Books

[dtavres]

I've not been able to find a general "Books" thread, so thought I'd start one.

If there is one, please add a link to redirect.

If there isn't one, use the title of the book as the post title and let's share!

Thanks!

[dtavres]

I finally found a (reasonably priced) copy of ‘DeLorean – Stainless SteelIllusion’.

I haven’t read it yet, but WOW... just from browsing through, there’s somegreat diagrams and photos I’ve not seen before!

[Rich]

There are several threads here and there about several books. This is about one of the more recent ones.

The DeLorean Story: The Car, The People, The Scandal
by Nick Sutton

A thread about that book with >300 posts on it so far: LINK: The-DeLorean-Story-The-Car-The-People-The-Scandal (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2677-The-DeLorean-Story-The-Car-The-People-The-Scandal&highlight=sutton+book+preview)

[Rich]

Another one here, more technical than historical:

The Illustrated Buyer's Guide to DeLorean Automobiles
by James Espey

No thread specifically for it that I find but plenty of referrals point it out to prospective owners as an excellent resource.

[Rich]

DeLorean - Celebrating the Impossible
by Christopher Parnham & Andrew Withers

THE DeLorean coffee table book. Just about done reading mine. Photos of and stories about the people, the car and the factory from back in the day.

[louielouie2000]

DeLorean - Celebrating the Impossible
by Christopher Parnham & Andrew Withers

THE DeLorean coffee table book. Just about done reading mine. Photos of and stories about the people, the car and the factory from back in the day.

To me, labeling Celebrating the Impossible as a coffee table book hugely sells it short. Yes, it fits the format: it's a big, rectangular, HEAVY book filled with thousands of glossy pictures... but it's so much more than that. When it comes to the car & company, this book has more content than all of the other DeLorean books combined. Celebrating the Impossible is closer to a DeLorean encyclopedia, in my eyes. It totally redefines the DeLorean book genre.

[DMCVegas]

When it comes to books, there are some things to really keep in mind when you read them. Mostly the context and chronological order of them. And this will exclude the modern ones that have come about within the last 5 or so years, as I've not yet had a chance to catch-up with reading/acquiring them.

Save for JZD's autobiography in 1985, and books about law citing Howard Weitzman's defense team, ALL of those old books were written prior to his acquittal. That is a rather key factor in regards to how skewed they are, because at the time all anyone really had were tabloid headlines, rumors, and the face value of "facts" that came from self-professed "authorities" as well as the DEA. No one prior to the trial realized just how bad the prosecutor's case would fall apart, let alone how those other "authorities" such as William Haddad would fall apart. Haddad for example was on GM's payroll while at DMC, and even brought up all sorts of charges against JZD and DMC about financial improprieties which Scotland Yard investigated and found the charges unfounded. Haddad himself even fell apart under testimony.

Now yes, even De Lorean's autobiography is to also be taken somewhat at face value. He worked with Ted Schwartz on it, and even admitted that some things he wanted to write were to be left out. And of course it being an autobiography, it is indeed going to definitely be a slanted view in his favor. But none the less it probably is one of the best books out there.

If you're wanting a solid reading list, these are the ones that I would start with to really learn about John Z. De Lorean, DeLorean Motor Company, and the DMC-12. I've gone ahead with not only a recommended order, but also a brief description of each:

De Lorean by JZD & Ted Schwartz
(This will fulfill the need to learn as much about the man, car, and company as possible.)
On a Clear Day you can see General Motors by JZD & Patrick Wright
(This will give you great insight as to JZD's corporate upbringing within GM, and helps shine a light on why he appeared to be reckless. He wasn't. He was just trying to operate like GM without having their cash resources.)
Dream Maker by Ivan Fallon & James Srodes
(Good insight into company operations and development.)
Stainless Steel Illusion by John Lamm
(Chances are you're gonna get the 2nd edition which is revised with some corrections. For many years, and still by many to be considered the definitive book on the DMC-12 vehicle. Though more recent tomes may have surpassed it, I don't know.)
Hard Driving: My Years with John De Lorean by William Haddad
(Interesting insight into DMC's early development, but still, take Haddad's personal observations/opinions with a grain of salt and realize that many of the accusations turned out to be unfounded)
Parts Identification Manual by DMC
(Look at the DMC-12 blown-up, piece by piece, and assembled level by level according to the diagrams. This was believe it or not, the FIRST book I ever read on the subject. Look at the car from the inside out, and become familiar with it to the point where you can look at a car, and KNOW where the pipes and wiring harnesses are below the surface. It will help you build an amazing amount of confidence in both the vehicle as well as yourself.)
Workshop Manual by DMC
(Again, the 2nd of the first two books I read. Once you have been able to see what parts are contained within your car and visualize how they connect, the WM will tell you how they function & interconnect, as well as how to diagnose everything. Believe me when I tell you this isn't a goof. Taking the time to study and read these two manuals makes the difference between someone who has a bad experience with their car, and someone who ends up owning one for decades. After 35 years, there are still a few original owners, and far more of us 2nd owners with some that have had our cars longer than the first ones did. It's because we took the time to read and understand our cars from scratch.
Judging the Jury By Valerie P. Hans & Neil Vidmar
(Fantastic book about how Attorneys pick and work with juries. Howard Weitzman and 11 of the 12 jurors from the De Lorean drug trial are interviewed and explain the reasons for the acquittal.)
The Trial Lawyers: The Nation's Top Litigators Tell How They Win by By Emily Couric
(More interesting info from Howard Weitzman, as well as a prime example of the cross-examination of Benedict J. Tisa, how his testimony fell apart, and a good barometer to demonstrate how flimsy the charges against JZD actually were.)
Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: Greatest Closing Arguments By Michael S. Lief, Ben Bycell, & Mitchell Caldwell
(Weitzman's moving, closing arguments in the De Lorean trial.)


As for the newer books, I'm afraid that I am of no help right now. I don't own copies, though they are on the list for my library, and should have them soon enough. Two other old books though, Grand Delusions and The DeLorean Tapes are pretty much just some pre-trial tabloid trash you can skip.

[Rich]

I agree with this upgrade to my posting.

Before seeing this new "Books" thread I was intending to contribute a separate review of "CTI" having just read it. The authors certainly picked a very fitting title for this work. So many great contemporary photos of the people and the product.


To me, labeling Celebrating the Impossible as a coffee table book hugely sells it short. Yes, it fits the format: it's a big, rectangular, HEAVY book filled with thousands of glossy pictures... but it's so much more than that. When it comes to the car & company, this book has more content than all of the other DeLorean books combined. Celebrating the Impossible is closer to a DeLorean encyclopedia, in my eyes. It totally redefines the DeLorean book genre.

[dtavres]

I'm about halfway through "Stainless Steel Illusion"... SO many bits of info and 'facts' - which is my question. How correct are the 'facts' in this book?

I've done a lot of work with Bodie (http://www.Bodie.com) over the years, and "facts" often get inflated, mis-represented or just mis-understood when they are re-told.

Being that John Lamm has written many car books and worked on Road & Track magazine, I feel like I can trust what he's written. Any dissension?

[Rich]

I'm about halfway through "Stainless Steel Illusion"... SO many bits of info and 'facts' .....

Being that John Lamm has written many car books and worked on Road & Track magazine, I feel like I can trust what he's written. Any dissension?

Yes, John Lamm is a well-respected automotive writer. This book is very good in terms of overall accuracy and honesty.

There are a few stories in it that are still not clearly understood now after many years so, given that the book was written so soon after the car went out of production, these minor slips if they are indeed slips are forgivable. The vast majority of what he nails down in this book is accurate so I recommend you trust it.

Feel free to check with the community about any facts you might question.

PS, as pointed out already in this thread there is a second edition that had corrections. My reference is to the first edition. Which edition are you reading?

[dtavres]

Which edition are you reading?

Thanks very much.

It LOOKS like first edition... see attached.
38300

[DMCVegas]

That certainly looks like the original one. The second printing that DMCH did has their own publishing label on it. It has some spelling corrections, some other minor factual corrections, and also an addendum that briefly covers both BTTF as well as DMCH itself.


I've done a lot of work with Bodie (http://www.Bodie.com) over the years, and "facts" often get inflated, mis-represented or just mis-understood when they are re-told.

The truth of the matter is that there are still many, MANY other facts that to this day remain unknown. The biggest example of this is the portrayal of how JZD "abandoned" the DMC-12 shortly after it's inception to focus on other products such as the DMC-80 & the DMC-44. It's been a while and all of my reference materials are sealed up with my car in storage so I can't remember for certain of it was SSI or Dream Maker, though I'm certain it was SSI. Anyhow, there is this forward written by some psychologist or something that profiles JZD and says all this stuff where he diagnoses the man with all these issues where he wants to be on the cutting edge of starting a project, but never seeing it through to the end, has ego problems, etc. It's very, very negative.

And as I found out years later, it was also highly, HIGHLY inaccurate.

I spoke with Jeff Nesseth once who painted a very clear picture that JZD's plans for the company was to be a global conglomerate with various divisions. Later on James Espy debuted the investor prospectus film of the DMC-44 at the 2005 Open House event which had clear comparisons against the Jeep CJ for agricultural use. And the pamphlets for the DMC-80 did comparisons against other competitor buses (GM N.A. Truck Division's RTS Line of buses, though not specifically).

Coupled together, it's clear to see what happened. JZD wasn't "bored" with the DMC-12 in the least. Think about it; what was the reason which he created a sports car in the first place? By De Lorean's own reasoning, it was a niche market in which he could easily compete. Packard and Kaiser both had monumentally failed because they tried to go directly after the Big 3's bread and butter of normal commuter cars. Something that De Lorean was quite aware of. But Kaiser did have one particular vehicle that not only avoided failure, but flourished and still exists to this day: Jeep (even as much as GM just loves to tout the Suburban's age, they remain quiet about it's origins as a transport vehicle designed around the dimensions of an adult coffin to discretely transport corpses from hospitals to funeral homes). Jeep has survived several companies, and numerous spin-offs 4x4s over the years because it is a niche vehicle. It survived because of that. Niche vehicles have both lower competition levels and much higher profit margins. That was precisely what the gullwinged DMC-12 was designed to do. Same with the DMC-44 & DMC-80; niche markets with growing demand that was supplied by a vary limited number of competitors.

So was JZD really someone who wasn't all that committed to the DMC-12, and became dismissive of it solely for personal fund raising? Hardly. What he was trying to do was go after other markets with other products to expand the company's portfolio in order to develop as many income sources as possible. So that way when sales of the DMC-12 slumped, they could fall back on the other product's profits to keep things afloat. Now yes, some of this, like the DMC-80 definitely had the trigger pulled on it way to early. But the DMC-44 would have been a great, moderate investment. And his desire for a turn-key auto company via acquisition would have sealed the deal ever further.

More importantly here is the lesson that you can't take everything simply at face value. Even these old books. They are biased, most of it's really only because they never had all of the facts at hand. It's easy to look at that "psychological profile" of John Z. De Lorean and say, "Woah, this guy is right! JZD *didn't* see his project through like he says!" Then when you start getting a clearer picture of what what the entire operation of the corporate machine was rather than the central gear that was JZD, that whole opinion just looks like utter and complete horseshit. People tend to incorrectly treat viewpoints as opinions, rather than what they literally are: a vantage point that offers a different view of things that can result in totally different insight.

Which on a somewhat related note, JZD has always been this consummate gentleman businessman. So for myself, the 1985 Playboy interview and his audiobook narration of Smokey Yunick's autobiography where he cusses like, well, how I also do, were very refreshing to allow you to hear just how human and relatable the man really was.

[louielouie2000]

Has anyone received their copy of Barrie Wills book John Z, the DeLorean and Me ...Tales From an Insider yet? Sounds like it should be interesting!

[dtavres]

...there is this forward written by some psychologist or something that profiles JZD and says all this stuff where he diagnoses the man with all these issues where he wants to be on the cutting edge of starting a project, but never seeing it through to the end, has ego problems, etc. It's very, very negative.

Yeah, that interview with the psychologist lost me pretty quickly, as the psychologist hadn't actually known or even interviewed JZD himself! His analysis was completely based on things he had read about JZD. Once that became obvious, I discounted it completely.

I'm nearly through the book now, really trying to study it and understand what went on with the development of the car.

One of the biggest things I'm getting out of it is that it doesn't seem to be an overly complex vehicle. Others have recommended getting a shop manual for the car and studying that. I think I'd like to spend a few months really pouring over the manual so I have a better chance of doing some maintenance and repairs myself (with the help of DMC Parts).

[DMCVegas]

One of the biggest things I'm getting out of it is that it doesn't seem to be an overly complex vehicle. Others have recommended getting a shop manual for the car and studying that. I think I'd like to spend a few months really pouring over the manual so I have a better chance of doing some maintenance and repairs myself (with the help of DMC Parts).

No, it's not at all. After having seen the Bricklin SV-1 and it's atrocious interior consisting of things from cheap upholstery, to off the shelf VDO gauges you could order from any hot rod catalog, JZD's mantra for the DMC-12 was that anything the driver could see or touch MUST be unique to the car to deliver a premium experience that let them know they were in a DeLorean and nothing else. However, anything mechanical that was hidden away was to use off the shelf parts that were readily available for both mass production as well as quick and simple repairs. He took allot of crap for worrying about the wrinkle pattern, but it was for a good reason.

Interestingly enough, I once saw a guy who had an SV-1 for sale in the paper, and I contacted him. I said I'd never seen one and couldn't buy it, but would really love to just look it over. And in return he could go over my DeLorean. The guy said sure, and off we went. My buddy actually was interested in buying the car if he liked it, but wasn't sure. The Bricklin guy actually commented to me that he couldn't believe my interior. He poured over all of the gauges, knobs, handles, switches, and the like and said he couldn't figure out what any of them were cross-referenced from. He said that he had a new respect for the car because it truly was designed from the ground-up as it's own car.

[Dangermouse]

one of the biggest things i'm getting out of it is that it doesn't seem to be an overly complex vehicle. Others have recommended getting a shop manual for the car and studying that. I think i'd like to spend a few months really pouring over the manual so i have a better chance of doing some maintenance and repairs myself (with the help of dmctalk).

ftfy

[dtavres]

...and then there's this...

"A TV miniseries is planned on the late auto industry maverick John Z. DeLorean, who was the subject of several films and books in which a Hollywood producer said “never got his story right."
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2015/12/06/kevorkian-play-delorean-tv-miniseries-planned/76853576/

[Jonathan]

I saw this one in the bookstore the other day: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/inside-the-star-wars-empire-bill-kimberlin/1127095923?ean=9781493032310

It is called 'Inside the Star Wars Empire' and it has a lot more in it than just Star Wars stuff. Turns out the author was a big part of the special effects team for many great movies and BTTF 3 was one of them. There's a fair bit of good info and pictures on how they crashed the train down into Eastwood ravine back in 1885.

Wondered if anyone here has seen this one or read it.

This guy could be a possible VIP guest idea for a future DCS...