{{Infobox_Celebrity
| name = John Z. DeLorean
| image = DMC_publicity_photo.jpg
| caption = John DeLorean and the prototype of the DMC-12
| birth_date  = 
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan
| death_date  = 
| death_place =  Summit, New Jersey
| occupation = U.S. automobile engineer and executive
}}

'''John Zachary DeLorean''' (American engineer and executive in the U.S. automobile industry, and founder of the DeLorean Motor Company. 

He was most well known for developing the movie ''Back to the Future'', and his high profile 1982 arrest on charges of drug trafficking, in an apparent attempt to raise funds for his struggling company, which declared bankruptcy that same year.  He successfully defended himself against these charges, showing that his alleged involvement was a result of entrapment by federal agents.

==Early life==
<!-- thumb|left|John De Lorean's Detroit home -->

John Zachary DeLorean was born on January 6 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest of four sons of Zachary and Kathryn Pribak DeLorean.<ref name="NYTdeath">{{cite web 
| url= http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/21/business/21delorean.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
| title= John Z. DeLorean, Father of Glamour Car, Dies at 80
| publisher=The New York Times, Danny Hakim, March 21, 2005}}</ref> 

DeLorean's father was a millwright by trade, the youngest of thirteen children, who immigrated from central Europe to America when he was twenty. He spent time in Highland Park.<ref name="father" /> His poor English and lack of education prevented him from higher-paid work. When not required at Ford, he occasionally worked as a carpenter.<ref name="father" />

DeLorean's mother was an immigrant from Hungary, and was employed at the Carboloy Products Division of General Electric throughout much of DeLorean's early life.<ref name="movingback"></ref> She accepted work whenever found to supplement the family's low income.<ref></ref> She generally tolerated her husband's erratic behavior, but during several of the worst times of Zachary's violent tendencies, she would take her sons to live with her sister in Los Angeles, California, and would stay there for a year or so at a time.<ref name="father" />

DeLorean's parents divorced in 1942, and John subsequently saw little of his father, who moved in to a boarding house only to become a solitary and estranged alcoholic.<ref name="movingback"/> Several years after their divorce, John visited his father, finding him so impaired by alcohol that they could barely communicate.

==Education==
DeLorean attended Detroit's public grade schools, and was then accepted into Cass Technical High School, a technical high school for Detroit's honor students where he signed up for the electrical curriculum. DeLorean found the Cass experience exhilarating and excelled at his studies.<ref name="education"></ref> His academic record and musical talents earned him a scholarship at Lawrence Institute of Technology (now known as Lawrence Technological University), a small but illustrious Detroit college that was alma mater of some of the area's best draftsmen and designers.<ref name="education"/> There again he excelled in the study of industrial engineering, and was elected to the school's Honor Society.

Chrysler and a local body shop. DeLorean graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

Instead of entering the engineering workforce after earning his degree, DeLorean sold life insurance, and later worked for the Factory Equipment Corporation. DeLorean states in his autobiography that he sold life insurance to improve his communications skills.<ref name="chrysler"></ref> Both endeavors were successful financially, but DeLorean held little interest in these areas. DeLorean's uncle.<ref name="chrysler"/> Earl Pribak, a foreman at Chrysler's engineering garage, recommended he attend the Chrysler Institute, and DeLorean agreed. The car manufacturer ran a post-graduate facility which allowed him to advance his education while gaining exposure to real-world engineering.<ref name="chrysler"/>

In 1952, DeLorean graduated from the institute with a masters degree in MBA, which he earned in 1957.

==Career==
===Packard Motor Company===
DeLorean's time at Chrysler lasted less than a year, ending when he was offered a US$14,000 salary at Packard Motor Company under supervision of noted engineer Forest McFarland. DeLorean quickly gained the attention of his new employer with an improvement to the Ultramatic automatic transmission, giving it an improved torque converter and dual drive ranges; it was launched as the "Twin-Ultramatic".<ref></ref>

Packard was experiencing financial difficulties when DeLorean joined, due to changes in the automobile consumer market. While Ford, General Motors and American Motors had begun producing affordable mainstream products, Packard, Ewing, and Marquette clung to their pre-WWII era notions of high-end, precisely engineered luxury cars. This exclusive philosophy was to take its toll on profitability. However, it proved to have a positive effect on De Lorean's attention to engineering detail, and after four years at Packard he became McFarland's successor as head of research and development.<ref></ref>

While still a profitable company, Packard suffered alongside other independents as it struggled to compete when Ford and General Motors engaged in a Studebaker Corporation in 1954.<ref name="packardstruggles"/> A subsequent proposed merger with American Motors Corporation never passed the discussion phase.<ref name="packardstruggles"/> DeLorean considered keeping his job and moving to Studebaker headquarters in South Bend, Indiana, when he received a call from Oliver K. Kelley, vice president of engineering at General Motors, a man whom DeLorean greatly admired. Kelley called to offer DeLorean his choice of jobs in five divisions of GM.<ref name="GMoffer"></ref>

===General Motors===
====Pontiac====
DeLorean accepted a $16,000 salary offer with a bonus program, choosing to work at GM's MIT engineering graduate, and at 42 he was the youngest man to head a division of GM. DeLorean and Knudsen quickly became close friends, and DeLorean eventually cited Knudsen as a major influence and mentor. 

DeLorean's years of engineering at Pontiac were highly successful and produced dozens of patented innovations for the company, and in 1961 he was promoted to the position of division chief engineer. He is credited with developments such as wide-track wheels, torque-box perimeter frame, recessed and articulated windshield wipers, the lane-change turn signal, overhead-cam six-cylinder engine, Endura bumper, and a variety of other cosmetic and structural design elements.

thumb|250px|DeLorean's best-known contribution to Pontiac was the [[Pontiac GTO, widely considered the first muscle car.]]
DeLorean's most notable contribution to Pontiac was the Pontiac GTO (''Gran Turismo Omologato''), a muscle car named after the Ferrari 250 GTO. It evolved from the practical 1961 Pontiac Tempest, which DeLorean later evolved into the Pontiac LeMans. The GTO debuted as a Tempest/LeMans option package with a larger, more powerful engine in 1964. It is credited for saving Pontiac from their dated stigma as producer of the "old lady's car" by creating a design that symbolized a generation of new, younger, more affluent drivers with a need for speed and style. 

From its launch in 1964, sales of the car and its popularity continued to grow dramatically in the following years. DeLorean received almost total credit for the success of the "first muscle car", which is probably due in large part to his talent for self-promotion. As with any new vehicle development, scores of individuals are involved with the conceptualizing, engineering, and marketing – but John DeLorean became the singular golden boy of Pontiac, and was rewarded with his 1965 promotion to head the entire Pontiac division.

DeLorean was no longer a professional engineer. At the age of 40, he had broken the record for youngest division head at GM, and was determined to continue his string of successes. Adapting to the frustrations that he perceived in the executive offices was, however, a difficult transition for him. DeLorean believed there was an undue amount of infighting at GM between divisional heads, and several of Pontiac's advertising campaign themes met with internal resistance, such as the "Tiger" campaign used to promote the GTO and other Pontiac models in 1965 and 1966.

In response to the "pony car" market dominated by the wildly-successful Ford Mustang, DeLorean turned to the 14th Floor for permission to offer a Pontiac version of a similar vehicle then under development at the Chevrolet division that was set for introduction as a 1967 model named the Camaro.

Shortly after the Firebird's introduction in 1967, DeLorean turned his attention to development of an all-new Grand Prix, the division's personal luxury car based on the full sized Pontiac line since 1962 but whose sales were sagging by this time, for the 1969 model year that would have its own distinct body shell with drivetrain and chassis components from the intermediate-sized Pontiac A-body (Tempest, LeMans, GTO). The 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix looked a lot like a slightly scaled down Cadillac Eldorado with its razor-sharp bodylines and a six-foot long hood. Inside was a sporty and luxurious interior highlighted by a wraparound cockpit-style instrument panel, bucket seats and center console. The 1969 Grand Prix offered a sportier and higher performance alternative to the other personal luxury cars then on the market such as Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, Lincoln Continental Mark III and Oldsmobile Toronado in a smaller size and lower price tag. The '69 Grand Prix was one of the industry's biggest success that year with production ending up at over 112,000 units, far higher than the 32,000 1968 Grand Prix built from the full-sized Pontiac body.

During his time at Pontiac, DeLorean had begun to enjoy the freedom and celebrity that came with his position, and spent a good deal of his time traveling to locations around the world to support promotional events. His frequent public appearances helped to solidify his image as a "rebel" corporate businessman with his trendy dress style and casual banter.

Ralph Nader's book, ''Unsafe at Any Speed'', published in 1965, criticized a number of Detroit automobiles as poorly designed for safety concerns, including the Chevrolet Corvair model.  Even as General Motors experienced revenue declines, Pontiac remained highly profitable under DeLorean, and despite his growing reputation as a corporate maverick, on February 15, 1969 he was again promoted.  This time it was to head up the prestigious Chevrolet division, General Motors' flagship brand.

====Chevrolet====
thumb|250px|The 1970 [[Chevrolet Nova was released behind schedule under DeLorean's leadership of GM's Chevrolet division.]]
By this time, DeLorean was commanding an annual salary of $200,000, with yearly bonuses of up to $400,000. He had made sizable investments in the San Diego Chargers and the New York Yankees sports teams, and was becoming ever more ubiquitous in the popular culture.

DeLorean continued his jet-setting lifestyle, and was often seen hanging out in business and entertainment celebrity circles. He became friends with James T. Aubrey, president of The Tonight Show'' host Johnny Carson.

'''John Zachary De Lorean''' (* Summit, US-amerikanischer Manager und Sportwagenbauer.

== Leben ==

John Zachary De Lorean wurde in Detroit, Michigan als der älteste von vier Söhnen von Zachary und Kathryn Pribak De Lorean geboren. Sein Vater Zachary, der als 14-Jähriger mit seiner Familie aus Rumänien in die USA einwanderte, war bei der Modell A mit. Seine Mutter, ebenfalls eine Einwanderin, war österreichisch-ungarischer Abstammung und arbeitete bei General Electric. Sein Vater trank und misshandelte seine Familie. Nach anfänglicher Erduldung zog seine Frau die Konsequenzen und zog mit den vier Söhnen zu ihrer Schwester nach Los Angeles. Die Ehe wurde 1942 geschieden. John sah seinen Vater nur noch selten. Als er ihn Jahre später besuchte, war dieser so betrunken, dass er kaum reden konnte.

John besuchte in Detroit eine technische High School, wo er u.a. von Evangeline Lodge Land, der Mutter von Charles Lindbergh, unterrichtet wurde. Seine guten Leistungen ermöglichten ihm, sich am Lawrence Institut für Technologie einzuschreiben, einem anerkannten College in Detroit.

1943 wurde er eingezogen, diente in der United States Army und wurde aufgrund seiner Leistungen im Kriegsdienst im Jahre 1946 bei seiner Entlassung ausgezeichnet.

Da seine Mutter und Geschwister in Armut lebten, nahm John für 18 Monate einen Job bei der Public Lighting Commission an, bevor er sein Studium am Lawrence Institut fortsetzte, wo er 1948 den Bachelor of Science und 1952 den Masterdegree erlangte.

De Lorean war bis De Lorean Motor Company, um seinen Traum von einem sicheren, ökologisch korrekten Superauto zu verwirklichen. Das einzig jemals produzierte Modell, der De Lorean DMC-12, war als zweisitziger Sportwagen für den amerikanischen Markt konzipiert. Der Wagen wurde international bekannt aus den Filmen der "Zurück in die Zukunft"- Trilogie.