(anti-brand story)

Once upon a time, in the Motor City of Detroit, there was a boy named John DeLorean, who had nothing but an eager mind and astonishing ambition. Therefore, the boy studied hard and worked even harder, braving the hardships of World War II and poverty, all the while absorbing the sounds of working engines and the smells of dripping motor oil of Detroit.

As it happens in every good story, John’s earnest striving was rewarded — he got an internship at the glorious Chrysler Corporation. Shortly, the ordinary boy became a dashing young man and a dazzling engineer, the embodiment of the American dream. All the greatest car manufacturers in the USA were fighting to get John on their team. Eventually, he ended up at General Motors.

There, in the Pontiac division, John DeLorean not only brought unmatched success to the brand, but also established a whole new niche — the muscle cars. Shiny, roaring, seductive sports cars were perfectly assembled for the new pop-culture — the rebellious young adults, who called themselves ‘greasers’, wore leather jackets, Converse sneakers and grease-styled hair. The success of the reformed Pontiac was so fabulous, that DeLorean was assigned to save another GM division — Chevrolet. And he did it. After that, it never was the same.

John got the taste of true fame and wealth. He reveled in media attention, acquaintance with celebrities and the admiring gazes of gorgeous models. The power pumped in his veins, and he wanted more. So, he left General Motors to start his own brand — DeLorean Motor Company (DMC).

Once again, John DeLorean fascinated the world with a revolutionary prototype — a futuristic, ecological sports car ‘DMC-12’ with gull-wing doors and sophisticated stainless-steel design. Supported by John’s impressive reputation, the company promised its customers a timeless and iconic vehicle — and everybody believed them.

Despite a promising future, what happened next was a chain of mistakes. The first questionable decision was seeking the most lucrative location for a factory and choosing Belfast in civil war-torn Ireland. This settlement was undoubtedly beneficial for the Republic of Ireland, as it eased dreadful unemployment rates, but it did a great disservice to DeLorean. The new employees were eager and hard-working, but they knew nothing about automotive engineering. Instead of reevaluating the situation, DeLorean pressed on with the production. Another grave decision was to alter several details of the car prototype, substitute them with cheaper features and hope nobody would notice.

As a result, once it was out on the market, DMC-12 became an unbelievable disappointment. Instead of a futuristic perfection of a vehicle, the clients got an overpriced, mediocre car with a feeble engine, jamming gull-wing doors and numerous other defects. No matter how much he tried, John could never rectify the situation, and only got himself in more problems involving drugs. However, that is a different story.

The name of DeLorean was forever tarnished by its greatest failure, and no amount of attempts at reviving its glory could fix it — ‘DeLorean’ became a synonym for disappointment. Was it misfortune or a curse for John’s vanity and unstoppable ambition? Nobody knows. But some people say that today this story repeats itself with another futuristic automotive brand…