[Wareagle]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

DeLorean was the first GM divisional president (or for that matter, any automobile manufacturing president) to be a celebrity. Lee Iacocca was famous for the Mustang, but Iacocca, like others, were the "suit and tie" generation. DeLorean was not part of the cookie cutter GM executive look. He was only 40 years old when he was appointed head of Pontiac in 1965, the youngest ever to hold such a high position at GM. As long as he kept Pontiac rolling and 3rd in sales (behind only Chevrolet and Ford), the top brass tended to look the other way. DeLorean's "long" hair, his candid interviews, his ego, and his desire to be part of elite social circles really ticked off the "old guard" at GM.

Never before had a GM executive or divisional president received so much press. Unfortunately, GM top brass didn't want GM's image to be associated with a "groovy" sort of lifestyle. It was ok to advertise and sell the image to the youth market, but not an appropriate image for president.

When DeLorean was appointed head of Chevrolet in 1969, he was supposed to be next in line for GM president. That was the path typically followed by GM presidents. You were VP of a division, then president of a division, moved over to become president of "big dog" Chevrolet, then finally president of GM.

In 1971, when DeLorean realized that GM was grooming Oldsmobile's John Beltz to be the next GM president, DeLorean was told that because of his lifestyle and his image, he would never become president of GM. When John Beltz died unexpectedly in 1972, DeLorean was stunned that he was not promoted to president of GM, so he began make other plans.

Photos like this are what drove the GM top brass crazy. Today, this attitude and image would be celebrated as unique and independent, but back in the early 1970's, GM did not want to associate the "hippy" lifestyle with top level GM management.

Sad day For Pontiac when he went over to Chevy > No factory RA V'S or the 455 RA IV for 1970 - he would have got them into production