The DeLorean sports car was created by the DeLorean Motor Company, which was founded by automotive engineer and executive John DeLorean in 1975. The famous stainless-steel, gull‑wing–door model (often called the DMC-12) was manufactured and marketed by his company in the early 1980s.

Who made the DeLorean?

  • The DeLorean car was made by the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) , an American automaker founded in 1975.
  • The company’s founder and driving force was John Zachary DeLorean , a former General Motors executive known for his work on cars like the Pontiac GTO before starting his own brand.
  • DMC produced only one model, the stainless-steel, rear‑engine sports car we now simply call “the DeLorean.”

In simple terms: John DeLorean (the person) founded DeLorean Motor Company (the brand), and that company built the iconic DeLorean car you know from the 1980s and from Back to the Future.

A bit of story behind it

  • John DeLorean left General Motors in the early 1970s to pursue his own vision of a futuristic, safety‑focused sports car.
  • He established a new company in 1975 and, with major outside investment, set up a factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, where the car went into production around 1981.
  • The car’s body design came from Italian design house Italdesign, led by Giorgetto Giugiaro, which gave the DeLorean its sharp lines and distinctive stainless‑steel look.

Although the company had a short, turbulent life and went bankrupt in the early 1980s, the DeLorean became a pop‑culture icon after being used as the time machine in the Back to the Future film trilogy.

Quick fact table

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QuestionAnswer
Who founded the DeLorean Motor Company?John Zachary DeLorean.
Who made the DeLorean car?The DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) founded by John DeLorean.
When was the company founded?1975.
When was the car produced?Early 1980s (about 1981–1983).
Who designed the body?Italdesign, led by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
**TL;DR:** John DeLorean founded the DeLorean Motor Company in 1975, and that company built the stainless-steel, gull‑wing DeLorean sports car in the early 1980s.