Re: [DML] JZD the Pseudo Man (long)

[Louie G <louie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just don't get why some DeLorean owners get upset when other owners say anything less than positive about the man and the car. I would think we as owners are extremely well versed in all aspects of DeLorean lore, and that WE if anyone should be able to look at the man and the car with a critical eye. We know the real facts, we have experience with the cars, we have what it takes to be able to truly debate the issues here. 

That said I look at DeLorean himself as somewhat of an idol to me. He's one of the biggest personalities of the 20th century, and left a mark on not only the automotive world as we know it, but also popular culture. But I don't think he's a saint either. I believe that the failure of DMC rests squarely on his shoulders, and here's why-

1) He should have gone after a world market. If nothing else, he should have at LEAST had a dealer network in Europe at start up, or worst case scenario have the cars widely available in Europe for the '82 model year. I think sales from Europe could have kept the company alive. I think this was his biggest blunder.

2) The car needed more power from the get go. The car should have been introduced with the twin turbo set up. Worst case scenario the twin turbo should have been available by the '82 model year at the LATEST. The thing is you've got to keep interest rolling. Especially when cars half the price of the DeLorean could run circles around it. I imagine by the time the public was finally able to buy a DeLorean the concept was a little over-exposed. It needed a new injection of freshness to keep the public interest.

3) Rumor has it you couldn't finance a DeLorean. Perhaps the original owners here on the list can pipe in on this one. In 1982 my parents bought a NICE 3 bedroom house in the suburbs for what a new DeLorean would cost. Had financing (or even leasing) been available the car could have been available to a wider audience.

4) The car was sold entirely on image- something it DIDN'T have! Look at all of the other sports car manufacturers who started up in the 20th century- Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Lotus. What's the common thread with all of them? They were all essentially driven by racing. The cars built up an image of success, quality, and excitement through their racing pedigree. DeLorean didn't start out racing, and it's pretty obvious he never planned to.

Anyone who has seen the Pennebaker Hedgus documentary knows that of course JZD wasn't involved in the day to day engineering decisions of the car. He can't be blamed for every little substandard aspect of the car or company. JZD was more involved in creating an image for the car to sell to the public, and I believe he didn't look at the car as much from a functionality standpoint. He looked at it more from "what looks good, and what people will talk about and get the car noticed." He was really more of a PR director and fundraiser than anything.

That said there are some aspects of the car that are engineered extremely well and are novel in their design and function. Gullwing doors, stainless steel, these all took vision, and I still believe to this day were truly revolutionary, and am surprized these concepts never worked their way down to other cars. These can be directly be credited to the genius of JZD. There are also some aspects of the car which are abysmally below par and were totally unacceptable from the start. I'm probably one of the few owners here who thinks the cars are everything the media portrayed them to be: lemons. Case and point, the electrical system. Companies like Zilla and Special T Auto are in business because they capitalize on the serious faults the car has (I'm not say that as a bad thing to either company guys, my car has almost every Zilla gadget and my car has Hervey stuff everywhere on it too). It had inherent flaws that were severe enough to cause its own demise if they weren't taken care of. 

Despite all of this I **LOVE** my DeLorean. The car is  more than the sum of its parts. The things truly have personality, something that can't be said for most cars. They have presence, they are totally unique, and despite all of the negativity that surrounds the man and the car, I wouldn't change one bit of it. It all contributes to one of the most extraordinary tales of modern history, and just adds that much more specialness to owning a DeLorean car.

Whether or not JZD were to attend a DCS would never make me attend or not attend though. Just like every one of us he has done some really extraordinary things, and some really bad things. He's human folks, and those who are too critical of him probably should turn the mirror to themselves. His attendance at a DCS would be an icing on the cake for me, and to shake his hand would be a life long dream. But he is just one aspect of this whole DeLorean phenomenon. There's so much more to it than just a man, just a car, and all of the media and myth that surrounded both. I think it would be unfortunate for someone to say they would or would not attend a DCS just because of JZD's attendance. I've planned on going with or without his attendance because I simply love the DeLorean car so much. Yeah I'm disappointed and a little skeptical about his reasonings about suddenly pulling out of Pigeon Forge, but I'm sure as heck not going to let that change my opinion on him, the car, or Ken's DeLorean Car Show.

Louie Golden
VIN 5252

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