Hagerty magazine, (author Jay Leno): DeLorean, Legacy in a Briefcase

[May81DeLorean]

The new Hagerty magazine came out for Fall 2017, with a 1-page article on DeLorean, written by Jay Leno.



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[Michael]

I don't even have to read it to know how bias against JZD he is.

[DL4567]

I don't even have to read it to know how bias against JZD he is.

I read this post, then the article. Yeah, you weren't kidding. I like Jay Leno, but damn....

[DMCVegas]

Fuck Jay Leno, seriously. The guy has shit on the DeLorean marque for years. He's been doing this passive-aggressive bullshit for almost 2 decades, starting with innuendos that DMC itself was trafficking drugs, which is a lie.

But everyone has just lined up to kiss his ass because they're so star-struck. Face it: Jay Leno is not a real gearhead. While we have our biases and preferences, a real gearhead doesn't go around trashing other owners cars. You respect the hobby and the marques of others, and their hard work on their cars & historical preservation. None of which Leno does. He's just a bitter asshole that ruined his reputation with his previous career, and his now trying desperately to get any kind of attention he can.

Now this is my opinion, and may not be the same stance that the rest of the DOA Board has. But I, for one, would sure as hell always vote against having anything to do with him.

[SamHill]

The watch gambit was quite a while after BTTF, right? Maybe you could write a succinct letter addressing the inaccuracies.

[Michael]

After Leno wrote some article full of misinformation (mainly how JZD was "caught" bringing a briefcase of coke) I wrote him and corrected him and told him how it was the FBI that brought the coke, not JZD. I asked his if he was as disgusted with the government as he was with JZD now. In his Leno's Garage episode a few months later with the DeLorean I get the feeling he read my comment as he restated something to the effect of "I don't care, you get caught with a case of cocaine, you're guilty".

I never needed anyone's blessing or endorsement to enjoy my car...least of all that twat. He falls in the Quenten Wilson category of car buffs that need a 6 figure price tag to be worthy of their attention.

JZD had the balls to risk everything for his dream. When Leno tried the same (after his career was pretty much over unlike JZD who was in his prime), Leno ran tucked tail back to NBC and screwed over Conan who was far far funnier. JZD risked it all and almost did the impossible, Leno stuck his toe in the water and ran back to the locker room and he has the gall to criticise DeLorean?

[AugustneverEnds]

This article is nearly identical to one that was published in a British magazine a year ago.

This has already been said but I am going to echo it, who cares what Jay Leno thinks about the DeLorean or anything frankly? It's ironic that Leno writes he found JZD's "ploys for attention" wrong when Jay Leno seems to know no bounds in making a spectacle of himself. The pot calling the kettle black anyone? I don't believe Leno possesses any extraordinary knowledge about our marque as evidenced by the tired charges that DMC-12 is "heavy" and "lacked any real mechanical innovation". Perfecting VARI for mass production (which Lotus themselves didn't do) or making gullwing doors that actually worked or employing a multi-link rear suspension with staggered wheels and tires (an industry first) evidently don't count for much in the innovation department.

[Jonathan]

The comment about how other car owners never shit on other owners' cars is exactly right. We can hear all the stupid DeLorean comments in the world, but they're always going to come from the public walking around the cruise night and not the owner three rows over with a Vette/El Camino/Jag, etc. who put as much blood, sweat and tears into his marque as we did with ours.

Inaccurate, attention seeking and who cares sums up Jay Leno's comments on our cars for me. It's just unfortunate that Hagerty publishes it when they really are representing all brands, past and present, and should be doing so unbiasedly.

[Citizen]

The new Hagerty magazine came out for Fall 2017, with a 1-page article on DeLorean, written by Jay Leno.

Magazine.jpg

I am a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) so I get their monthly magazine. In the July/August edition, I stumbled across a Grundy Insurance ad (I say "stumbled because I don't normally read the ads, especially the fine print). In it, JZD is mentioned in a rather good light, although it is in reference to his involvement with muscle cars and not the DMC-12. I took a picture of the ad so you can click on it, but if you still can’t read it, the quote within is below the photo:

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“The Birth of the Muscle Car. – Throughout the early 1950s, Pontiac was a sleepy division of General Motors. That all changed in 1956 when dyed-in-the-wool car guys Bunkie Knudsen and Pete Estes entered its top management. They added Chief Engineer John DeLorean and marketing genius Jim Wangers to the new team and redirected Pontiac’s focus towards performance. Despite the corporate ban, GM had placed on partipating in racing activities, these men took Pontiac racing away and dominated NASCAR for years. These determined men then went on to create an entirely new class of high performance car that made automotive history.”

The ad then mentions you should go to www.grundy.com/grundy-news/blog (then go to page 2) for the full story by author William Hoffer called Three-Deuces-And-A-Four-Speed (or go directly there with this link: http://www.grundy.com/three-deuces-and-a-four-speed/ ). It briefly mentions how the GTO was named and various other notable facts, and later how JZD founded DMC. Good read, I thought.

Now contrast this with Hagerty’s article by Jay Leno about DeLorean. While this recognition by Grundy is mostly directed at DeLorean’s involvement with the GTO, I wish Jay Leno would at least give JZD credit for his muscle car history, and his (while controversial) innovative DMC-12! (ok, rant over).

Anyway, I was pleased to read about a small bit of history that put JZD in a good light. My hat is off to Grundy Insurance.

Thomas

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