The true story behind the DeLorean

The DeLorean was meant to be the quintessential sports car of the 1980s, with futuristic styling and radical design features. It's best remembered now as a cinematic icon with a cult following, but that wasn't always the case. With news circulating that the car is making a comeback, it's time to learn the true story behind the infamous DeLorean.

John DeLorean was a rising star in General Motors in the early '70s, but became disillusioned with the direction the company was taking with car design and so he left in 1973 to form his own company. He believed that "a car should make people's eyes light up when they step into the showroom", and so in 1975 he founded the DeLorean Motor Company. In 1976, with the help of former Pontiac engineer William T. Collins, the DeLorean Motor Company produced the first prototype of what would later become the DeLorean DMC-12. John DeLorean was determined that his new car would catch the eye, and so he selected the famous Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and Ital Design to complete the exterior design of the DMC-12, later simply called the DeLorean.