Back to the Future’s creation was a story where the planets aligned to create a pop culture phenomenon. One of the most iconic products in the film was the time machine, the DMC DeLorean, which transported Doc Brown and Marty McFly to memorable locales. Although, by the time of the 1985 release of Back to the Future, the DeLorean Motor Company had already been defunct for close to three years. The DeLorean is a fascinating reminder of how success can take many forms.
A birth of an icon
The conception of the DMC DeLorean starts with its namesake, John Zachary DeLorean, a former head of GM’s North American car and truck operations. In the spring of 1973, John DeLorean gave a speech at Greenbrier Hotel GM management conference, which was critical of the quality of cars General Motors was producing. This didn’t go over well with the top brass, and they forced DeLorean out of his job in April that same year. After his departure he said (Irvin 1972: 165):
Even at $650,000 a year, if the job is not satisfying, you do something else. I can live on $60,000 or $70.000 a year. I have always lived conservatively.
