John DeLorean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John DeLorean
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DeLorean and the prototype of the DeLorean DMC-12, 1980
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John Zachary DeLorean
January 6, 1925 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
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| Died | March 19, 2005 (aged 80) Summit, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Lawrence Institute of Technology, B.S. 1948 Detroit College of Law Ross School of Business, MBA 1957 |
| Occupation | U.S. automobile engineer and executive |
John Zachary DeLorean (January 6, 1925 – March 19, 2005) was a smart American engineer and business leader. He was famous for his work in the car industry. He worked at a big company called General Motors. Later, he started his own car company, the DeLorean Motor Company.
DeLorean helped create many cool cars. These included the Pontiac GTO and the Pontiac Firebird. He also worked on the Chevrolet Cosworth Vega. But he is most famous for the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car. This car became super famous after it was used in the 1985 movie Back to the Future. John DeLorean was the youngest person to lead a division at General Motors. But he decided to leave and start his own company in 1973.
Early life and education
John Zachary DeLorean was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was the oldest of four brothers. He went to public schools in Detroit. Then, he got into Cass Technical High School. This was a special school for very smart students. He studied electrical topics there and did very well.
His good grades and musical talent helped him get a scholarship. He went to Lawrence Institute of Technology in Michigan. Many great car engineers had studied there. At Lawrence, he was excellent at studying industrial engineering. He was also chosen for the school's honor society.
His studies were paused by World War II. In 1943, DeLorean joined the U.S. Army. He served for three years and then left with honor. He came back to Detroit to find his family was having money problems. He worked for a year and a half to help them. Then, he went back to Lawrence to finish his degree.
While in college, he worked part-time at Chrysler. He also worked at a local car body shop. These jobs helped him prepare for his future in cars. He graduated in 1948 with a degree in Industrial Engineering.
DeLorean wanted to learn even more. He went to night classes at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. He earned his MBA degree in 1957. This extra education helped him understand both engineering and business.
Personal life and the DMC-12
John DeLorean was married four times during his life. He also adopted a son named Zachary Tavio. Later, he had a daughter with his third wife, Cristina Ferrare.
In 1985, the movie Back to the Future came out. It featured his famous car, the DeLorean DMC-12. John DeLorean was very happy about this. He wrote a letter to Bob Gale, one of the movie's writers. He thanked him for making his car famous in the film. You can see this letter on the special features of the movie's DVD.
Later in his life, DeLorean faced some financial challenges. He had to sell his large estate in New Jersey in 2000. This property was bought by Donald Trump. Trump turned it into a golf course.
Death
John DeLorean passed away on March 19, 2005. He was 80 years old. He died from a stroke in Summit, New Jersey. He lived in Bedminster, New Jersey.
His ashes are buried in Troy, Michigan. His tombstone is special. It shows a picture of his DMC-12 car with its unique gull-wing doors open. His family asked for him to be buried with military honors. This was because he served in World War II.
Images for kids
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the Pontiac GTO
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The 1970 Chevrolet Nova was released behind schedule under DeLorean's leadership of GM's Chevrolet division.
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DMC DeLorean
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DeLorean and the prototype of the DMC DeLorean, 1980
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See also
In Spanish: John DeLorean para niños
