| Most of us think of John DeLorean as the guy | | | | Three automakers that he had helped so much in |
| behind the gull-wing stainless car from the Back to | | | | the 1960's. His namesake, the DeLorean DMC-12 |
| the Future movies nut the fact of the matter is | | | | was a unique brushed stainless steel sports car |
| that his contributions to the automotive world go | | | | with the innovative flip up gull wing doors. The car |
| much farther back than that. DeLorean was | | | | never really took off and actually less than nine |
| actually the creator of the muscle car revolution in | | | | thousand ever sold. Still, the vehicle was |
| the United States. Think of how different the | | | | responsible for many innovations for years to |
| sports car industry would be today if we hadn't | | | | come.DeLorean along with Preston Tucker were |
| had that era of performance cars.In 1964 | | | | both headstrong individuals who were forward |
| DeLorean was with Pontiac and he made the | | | | thinking revolutionaries way ahead of their time |
| decision to totally recreate the Tempest using a | | | | introducing cutting edge vehicles. Although their |
| huge V8 high performance engine. The car | | | | product ideas didn't take off in their time they |
| became known as the GTO, also nicknamed the | | | | influenced the future of the automotive industry.In |
| Goat by adoring fans and remains to this day one | | | | 1999 DeLorean had hopes of coming back to the |
| of the all-time favorite muscle cars. The GTO | | | | automotive world with a high performance sports |
| was a big hit for Pontiac sparking off huge sales | | | | car that would be priced below 20k and would be |
| volume and led other manufacturers to follow | | | | made of mostly plastic. It seemed like he was |
| suit.His creative out of the box thinking got him | | | | ready for a revival but it never came to fruition |
| advanced to the higher echelons of the | | | | and he died in 2004.It will be interesting to see |
| automotive industry but his independent free | | | | how the new Tesla Motor Company's electric high |
| thinking nature was not really cut out for that and | | | | performance car does; the founder says he was |
| he ended up leaving that and forming his own | | | | influenced by DeLorean and Tucker. The car does |
| company to do things his way.Leaving his past | | | | o to 60 in under 4 seconds with a top speed of |
| fruits behind him in Detroit, DeLorean opened his | | | | 130 mph.Gregg Hall is an author and internet |
| own car company in Northern Ireland with the | | | | marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. |
| rather ambitious idea of competing against the Big | | | | |