Location: West Islip, NY
Posts: 243
My VIN: 16377
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 23
My VIN: 5102, 11289
Club(s): (DCO) (DMA) (DOA) (DCUK)
Rest in peace John. You will be missed.
Back when I was helping Ken with the car shows, we would talk nearly every day. I'm sure he had a lot of customers to help but John never tried to rush me. He always gave it his best shot to help me find the solution to a problem.
He was also a pain in the ass when we were working on the Special-T-Auto ads for DCS Magazine and DeLorean World. He always insisted on trying to fit in just one more product. I tried to explain that the purpose of the ad was to drive traffic to the website and that he didn't need all of his products listed there. The images on the final approved versions were so small that it was hard to tell what was what. I think the text size for the captions was something like 3 point. I was sure that robbed him of potential customers over the age of about 35, and scared off those under 35 due to the impenetrable wall of data. John, however, found a way to make it work for him.
Later on, I asked him to let me help him create a more cohesive, easier to navigate website. I got the impression, after a few conversations, that he just needed it to be the maze of detailed information that it is, because that's how his mind worked and it made sense to him. Again...John made it work.
I called John frequently while working on the restoration of 5102 and he provided a lot of valuable information and parts. Bottom line, my car wouldn't be running today without his help.
John was a good guy and a great friend. I'm glad his suffering is over, but there is a big hole in his family, the DeLorean community and beyond today.
Goodbye John. Thank you for everything.
Sincerely,
Josh
VIN 5102
VIN 11289
RIP sir......
~LXA~
Dunmurry | Stuttgart | Leipzig | Munich | Tochigi | Fremont | Bratislava | Sindelfingen | Kansas City | Oakville | Coventry
This makes me so sad. He sold me a torsion bar. Pretty much gave my wings back....I will miss him greatly
Last I talked to him was a few months back.
That makes two "one man" parts suppliers gone this year.
Location: France
Posts: 2,457
My VIN: 16951
Club(s): (DCO) (DOA) (DCUK)
It's so sad to see such a news this morning.
John was always ready to help people on their car.
He will be missed.
RIP John.
Location: McCleary WA
Posts: 125
Club(s): (PNDC)
Not really. John and I only spoke once, about his choice of business name and the ensuing "confusion". We had different business practices and goals, and co-existed. The main factor in my decision to retire was DMCH who, after buying out KAPAC, refused to honor their policy of selling wholesale to other smaller vendors. I had a large inventory of my own, but not everything my customers would need. And you can't buy at retail and resell at retail. Upon purchasing my business Toby resolved that issue by becoming a branch of DMCH, something I was unable (due to location) and unwilling to do. That worked for a while, but as with many such unions a "dissolution" was inevitable.
RIP John.
Darryl T
Retired, restoring cars, building street rods
Still lurking here daily
1981 DeLorean w/supercharged Chevy V6 - purchased 1990; built '90-'95; sold 2005; re-purchased 2016; sold again 2017
1957 Dodge D500 Hemi convertible - restoration completed 7/2015; sold 12/2019
1957 Dodge 2-door station wagon, 2019 Chrysler drivetrain
2000 Corvette convertible
RIP John. My condolences to his family.
Dana
1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)
RIP John, Regardless of what anyone thought of his customer service at times. he was a human being, and hope his final days were spent with his family and from his website it may seem so. What a sad day for him, his family as well as the delorean community for losing one of our own.
- OCT81 DeLorean DMC-12 Vin 5312 "DeLores"
- 1978 Lotus Esprit S2 "Problem Child"
- 1995 Mazda Miata Turbo "Happy Daily Driver"
I repair Lotus's with DeLorean parts
Location: New England
Posts: 329
My VIN: 10350 & 2083 SEARCHING FOR VIN#16664
Club(s): (DMCNE)
I purchased a few things from John ranging from brakes to fuel components and he was always quick to ship and answer questions. Rest in Peace.
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SEARCHING FOR VIN #16664
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