DeLorean
USA · Founded 1975
John DeLorean's stainless steel sports car. Built in Northern Ireland, immortalized in Hollywood, killed by cocaine.
Heritage
John DeLorean was GM's golden boy — the youngest division head in company history, the man who created the GTO. When he left to build his own car, the auto world paid attention. The DMC-12 was meant to be an ethical sports car: safe, rust-proof, long-lasting. The gullwing doors and brushed stainless steel body were instant icons. But the underpowered Renault V6 disappointed, quality control was spotty, and DeLorean's arrest (later acquitted) on drug trafficking charges sealed the company's fate. Only about 9,000 were built. Then 'Back to the Future' happened, and the DeLorean became something more than a failed car company — it became a symbol of '80s optimism and mad ambition.
