carsthatnevermadeitetc
Why did they make it? Part 10: DMC DeLorean, 1981. After a glittering career at General Motors John Z DeLorean set up his own car company in 1973. Its first and only product was a radically futuristic rear engined sports car with gullwing doors and a French V6 engine. The design, by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, featured a brushed stainless-steel finish that had been used on several Italdesign concepts in the early 70s. It was originally planned to have a mid-mounted Comrotor rotary engine but switched to the PRV "co-op" V6 when it became clear the Wankel motor was unviable. The larger size of the V6 necessitated mounting the engine behind the rear axle. The cars were built in a new purpose built (heavily state-subsidised) factory in Northern Ireland. They quickly developed a reputation for poor build quality and underwhelming performance and sales stuttered. The fact that the car was launched as the US economy was slipping into depression didn't help matters. Sales never lived up to expectations and production ended in late December 1982, shortly after DMC filed for bankruptcy and with total sales of about 9,000 units.
