

The Rise and Fall of John DeLorean - pmcpinto
http://blog.longreads.com/2014/11/11/the-rise-and-fall-of-john-delorean/

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leoc
DeLorean's name is still mud in and around Northern Ireland, where he's
generally regarded as a fraudster. (Here's a BBC article:
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4367473....](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4367473.stm)
)

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stuartmemo
Regardless of whether you're interested in John DeLorean or not, you should
checkout out Neon Neon's concept album about his life -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LadgANhOhiI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LadgANhOhiI)

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adam12
"Yes, that’s right: before DeLorean, drivers stuck their arms out the window
to indicate a turn. "

What? DeLorean didn't event THE turn signal - just the lane-change turn
signal.

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bkeroack
There are a number of questionable claims in this article--that the DeLorean
invented turn signals and the overhead camshaft, for example.

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mikestew
They're not even questionable, they're just outright wrong. By the time I got
to the post it says "lane-change turn signal", but still states that drivers
put their arm out the window before that, which is demonstrably untrue.

As for overhead cams, Delorean put them in GM cars, which was a first. More
generally, there were cars utilizing overhead cams before Delorean was even
born.

They got the recessed windshield wipers right, though.

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Cuuugi
tl;dr = Cocaine's a hell of a drug.

~~~
thesteamboat
More on the case against De Lorean, 'cause it's interesting history and a
textbook case of entrapment:

    
    
      On October 19, 1982, DeLorean was charged with 
      trafficking in cocaine by the U.S. government, following 
      a videotaped sting operation in which he was recorded by 
      undercover Federal agents agreeing to bankroll a $1.8 
      million, 100 kg cocaine smuggling operation in exchange 
      for a $24 million cut of the eventual profits. The 
      government was tipped off to DeLorean by confidential
      informant James Timothy Hoffman, a former neighbor, who 
      reported to his FBI superiors that DeLorean had 
      approached him to ask about setting up a cocaine deal; in 
      reality, Hoffman had called DeLorean and suggested the 
      deal (which DeLorean then accepted) as part of his 
      efforts to receive a reduced sentence on a 1981 Federal 
      cocaine trafficking charge that he was awaiting trial on. 
    

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeLorean#Arrest_and_trial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeLorean#Arrest_and_trial)

and further:

    
    
      At this point, DeLorean became suspicious that he had 
      become involved in a dangerous and illegal operation, 
      possibly involving illegal narcotics or organized crime 
      (or both); he felt that he needed to remove himself from 
      the situation as soon as possible.
      [...]
      However, in the face of a thinly-veiled threat by Hoffman
      that DeLorean’s daughter would be murdered if he backed
      out of the deal, DeLorean continued to communicate with Hoffman. 
    
    

[http://blog.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/legal-
research...](http://blog.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/legal-
research/today-in-1984-carmaker-john-delorean-acquitted-of-cocaine-smuggling-
charges-by-reason-of-entrapment/)

