Did You Know ?

July 27, 2001
Last week we received an inquiry from Rachel of Arizona:

Q. Was John Delorean, famous for building the stainless steel car bearing his name related to Chevrolet?

A. Rachel, great question! Although Delorean is best known for his failed automotive venture (see photo at bottom), he indeed is one of the great men of General Motors' growth in the 60's and early 70's.

John DeLorean got his start in the automobile business at Packard in the 1950's and was recruited by Pontiac in 1959. A rising star at Pontiac, DeLorean was involved in the creation of perhaps their greatest success, the GTO, and also the Gran Prix. By the late sixties, DeLorean was running the show at Pontiac, and sales had risen from 6th to 3rd, behind only Chevy and Ford.

With Ford showing sales gains, DeLorean was moved to manage the Chevrolet division in 1970, and by 1973, Chevrolet had it's first ever annual sales of more than 3 million cars and trucks - a record for the entire automotive industry. With Chevrolet back on track, DeLorean was promoted to vice president of all North American Car and Truck divisions of GM. He left the company in September of 1972 to pursue the stainless steal venture, the Delorean.

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Other Chevrolet Questions Answered:

When has Chevrolet been the automotive sales leader?

Did Chevrolet make a Superior model in 1922?

Did Chevrolet ever build a 1911 model ?

Can you tell me about the first V-8 offered by Chevrolet ?

Can you tell me if 1958 was the first year for the Impala ?

Was John Delorean in some way related to Chevrolet ?

What did Chevrolet build for the WWII war effort ?

Did the louvers on the 1968 Corvette have a purpose ?

Did Chevrolet ever build a 1967 or 1968 Camaro with a 427 cubic inch engine?