"I'm perhaps a bit prejudiced, since my family had a bunch of those GM cars from the years when DeLorean was influential in management. There was the '55 Chevy with the shift linkage that'd get stuck between gears,"
In 1955 Delorean WASNOT at GM!!!!! FAIL! IDIOT COMMENT
FACT: a 1955 new car was first sold in September of 1954!!!! And was assembled in spring of 1954. PLEASE tell me how Delorean could affect this car!!!!!!! But more to the point…..HE WENT TO WORK FOR PONTIAC!!!!!!
“In 1956 DeLorean accepted a $16,000 salary offer with a bonus program, choosing to work at GM's Pontiac division as an assistant to chief engineer Pete Estes and general manager Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen”
"... the '59 with 2 foot tailfins,"
FACT: there was NEVER a 2 FOOT fin on a Pontiac (where Delorean worked until 1965)(and btw, what does tthis design feature have to do with production quality – the whole point of this thread!!!!!) FAIL
59 Pontiac 'fin'
1959 Cadillac fin
"...the '65 Nova witha a front control arm that fell off while I was driving it,"
FACT: Delorean did not get to Chevrolet until 1970!!!!! 6 years AFTER the production of this particular car. FAIL
"... the mid-70s Vega which, in addition to all its other faults, had a shift linkage that'd get stuck between gears..."
FIMALLY, a car that was connected to Delorean!! Well here is my bad. Since some can’t do follow up research on their own…..I should not have deleted this from my wiki posting…
”The Vega was assigned to Chevrolet by corporate management, specifically by GM president Ed Cole, just weeks before DeLorean's 1969 arrival as Chevrolet division's general manager. In a Motor Trend interview August, 1970 DeLorean said, "Vega will be the highest quality product ever built by Chevrolet."[18] By DeLorean's orders, tens of extra inspectors were assigned on the Vega assembly line and the first two thousand cars were road tested. He stated, "The first cars, from a manufacturing standpoint, were well built." But in 1972, General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD) (FACT
eLorean had no control over GMAD)took over the Chevrolet Lordstown assembly plant and adjoining Fisher body plant. Their main goal was to cut costs and more than 800 workers were laid off, many of which were additional inspectors. This led to assembly-line vandalism, with workers intentionally slowing the line, leaving off parts and installing others improperly. Incomplete and often non-functioning cars soon filled the factory lot, which then had to be reprocessed and repaired by a team assigned to this task by DeLorean. A one-month strike followed and dealers didn't receive enough cars for the demand in 1972. DeLorean regrouped for the 1973 model year with Vega sales of 395,792. The one millionth Vega was built in May 1973, a month after DeLorean's GM resignation.[19]
"There's a reason I haven't bought an American car since that Vega"
Oh yeah….about those production problems at Chevy……
”DeLorean responded to the production problems by delaying the release of the Camaro, and simplifying the modifications(WOW!!!! EXACTLY WHAT I REFERRED TO IN THE BEGINNING!!!) to the Corvette and Nova. He used the extra time to streamline Chevrolet's production overhead and reduce assembly costs. By 1971, Chevrolet was experiencing record sales in excess of 3 million vehicles, and his division alone was nearly matching that of the entire Ford Motor Company
Finally, you should really research....I know, i'm asking a lot.....the definition of Peter Principal. It is promoting someone who is a little incompetent, to the next higher level where the person is now more incompetent. And finally to their highest level of incompetence. Please explain how that applies to Delorean. .....and please site true facts.
Look the “Peter Principle’ in full force ----.
" DeLorean's years of engineering at Pontiac were highly successful, producing dozens of patented innovations for the company, and in 1961 he was promoted to the position of division chief engineer."
NOT!