In Memory of John DeLorean

John DeLorean was the best automobile man I ever worked with.


Already an accomplished engineer when he joined Pontiac in the late 1950s, John quickly caught on to what was happening at the division. Hired as an assistant by Pete Estes, who himself had just been named chief engineer by General Manager Bunkie Knudsen, this triumvirate of exceptional automotive talent set about to write a chapter in American automotive history that had never been seen before, nor duplicated again.

The Great Wide-Track Era
In a time called the "Great Wide-Track Era," you better believe that "JZD," as many called him, was certainly a most important cog in that machine. In spite of his tender age, DeLorean was a good manager, building a strong, creative engineering group. They provided Pontiac with the industry leading product that enabled it to quickly climb from a mediocre seventh place in U.S. auto sales to an astounding third position, trailing only low-priced Chevrolet and Ford in this competitive arena.


DeLorean's first big assignment was to nurture the development of the breakthrough transaxle design that enabled the first-ever Pontiac Tempest model to feature this exclusive driveline. He was a big supporter of the behind-the-scenes Super-Duty group, which quietly, though most efficiently, drew a modest 100 horsepower more out of the traditional Pontiac V-8 engine.


While the rest of the industry "slept" under a loosely written gentlemen's agreement not to race, Pontiac found itself dominating the U.S. stock car racing scene. This DeLorean-supported engine development program enabled Pontiac to add that extra level of believability into the Wide-Track image. It was simple, as the car buying public played it back—the reason Pontiac is winning all those races is because the car just handles better. It is better balanced and safer because it takes a better grip on the road.