DETROIT – I was perusing the WDIV vault recently looking for footage from the Detroit Red Wings’ 1979-80 season -- the first one at Joe Louis Arena -- when I stumbled upon this gem about automaker John DeLorean.
"DeLorean: Life in the Fast Lane!" originally aired April 9, 1980. In it, WDIV's Doug Bruckner gives us a closer look at how Detroit native John DeLorean rose to fame and riches and broke ties with the Big Three to form his own auto company.
"John DeLorean's story is basically a Detroit story. He was born and raised in our city, made his fame and fortune at General Motors, but to find out what John DeLorean is doing today I had to travel nearly halfway around the world. And my first stop: Smack dab here in Midtown Manhattan."
Bruckner went to New York City for an exclusive interview with DeLorean right before his DeLorean Motor Company began production on the stainless steel DMC-12 -- that car from "Back to the Future," of course. The sports coupe hit the market in January 1981 but the company went into receivership in 1982 after the DMC-12's flop.
In this special, Bruckner went all the way to Northern Ireland where the DMC was being built. There is some amazing footage in this. It was a war-torn area, according to Bruckner's report:
In my days in Belfast, I got used to the Northern Ireland body search."
Keep in mind this mini-doc aired just a couple years before DeLorean was charged with trafficking cocaine by the U.S. government. It's an interesting perspective on DeLorean and his DMC.
And it's a must-watch for anyone interested automotive and Detroit history.
NOTE: There is about a 30-second period of black around the 13:50 mark.
Meanwhile, I'm still looking for some early Joe Louis Arena footage. I'll check back.
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