I am fascinated by car entrepreneurs
The most famous founders lived during the car's infancy. Men like Carl Benz, Henry Ford and André Citroën. But our own time has also had great car founders such as Elon Musk, Henrik Fisker and John DeLorean.
John DeLorean wanted to create a car the world had never seen before. A sports car with a mid-mounted Wankel engine, frame made of a new, ultra-light composite material. The launch was to take place in 1979 with a price tag of 12 USD.
But visions rarely match reality.
Citroën had long been working on developing a new Wankel engine for its new, planned CX. It was this engine that DeLorean had planned to use. But the whole wankel project was stopped when Peugeot took over Citroën. DeLorean instead ended up with the so-called PRV engine, - the V6 that was developed by PSA, Renault and Volvo, and used in cars such as the Peugeot 604, Renault 30 and Volvo 264.
Furthermore, it should turn out that the planned composite material was not suitable for mass production. Instead, DeLorean chose a plastic-based body built on a tubular steel frame. The mid-mounted engine location had to give way to a stern engine solution. Because of all the changes along the way, the first car did not go on sale until 1981. The price tag was $25, - twice as much as planned, but no usurious price. A Porsche 000 Turbo cost, in comparison, about $924, - and a 20 over $000.
No supercar
Technically, DeLorean ended up producing a completely different car than he had intended. A car consisting of bits and pieces from various subcontractors. John DeLorean knew the automotive industry better than most. As an engineer at GM, he had been behind the development of several well-known car models. You could probably say that it was his network of contacts that saved the project - not only technically, but also financially. Several of the shareholders were celebrities, including Sammy Davis Jr.
A good entrepreneur needs a large network of contacts.
For one thing John DeLorean had succeeded. He created a car the world had never seen before. The gull-wing doors, rims and special brushed steel exterior finish could take the breath away of the most seasoned motoring journalists. It was about image. Technically, the DMC-12 had many similarities with the Renault-Alpine GTA V6, but the two cars had completely different images. They addressed different buyer groups. Renault-Alpine made racing cars, and catered to a sporting audience... Whereas DeLorean?
Who was the DMC-12 aimed at?
Founders. In 1981, the IBM PC appears. Apple had achieved great success with its Apple II. The IT revolution was underway and the world began to have a generation of computer geeks and new, young IT entrepreneurs. The DMC-12 radiated hi-tech, electronics, bits and bytes.
Just such a car that another entrepreneur, Dr. Emmet Brown, chose to further develop. By using plutonium as fuel, his DeLorean could travel in time - as long as you could pull the throttle up to 88 mph (140 km/h). Together with Mart McFly, they combed the blazes.
The rest is history…
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