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Since the sixties when he was known as the brilliant but
brash young executive at General Motors, John Zachary DeLorean
has been one of the most controversial public features in the
United States and, of recent years, the world. His
6'4" Lincolnesque figure and his striking appearance have
made him one of the most photographed and recognizable
celebrities outside of Hollywood. He has only to set foot
his front door to make headlines.
Admirers see DeLorean as the man who stood alone against the
corporate rulers on the Fourteenth Floor during his tumultuous
days at GM, the man who, against all the odds, built his own
auto factory in Northern Ireland. Detractors have dubbed
DeLorean a playboy, an auto baron, a man of masks, a
"Gatsby," an American villain - the designations are
endless.
Despite all this exposure, the public figure has proved to be a
very private man. And whether they praise or condemn,
people all ultimately ask the same question: Who is the real
John DeLorean?
The furor surrounding his decision to build his own sports car
paled in October 1982 when headlines rocked the world and topped
every other outrageous ever made about the man: John Z.
DeLorean, captain of a sinking ship, had been arrested and
accused of trafficking in cocaine!
DeLorean was silent during his arrest and subsequent
trial. Since his acquittal on all charges and the breakup
of his marriage to Christine Ferrare, he has said little, beyond
a few interviews about his conversion to Christianity and some
of his immediate views on the government case.
Now, for the first time, John Z. DeLorean speaks out about the
man behind the headlines. Many have attempted to tell his
story; now it's his turn.
- the forces in his life that have
inspired his drive for individualism and his paradoxical
arrogance and shyness; his strong convictions about everything
from racial prejudice to front wheel drive
- highlights of his record-setting
years as head of Pontiac and Chevrolet - the men who inspired him
and the men who angered him
- why he married the women he did and
what those relationships meant in his life, particularly his
years with Christina Ferrare
- why and how he founded DeLorean Motor
Company
- the early warning signs of disaster
and why he did not see or heed them
- his fanatic efforts to save his beleaguered
company
- his compulsive dependency on an
occult spiritualist
- his inside view of the scenario that
set him up for a drug arrest
- his personal encounter with God in
his prison cell
- the compelling courtroom drama that
saw him acquitted on all charges in the frame-up of the decade
Finally, in revealing the private man behind the
public mask, John DeLorean speaks of the decision that may raise
more questions about him than any other: his decision to embrace
the age-old faith that says a man must lose everything if he is
to save his soul.
"The man writing this book is not the
same man who left GM over a decade ago. . . . This is the true
story of my reluctant journey from the pursuit of personal power
and glory to the deepest meaning of life."
This page last modified on
Tuesday, April 08, 2008