John DeLorean dead at 80.
John and Jim Wangers(advertising/car guy) were
the guys who came up with the idea of throwing
a Big V8 in a midsize car in 63. GM had a limit, no
V8 larger then 350 Cubes in a mid size car.
The result was the 64 GTO, a mid size car with
a 389 Cubic inch V8, and a 3 speed manual.
You could get a 2 speed auto or a 4 speed
manual as options. You could also order it
with Tri Power upping the HP from 325 to 345.
They had to hide the development from
the GM upper management, and got it
put in as a option package. When GM
management found out they were
upset and also convinced the option
would be a flop with less then 4000 in sales.
The option sold over 32,000 in the first
year, with no real advertising.
The option started the Muscle car craze,
once Pontiac did it, all the other GM
divisions followed. As did most other
American car makers.
By 65, the GTO was its own model.
To bad he messed up so bad in the 80s.
Thanks John, for making my favorite car.
