight dealing with people. It's a low bar.

1975, when he was first thinking of doing the mid-engined, wankel powered sportcar that eventually became the DMC-12,
gets the old Ford Assembly Plant in Dallas for cheap.
Good transportation links, and infrastructure. There's still people around who had worked there, when it was shuttered in 1970.

Get some tax financing/State aid to restart production, and open as a non-Union Plant to get the local Pols to opt-in

Unlike the Irish Government OTL, Texans are used to dealing with connivers like John, so he would have to produce a business plan that's founded in reality.
For motors, he gets a deal for the Buick 350 V8, a bit smaller and lighter than the Chevy V8, and use the Olds Toronado TH425 transaxle.

That gives good power and reliability for the 1979 model year, and not horrible gas mileage
 
As much as De Tomaso did with their Pantera.

For the non-car Nerds, that's 'Not very Much'

It's hard to have a working DMC and John Delorean running it at the same time.

Built in the wrong country with the wrong components with the wrong guy as Chairman

Doing some handwaving.

1st PoD John D gets bumped on the head after his 1st marriage, and isn't so much a playboy as OTL. He still is one, just a little more straight dealing with people. It's a low bar.

1975, when he was first thinking of doing the mid-engined, wankel powered sportcar that eventually became the DMC-12,
gets the old Ford Assembly Plant in Dallas for cheap.
Good transportation links, and infrastructure. There's still people around who had worked there, when it was shuttered in 1970.

Get some tax financing/State aid to restart production, and open as a non-Union Plant to get the local Pols to opt-in

Unlike the Irish Government OTL, Texans are used to dealing with connivers like John, so he would have to produce a business plan that's founded in reality.
For motors, he gets a deal for the Buick 350 V8, a bit smaller and lighter than the Chevy V8, and use the Olds Toronado TH425 transaxle.

That gives good power and reliability for the 1979 model year, and not horrible gas mileage

So you think the Texas government would be willing to fork over the financing?
 

Marc

Donor
Oh, so DeLorean's success would lead to pride among American workers, and a resurgence of American manufacturing?

Even though the car was built in Ireland?

Definitely, the flux capacitor is a major game changer since it is an all American design...
 
So you think the Texas government would be willing to fork over the financing?

Some of the financing. Texas was looking into tax increment financing at this time
OTL, John was really into screwing over his investors, private and public, so he could do the jetset life with his latest trophy wife.
All IMO. he went to Ireland because he saw a real bunch of desperate marks, willing to sign anything, and he felt he could take them to the cleaners, while making a passable car, that was none of the things he promised up front, an inexpensive sporty car that would get good MPGs

He was a 1st degree charlatan and bunko artist whos deeds would have embarrassed the fictional Sgt. Bilko
 
It's hard to have a working DMC and John Delorean running it at the same time.

Built in the wrong country with the wrong components with the wrong guy as Chairman

gets the old Ford Assembly Plant in Dallas for cheap. Get some tax financing/State aid to restart production, and open as a non-Union Plant to get the local Pols to opt-in

Unlike the Irish Government OTL, Texans are used to dealing with connivers like John, so he would have to produce a business plan that's founded in reality.
For motors, he gets a deal for the Buick 350 V8, a bit smaller and lighter than the Chevy V8, and use the Olds Toronado TH425 transaxle.

So you think the Texas government would be willing to fork over the financing?

Some of the financing. Texas was looking into tax increment financing at this time

All IMO. he went to Ireland because he saw a real bunch of desperate marks, willing to sign anything, and he felt he could take them to the cleaners, while making a passable car, that was none of the things he promised up front, an inexpensive sporty car that would get good MPGs

cannot dispute the shady dealings, but no one else could have sold the project but JZD?

IMO DMC was a limited success, only undermined by (frantic) overproduction and too high overhead in their (penthouse) US operations.

a smarter (or at least more possible) scenario would have been to let Valmet (Finland) assemble the car for them using the PRV engines (they financed) that kind of outsourcing commonplace now. the whole reason they started looking at Europe was makers would sell engines and parts in more limited volumes.

it was proven they could sell a few thousand cars a year. if lucky they would have moved quickly upmarket to selling hundreds though? similar to Delorean's plan to relaunch using Mercedes engines with an Isdera design. at that kind of volume they could have moved to assembly themselves, my suggestion would be the Detroit area (Collins the original chief engineer landed a deal to assemble motor homes in Pontiac MI, that might have been feasible choice)
 

kernals12

Banned
Starting a brand new successful car company is almost impossible, especially when the company's founder is a kleptomaniac systemically embezzling corporate money to support his lavish lifestyle.
 
Such a company enters the market to compete with Corvette, Alfa and Lamborghini. A limited market. Can it expand downward; then it might be a major marketer. BMW seems to have moved from the top down to the upper-middle.
 

kernals12

Banned
Such a company enters the market to compete with Corvette, Alfa and Lamborghini. A limited market. Can it expand downward; then it might be a major marketer. BMW seems to have moved from the top down to the upper-middle.
One of these things is not like the other.
 

kernals12

Banned
The 70s and 80s, it must be noted, were not a good time for exotic carmakers. The energy crisis, high interest rates, and insurance costs left them hemorrhaging money year after year. Even without any accounting fraud, DeLorean would still struggle hard.
 
Best case scenario is one of the big boys makes him an offer he can't pass up.

I'm a little surprised nobody has copied the design (doors pop out and up, digital dashboard) for nostalgia/pop culture reasons.
 
Perhaps being built at Mallusk instead of Dunmurry, using a Ferguson Formula 4X4 to tighten ties to Belfast and a descent engine would’ve helped.

The engine could be an ATL 2.8-4.3-litre+ PRV V8 (derived from the PRV V6 with 4-litre+ variants essentially being doubled-up Douvrin engines that were built in the same factory), in essence a production version of the originally planned PRV V8.

However it might not have changed much even had the company acquired the rights to produce the Triumph TR7/TR8, since Margret Thatcher's view of the company was likely influenced by her younger years in Grantham by controversial MP Denis Kendall's ill-fated effort at building a post-war £100 car.

 
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