Dream Maker: The Rise and Fall of John Z. Delorean

by Ivan Fallon, James Srodes

A profile of ill-fated automobile manufacturer John DeLorean discusses his rise from poverty, career at General Motors, glittering jet-set lifestyle, founding of his own automobile company, and final cocaine bust

Genres: Biography

455 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 1985

Reviews

[Les Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original JayZee, John Z. Delorean started his career as an engineer and worked on several very successful and a few not so successful projects. He wrote the book "On a Clear Day, You Can See General Motors" but delayed its publication because it was a searing indictment on his former bosses. As the Delorean project got underway, JZ proved himself to be a tireless ambassador, fund-raiser and recruiter of top talent for the new car company. He had a knack for attracting the right people and a few wrong ones. He managed to accomplish something very few people could do in the modern era: build a car company from the ground up and establish a distributorship, sales force and financial network to support it. In many ways, however, the car company resembled a front that was used for Delorean's personal gain. His disinterest in some of the problems with engineering, corporate spending and corporate and outside relations becomes an overwhelming contributing factor that helps to accelerate his downfall. An interesting saga and a fascinating introduction to the history of sports car production.

[Tim Timberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was written in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Delorean and his auto company. Delorean himself remains elusive through most of the book. We hear how he moved money around, how he attempted to ruin the reputation of those who crossed him, and, most of all, we hear how he loved to live luxuriously. The authors make it seem that an "ethical car," one that was safe and fuel efficient, was nothing more than the means to make him rich, famous, and important. Strangely, promoting his auto company helped him achieve his goal, but actually producing the car made him bankrupt and a failure.