From what I could find out, this is what happened. John Delorean was approached by an investor. During negotiations, it became clear that the investor was also involved in drug trafficking. Then when Delorean said he wanted nothing to do with that, the investor treatened him. "I'll send your baby daughter's head home in a shopping bag!" Is what he was told according to wikipedia. So Delorean did the only thing he could and complied, letting himself be treatened into submission by this drug dealer investor. Then when the drugs were delivered, the investor turned out to be a police informant and the whole thing was a trap from the beginning. During the trials, the depth of the entrapment became clear. The FBI agent in charge was even recorded saying "I'm going to get John DeLorean for you guys ... The problems he's got, I can get him to do anything I want". In the end, the court ruled that is was clear case of entrapment and Delorean was aquitted. So, as much as i appreciate and respect Jay, calling JD “just another drug dealer” is really not doing justice to the situation.
This actually shows jays lack of knowledge on the whole situation. Yeah Mr DeLorean compromised himself. But he also brought peace to war torn northern Ireland 🇮🇪. He deserves a little respect.
gammaraider - Bingo! I was very surprised to hear Jay Leno (an admitted dope user ) lie about John DeLorean. What two-faced logic. This was a very ignorant statement from Jay Leno. DeLorean was set-up.
Jay is one of the few guys that has a real matchbox car set we all used to play with in full size .With a team of fabricators , mechanics and maintenance to keep them clean and serviced .
Despite the Conan thing, Leno deserves credit for his role as a steward of these pieces of history. Hopefully his legacy will always continue so future generations don't forget where we started and how we developed automotive technology.
@@charger6811 The company that manufactures toy cars and aircraft etc., they've been going since the '50's. They focus mainly on the small sized stuff, and are probably the most famous company in the business.
He’s so, so off the mark here though. John DeLorean wasn’t a “coke dealer” by any means, nor did he compromise his morals. He was a businessman with a failing company, which put him in a desperate position. He was entrapped by a close friend of his in an FBI sting operation (which many speculated that the heads of GM played a hand in), and was later acquitted of all charges by a jury. The reason he went along with the deal in the tape was because he was surrounded by armed men in the room whom he feared would kill him and/or his family if he backed out. He talked about this in numerous interviews. I wish Jay Leno would have educated himself a bit more on the topic before just broadly calling DeLorean a “coke dealer” like all the other casually ignorant people, especially as someone who apparently had admired him before.
@@TheRealDrJoey Nope! He was a sax player, even got a music scholarship to the Detroit Institute of Technology. I can’t seem to find any of his music, but I hope one day I can.
I like that when Jay doesn't like a company or CEO or whatever, he literally doesn't buy the car. So many people hate on Amazon or whatever but still have prime accounts, or rich people jump through all the Ferrari hoops to get the latest & greatest. Jay just straight up doesn't play the games. If he feels wronged by something, he votes with his wallet. I love that.
Not a huge fan of Amazon but you're comparing apples and oranges as far as necessary products and being able to buy them. You don't need a DeLorean. Most people do need things from Amazon.
@@AquarianNomadic I'm guessing you're young so this may come as a shock, but Amazon wasn't always around, it's in-fact quite recent. It wasn't really a thing until after I was finishing college. You get by just fine w/o it - you need food, there are grocery stores, need electronics, there are electronics stores, need something urgent? There's 24hr CVS, Wallgreens, Walmarts, etc. Life existed before Amazon. Getting modern day slaves to deliver your shit in 2 days is a luxury. It's not something you need. You can go to the store and buy whatever you need - and it'll be cheaper there as well because Amazon prices are marked up a bit to cover the large portion that Amazon takes.
@@AquarianNomadic Then you're senile if you think Amazon is an essential. That or you're too lazy, forgot what it's like to get in the car & drive to the store. Shouldn't need me to explain this to you. Amazon is a luxury, plain and simple.
Owns a couple of fords though. Shout out hitlers friend Henry Ford, writer of the international Jew. Also the company that spent millions to defeat a passionate mans racing project. it’s kinda like David and Goliath but Ford is Goliath yet everyone praises them for it.
Pretty insane the level of reputation damage the federal government did to Mr. DeLorean. If they were willing to do that to a desperate businessman, just imagine what they'd be willing to do to someone to actually posed a threat to them!
There are many things I could easily blame on the government but 'reputation damage',? Really? LOL. Delorean has only himself to blame for becoming what Leno calls him here 'a sleazy coke dealer'.
I’ve considered a Delorean myself in the past however I didn’t buy one either, not for the reasons Jay mentioned tho or the fact it was a “bad” car. I actually didn’t want one in the end because having spoken to some owners they all mentioned the fact you can’t park one anywhere without the same comedy gags or generic questions every time. The novelty of it would wear out very quickly for me after the 20th “where’s the flux capacitor” or “what happens when it hits 88mph?” .
I could not agree with you more. Im a huge car guy and a big Back To The Future fan so you would think I would have wanted one... but no for really the exact same reasons you state. It's just a shitty car at the end of the day. I remember when you would be able to get a decent one for 20-25k and I just didn't. If you have yours all Time Machined out then yea that is uber cool but its a prop at that point. Funny story is we have our annual 4th of July parade where I live and they had a few Deloreans in the parade.. they get to where I am on the parade route and not even joking you, two of the 5 or 6 they had pull out right in front of me due to over heating... lol.. smell of coolant promptly hits the air...oh man.. yeah as much as I love 80's shit boxes.. DMC.. not for me. If there is a one vehicle I would buy that appears in Back to the Future would be the black Toyota truck.. that thing was cool.. and Im not even a truck guy.. lol
@@evilboxing1 Amen. It was a shitty car. Fly Wing Doors for the 'masses' -- Some good ideas; stainless steel that doesn't rust.. That's STILL a good idea! But beyond the 'cheese'; it was all cheap parts; including the square GM headlights.
Jay is a bright guy, I'm surprised he isn't aware of the actual JZD story. He never sold so much as a gram of drugs, and his only crime was being recorded in a hotel room with undercover agents who set him up.
When I first saw the Delorean in Road and Track magazine as a kid, I dreamed that this would be a supercar that I could drive someday. But, the engine looked familiar. Popping up the hood of my dad's Volvo station wagon kind of ruined it for me.
Twin turbos would have really picked it up, but it was already waaaaaay over budget and I don't know if they could have gotten some kind of blower packaged inside or qualified for emissions at that time.
@@MrTheHillfolk the PRV engine isn’t even regarded as a good engine in the volvo community. The bread and butter engine for volvo fans is the redblock and I would definitely rather take a delorean with a redblock than a PRV. I have cars with both engines and the PRV is way more complicated but at the same time it’s heavier, slower, and more unreliable. I don’t want to sound cynical by roasting the PRV but the bottom line is that the engine is not even that good for non sports cars. If I can ever afford a Delorean I’m gonna engine swap it :)
There’s no speculation, you are 100% right. The movie franchise is the only thing that kept the car relevant. They are truly a disappointment to drive, but at this point they are iconic.
Pretty much. I mean, the car itself is slow and not that amazing. The movie is really what helped make it iconic and synonymous with the 1980's. If Robert Zemeckis went with a different car, nobody would remember the Delorean at all.
@@GabePlaysYT He wanted to go with a fridge. A fridge of all things. They only scrapped the idea because they thought kids would replicate the movie and, well… go sit in a fridge.
It didn't help that it went begging for an engine in the Malaise Era, when engines were smog-xhoked and weak. 20 tears later, there were no end of engines you could use, at the time, it couldn't get out of its own way.
I wonder what Jay Leno thinks of Preston Tucker and the Tucker 48. Similar situation to DeLorean, both were accused, both acquitted, both companies tanked by the time the legal proceedings were done
Tucker was an ambitious promoter, but DeLorean was a crook. DeLorean is on tape making a drug deal. DeLorean also was part of a multimillion dollar fraud that sent Lotus' Fred Bushell to prison. DeLorean couldn't be extradited to the UK, so he couldn't be tried there.
Tucker was an ambitious promoter, but DeLorean was a crook. DeLorean is on tape making a drug deal. DeLorean also was part of a multimillion dollar fraud that sent Lotus' Fred Bushell to prison. DeLorean couldn't be extradited to the UK, so he couldn't be tried there.
@@NorthernChev He knows. As much as we all can know. The car is crappy. What would be so fun is him doing a 'Driving a Delorian" and it breaks down. Have the guest driver get it over 88mph. The only thing I fear is Jay dying while driving or having a guest drive a Delorian over 88mph hahaha.. He would need to wear a helmet and certainly the seatbelt which probably would fail like everything else on the Delorian does! hahaha..
"Famed car enthusiast and true successor to Johnny Carson died while filming a driving session in a Delorian. Imagine the headline. Then.. "I bet he got the Vaxx!" hahahahaha..
@@RealtyWebDesigners Let us all know when you finally figure out how to spell DeLorean correctly. I bought mine in 1996 with only 19000 miles on it. It now has well over 100k and have never once ever had any sort of failures or problems outside of the a/c stopped working once. Clearly, you’re talking out of your ass as someone who’s never owned one and are just repeating shit you’ve heard other people repeat.
Delorean was acquitted, and only got wrapped up in that sting operation in order to save his company, his lifelong dream. I like Jay's videos, love his cars, but as a close friend of Tim Allen.....who was convicted of dealing coke btw.....he's really pretty hypocrytical in his statements about Delorean.
Tim Allen wasn’t a childhood hero of Jay’s...he didn’t say he hated DeLorean...he said it marred memories he had of DeLorean’s career. Moreover JD was an extremely successful inexplicably getting involved in dealing...whereas Allen wasn’t. His success came after the fact. And the acquittal is patently irrelevant...he’s not guilty in a criminal court of law...he’s not innocent. Jay answered a question...he didn’t come out and advocate the death penalty for all coke dealers. Nothing hypocritical here.
They were idiots, it was all caught plain as day on camera ffs! There's a rule of law for the rich and famous and a whole other one for the rest of us.
@@MichaelJP yes, if you ONLY judge DeLorean by the arrest video, he appears guilty as sin. HOWEVER, what was done to DeLorean, in the days preceding the arrest, by the FBI, was, in my OPINON, "ENTRAPMENT" And the jury agreed.
@@mpf1947 Having looked into it more, you know what guys, I was wrong. I'm no fan of dodgy cops and tactics like entrapment, so rich asshole or not, they got it right. Just irks me that they continuously get away with shit the rest of us would get locked up for, we're not as equal under the law as they pretend we are.
Regardless... the DMC12 will always be an important part of automotive history. It’s an epic story and an idea that took pure gumption and risk. No matter how you slice it...the car, the man, the story...deserve proper recognition and respect.
@@Veroxzes I used to own one they are a PITA John should of used the lotus engine instead of the Volvo engine. But its neat what this one guy did with his running a KIA Stinger engine in his DMC that thing moves.
When you boil it down, Leno has a code. You may not like it, and like everything else including one's own sacrosanct beliefs, people can poke holes in it, but it is a code. More to his credit, he doesn't shout it at you either.
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history. jays code is to eat as much as possible and wear the same outfit everyday
@@chadchadchadchadchad Iconic? Yes. Visually futuristic? Hell yes. A good car? Nope. It was actually included in the movies partly as a joke because it was widely regarded as a failure by that time.
Despite how much I like Jay, he is notorious for sometimes not drilling down below the surface too much on subjects & knowing the facts. The Feds entrapment & later falsifying evidence against John DeLorean is now very well known, & documented in books & articles on the subject if one wants to avail themselves of the information. DeLorean was not, "just a coke dealer" as Jay opines, & his ignorance may cause those who look up to him to feel about him the same way he does about DeLorean.
@@805NAVE Being a musician, I’ve met and played with several names that would be recognized, and all but one were nothing but awesome. First one I opened for in the late 70’s was, shall we say a VERY pretty, very sweet, short brunette, with pipes that could break windows. We were young and scared to death. They took us out to their tour bus and fed us dinner. It’s too bas that celebrities aren’t like that anymore…….
Imagine saying this of a man he knows was acquitted of all charges while being long te friends with Tim Allen. Or did tim Allen sell coke to feed his family?
@@charleslindsay3201 You can't blame DeLorean completely. The car cost almost twice to make than they planned to sell if for by the time it made production. All sorts of compromises had to be made to even get that lump out the door. John should have just kept the car a dream and retired to some island to live out his life - oh, and not sell coke!!!!
When I was in my early 20’s I had the opportunity to meet my childhood hero…a NASCAR driver from the 70’s at a race. He was a legend and was by himself and it would’ve been easy to go up to him and introduce myself. Nope…didn’t want to take the chance of him being an asshole to me. I don’t regret it either, even the nicest person can have an off day.
I can't believe he said when he saw the movie, he realised that DoLorean was worse than he thought 😂 As if the movie is %100 accurate. There were a lot of discrepancies. Definitely not taking up for DeLorean just thought it was very ironic.
Yeah, the Hollywood show biz guy falling for the Hollywood show biz shite. It appears he just wants to pile on DeLorean. Leno knows the difference between a documentary and a biopic. I think.
Jay, I think John DeLoren was trying to desperately save his company. I don’t think he should have gotten into the drug trade no matter what. You do realize he was acquitted? He was also likely tripped up by government bureaucrats who are not so pure and above the law and by Government Motors (GM). You know, that company that went bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the taxpayers.
I find it’s rather foolish to avoid owning a DMC car for that reason. Look at all the other cars that have a less than perfect past that are beloved. The Volkswagen Beetle being a prime example. Jay doesn’t seem to mind owning any of John Delorean’s designs from when he was from GM either. As for the low HP numbers it was the 80’s and emission laws were very restrictive hence the underpowered v8s of that era too. the chassis handles well and engine swaps are a thing
He doesn't like the guy, he doesn't want the guy's car. It's got the guy's name all over it and his face was all over the marketing. The Beetle is a Volkswagen, not a Hitler. The Beetle as sold represented West Germany, the reformed Germany that was a US ally against the communist bloc. It wasn't sold as a Hitler Beetle. If it were actually sold as a Hitler Beetle, maybe Jay wouldn't want a Beetle, either.
@@PO-pi5su Agreed. The GTO may have been pushed by Delorean but in the end it was a GM product with Pontiac badges that was ultimately approved by his boss for production.
I had the opportunity on several occasions to meet Mr Jim Wangers and speak to him for a while. Sometimes when you meet your childhood heroes they are as good as you thought.
However, he WAS 100% guilty of a coke deal. The argument was that someone _falsely_ spread rumor's about him in order to shut down his legit car business (which was also true). He felt he could flip the coke (by buying it with worthless DMC stock) and make a buck.
1:18 Huh actually he did that only after it was the only alternative left to him to feed the family at the ENTIRE factory in Ireland, he used to actually show up and greet everyone there personally, its only towards the end when things were getting desparate that he stopped, the factory workers remember him fondly and look at him as a victim of a political target of opportunity, given he took UK money to make that factory and wasnt allowed a second loan to keep it going, and the thing they think happened is the UK people tipped off the US ones about this and then the sting happened, and he was acquitted under the rules of entrapment, as the agents kept hounding him trying to get him to agree to the deal, and why would they know this information without some sort of knowledge about this and everything else fell through, so he went through with it as a last resort, as it was the 80's, its not like anyone gave a damn, only to turn out it was a sting, John's REAL failure was that he was like all entrepreneurs, he tried to do too much too quickly if he had slowed it down, waited a year or two, and worked out the production troubles, well you see how much interest there is in the car to this day he would have made it, and I dont look at that as a fallen hero, just a guy who tried to do too much too quickly, and got screwed because of it. hell one of the cars failings was because of one of the things he did off the hip, the engine sits too far back as he met some guy who wouldnt own a car that didnt have space for his golf clubs, so they moved the engine back to make space in the cabin like you'd really stick those behind the seat so it slams into you every time you hit the brakes, and also that piece behind you, its plywood and the engine, well one of the key engineers came to him and was like please tell me we're gonna have a V8 as it doesnt have enough power and that only came to his attention AFTER he had signed the deal with Renault, which they were working on fixing by making a twin turbo version when they went under given US spec zapped 30 horsepower and jacked up the suspension to meet federal ride height regulations given this was the Jimmy I'm a dumbass lets rake up the inflation and rig up the speedos so they only go to 85 Carter era. so........ he was just a victim of too much too fast, I mean for god sakes the struts for the delorean had to be developed by an Aerospace company, northrop grumman to hold up the doors and your telling me that WASNT expensive to do? and they were so specialized that even DMC texas, the continuation company couldnt get them to continue remaking the cars, they had to source some new ones from somewhere else lol like he just tried too hard, and ontop of that think of it this way, no failure, and marty mcfly would have been flying a refrigerator lol
I've seen your vids before and I thought I had subscribed until I just realised I hadn't. So I've fixed that. Apologies. You have a very good channel going on here mate
Watching the interviewer mispronounce "DeLorean" was an early tipoff. His constant tittering when Jay was giving a perfectly serious explanation only added to the embarrassment. They'll let anyone have a mic these days.
The DMC Delorean was actually the prototype for the Canadian sportscar called the Bricklin built in 1972 , Delorean bought the rights to use the prototype and the man who owned the Bricklin Automobile company still has that prototype in his possession today
I read it on the internet, so it must be true. I love the confidence of the guy doing the interview of what’s in Jay’s collection despite having no verified sources or doing any work on his own. Next week I’m sure he’ll tell Samuel L. Jackson what a great job he did in that Super Bowl commercial.
I used to live in Burbank, and one Sunday morning I'm driving myself to Portos, and on the other side of Magnolia, driving the opposite direction is Jay Leno in like a chitty chitty bang bang car, with goggles and driving gloves and the whole deal on. Was so surreal lol
Except the whole “coke dealer” bullshit was exactly that. Entrapment by the government which is why he was acquitted. Don’t let facts get in your way, Jay.
While it obviously was entrapment it’s also true that he fell for the trap and agreed to do something sleazy to make a buck. It’s possible to be legally innocent but still morally corrupt.
John agreed to a loan that was supposedly funded by coke in order to save a company and hundreds of livelihoods. Jay, on the other hand, brags and laughs about playing venues owned by mobsters. Killers. Assholes with real blood on their hands. Leno has no morale high ground only a high horse.
@@Pr3ct coke has certainly cost hundreds or livelihoods and actual lives. Not to mention their is a world of difference between legally working for someone who might be shady and being that shady person. And again it’s not a moral high horse he just was disappointed in Deloren and so he doesn’t want the car.
Love Jay Leno. A true American gearhead and regular guy. Besides the fact that he owns and drives an original Chrysler Turbine Jet car, the coolest car ever made!
@@johnvalentine3456 Not about politics; on that I can 'feel ya' - But as a car lover; he's got 'sauce' - I could out-fix a car vs Jay; I doubt he's had (as I have) cars fallen on him; fixed not only standard transmissions; clutches and throw out bearings but also automatic transmissions; endless 'carburetor kits' - But give Jay some props: He is a car lover and knows, if not from experience, 'academically' he knows; so don't spit too much 'hater-aid' on him. He loves cars and you can tell.
I was a teenager when the designs for the DMC-12 started showing as news flashes in my car mags. It seemed to instantly morph from safety car to a bare-bones, great handling SS wedge, reminding me an old Esprit. Then it started getting PWs, leather, sound insulation, etc., and the weight went WAY up. Then the engine pick wouldn't oomph it. Never blamed DeLorean at all. If anything, he'll always have my respect for his love and passion. He tried 100%. But Leno, don't confuse him w/"a sleazy coke dealer", he's a car man.
Jay neglected to point out that DeLorean was found not guilty of the cocaine charges. A good question is why the FBI decided to entrap DeLorean in the first place. I find it hard to believe someone over there just decided one day that it would be a good idea to go after him with 55 lbs ($24 million) of cocaine. Perhaps he was too critical of his old employer General Motors and they conspired to sick the dogs on him for revenge. He was acquitted on all counts, but the case achieved the objective of crushing his car company because he was unable to get financing for the ailing venture while he was up on federal charges, regardless of how ridiculous those charges were.
@@JimN696 That may be true, but it not the point. The judge should have thrown the case out from the start, and someone should have investigated who at the FBI came up with such an absurd scheme and why they just happened to pick John DeLorean to be the target at that time. It's just a little odd that a 50 year old prominent business executive with no priors just all of the sudden gets caught, on camera no less, with a briefcase stuffed with $24 million of cocaine. The FBI literally created the crime
The FBI works for the crime syndicate who pull the strings in DC. They shot JFK, set up Nixon, so knee-capping a talented engineer to protect the automobile oligarchy was not a problem.
DeLoreon was someone you can look up to when he made the GTO. He seemed like a rebel doing what he had to do to give the people what they want. Then when he got his own company he made a piece of crap. People expected a super car to rival Ferrari or at least a Corvette. It comes out and it’s a straight six with 145 Hp. And the price tag was for a super car and you got a 6 cylinder Mustang for double the price.
I was Listeneng to one of Gale Banks's Speed School podcast the other day, and his Guest, Walt Ware, said that DeLorean tried to hire him to help get more Power out of the PRV v6, but that Smokey Yunick had recommended against it. Smokey was seemingly aware that Delorean was in deep trouble well before the whole FBI entrapment thing happened.
@@danr9584 Smokey had deep connections to GM engineering from when he built race cars for Chevrolet and Pontiac. He probably knew a few inside stories from when Delorean was at GM.
Many years ago I worked with a guy who grew up in the same neighborhood as DeLorean at the same time. He always resented how DeLorean described his youth as one in poverty. My co worket said the Depression was for real for them, but he and DeLorean lived lives well above poverty. He thought DeLorean was a jerk.
In the mid-80's, I worked with a guy who lived a few doors down from the DeLoreans. He thought they were normal neighbors, until the whole cocaine thing.
@@cmbaileytstc Nope. Heck, in this day and age with fentanyl etc; cocaine is like 'health medicine'! What matters in that the Delorean car was was a piece of crap! Imagine if you paid full price for one of these shit-bird cars! Not about the person or xyz; the car sucked!
Even though i agree with Mr leno's opinion. I do have to say once you see the car in person it makes you want it and its a lot different when you get your eyes on it. I got the rare opportunity to see to a fully drivable one just last saturday. Its a lot more sleek and lower to the ground than videos and pictures have you believe. And that stainless steel is what helps preserve the car. And even though Mr deloran may of not been the best person from how he went about it he sure knew how to make a car timeless and appealing even 30+ years later.
Conan O'Brien's fans killed him on the Tonight Show. They wrote lots of online petitions to get him the show, but then they never watched the TV show they got him. They watched him online, but network TV producers don't give a shit about online watchers. They care about how many people watch their network. Jay Leno had the number one show on late night TV. Conan turned into the number four show. So, they dumped Conan (and gave him about $40 million), and offered the show back to Jay. Jay took the job and put the show back to number one. So go pound sand into your anti-Jay bullshit.
@@justayoutuber1906 I remember Jay talking with Jerry Seinfeld and bragging about continually winning all these comedy awards and using that publicity for himself and when Seinfeld congratulated him he cracked up and then joked about how the award was his in fact his own creation Seinfeld was horrified , but that attitude mystified Jay who thought it was just funny and showed how clever he was and he couldn't see how anyone else especially another comedian didn't see it as funny but as fraud especially since he used those awards for his own benefit .
It’s probably fair to say, when Carson was electronically locked into his brand new DeLorean, that may have possibly deterred Leno into buying into it.
Got to look over a DeLorean many years ago. As a Mechanical Engineer myself I wasn't impressed with it! At least not favorably. With the door up you could give it a fore-aft push and watch the whole roof flex. A LOT!
The DeLorean had a poor drive train in general...Not so much when a Grand National is in there ..but I digress. The Delorean was just a poor excuse for a car and the irony is since it's made of stainless steel it will never wear out.
@Richard Harrold Yep, peak power at 4000rpm and a tune away from outrunning all of the 80s supercars we all dream about. Revs are really cool, but revs are also bad for reliability, especially back in the old days. High revving engines aren't as nice to drive on the street either compared to a torquey, lower revving one. GM did their thing as an inflexible mega corporation and we somehow got some damn good looking cars out of it. Love my 83 Camaro, but none of the drivetrain is stock lmao!
@Richard Harrold 9000rpms for hundreds of thousands of miles? LS with reliability issues? Get real man, we dont have to use hyperbole here. Pushrods are perfectly fine ways to operate a valve train. Running engines at those revs for extended periods is rough on purpose built race motors, let alone the everyday economy oriented engines we use in our personal cars. North of 100mph? Thats all about gearing and there's plenty of durable options given a Chevy V8 bellhousing pattern. Speed limits top out at 75 most places anyways. Our UPS delivery trucks use LS engines (dreaded pushrods) and frequently hit 200 and 300k miles on the original unit despite abusive treatment. Your remarks really sound like the usual lines from Brits about how "backwards" Americans are but about cars. Your country has no entries to speak of in this competition, unless we count the substantially worked over Triumph 4cyl that Saab used.
This man honestly has some very rich logic and I respect because he really put it in the greatest scenario on what really are good and bad people because theres one man to sell yay to feed themselves or family and the other wants to see people get hooked on their cocaine to get rich while watching others go under .
From what I've read, Delorean wasn't actually a drug dealer. He was acquitted of all charges as the FBi basically set him up. It's rather an interesting read, if you want to look up the details.
McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola used to have a DeLorean sign over one of their internal doors. Below it was a sign advertising "Things go better with Coke."
(It would be fun to own one with the intention of replacing all the innards.. And to enjoy the pure shittyness of the car; how bad it is, to get a true feel for how crappy it was)
When I was a lowly Private in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii I was given a DeLorean as a loaner while my Porsche 914/6 was being worked on. (This was in the early 80's and i got the car dirt cheap) I immediately drove down to Waikiki in it with my best friend and while slowly cruising down Kalakaua Ave. i realized that besides its cool looks, etc that it had a major flaw! The windows wouldn't roll down! You just had a little winglet window that popped open an inch or two and it was extremely difficult to try and talk to girls and ask them out with that dang car!
DeLorean was NOT "a sleazy coke dealer". DeLorean was DESPERATE to save his company. It's not like "he had been selling cocaine for quite some time" or "he was planning on selling even more cocaine after this 1 big deal". NO, IT WAS A DESPERATE 1 TIME DEAL, that was an idea given to him, again, for the sake of saving his company. Was it the right thing to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It was a horrible decision, and a horrible mistake. How do I know this? Answer: HIS LONG TIME FRIEND: THE LATE GREAT SMOKEY YUNICK SAID SO. Smokey spoke about John DeLorean to great lengths in his 3-part autobiography, just as he spoke at great length about many big names in the automotive industry, that he either knew personally, or was good friends with. Smokey was GOOD friends with John DeLorean for many years. Smokey even stated how he was shocked to learn of this deal, and resulting drug bust, involving DeLorean. But Smokey also went out of his way to say: "John wouldn't have sold cocaine in a million years, had he had other means to save his company". I'm really disappointed to know Jay LACKS the wisdom pertaining to such a situation......and I also find it awful damned funny how he was, and IS good friends with actor/comedian TIM ALLEN..........because Tim Allen was well known for his LONG TIME COCAINE ABUSE AND DEALING. This makes Jay a hypocrite in this situation. Lastly, you can bet the farm ole Jay has a few skeletons in HIS closet as well. I have always liked Jay for his down to earth attitude, especially about cars.........but this is rather disappointing. John DeLorean made a huge mistake, and he paid for it dearly.
No car during during that time was a sports car really, even by their standards since EPA and the Oil Prices neutered all performance of the cars at the time.
I wanted a DeLorean for a long, long time, until one of my friends bought one and he asked me to help him get it going. They are nice looking cars, but what a pile they are. The electrical system uses more power than the alternator can keep up with so it will drain the battery, if you upgrade the alternator the electrical system can't handle it and will burn out the relays. The circuit board for the tail lights can't hold the weight of the light bulbs so the vibration of driving them down the road breaks the solder joints so the tail lights stop working. The smallest power windows on a production car are also the most prone to falling off the tracks or just not working when you want. By the time you gotten the car up to the famed 88 mph, good chances you sheared all the teeth off the plastic speedometer gear so now you have no speedometer. Then if it has a manual gearbox try to run it a bit fast, if you stand on it hard in first gear and wind it out, they will not shift into second, the sincro rings are cut so they need to shift at low rpm. And then try to buy parts for them, the people that deal in DeLorean parts don't want to sell you anything. And thats just a few quirks off the top of my head. And the funniest one, is the DeLorean that Johnny Carson got on the tonight show, broke down on his trip home.
The DMC-12 was an underwhelming car propelled to stardom by a cool movie... but John DeLorean wasn't a "sleazy coke dealer". He was a desperate man with a failing business who was entrapped by the FBI. I love and respect Jay but he's misaligned on this one.
There is a Netflix documentary that presents DeLorean as a complete asshole. Like among all other things, he stole some guy's intellectual work, a huge patent for an engine cooler.
@@dimitristripakis7364 That's fair. I never said he was a good guy, just saying to paint him as a drug dealer was incorrect. The desperation led to the entrapment.
DeLorean DMC is one of 10 cars I would own if I was a multi millionare! No Ferrari, No Porsche, No Lambo, No Lotus etc and those other over the top brands. You would only find DeLorean and Ford, Cadillac, Dodge, Volvo, Chrysler, Aston Martin DB5 etc.
To be accurate- "James Timothy Hoffman (a neighbor) reported to the FBI that DeLorean had approached him to ask about setting up a cocaine deal. In truth, Hoffman had called DeLorean and suggested the deal (which DeLorean then accepted) as part of Hoffman's efforts to receive a reduced sentence for a 1981 federal cocaine trafficking charge on which he was awaiting trial. Hoffman (whose name was redacted on the original indictment) also stated that he was aware of DeLorean's financial troubles before he contacted him, and had heard him admit that he needed $17 million "in a hurry" to prevent DMC's imminent insolvency. DeLorean's lawyers successfully argued that the FBI and DEA had unfairly targeted and illegally entrapped DeLorean when they allowed Hoffman (an active FBI informant who only knew DeLorean casually) to solicit DeLorean into a criminal conspiracy simply because he was known to be financially vulnerable." Wikipedia
To me DeLorean was a hero, willing to do anything and everything to save his company and good knows the jobs of how many people working for him. Put yourself in his shoes, he got shafted so many times
I’m sad to see Jay doesn’t educate himself more about what really happened between John and the cocaine trials. Yes, he made some poor choices, but he wasn’t as “sleazy” as he claimed. Worst of all, it’s people with this narrow mindset that came to confront Zachary and Katherine throughout their lives as constant reminders of what happened. Let’s try to look at the car for what it is: it’s ideals, principals, and for what it really is worth.
One day my friend and I showed up at Jay's garage on our motorcycles and Jay was so gracious to show us around. Thanks Jay. It really was by accident!
Stop the cap
Sure it was (Which makes Jay even better)
Jay blew me once. He liked my 1985 Dodge Diplomat.
@@nastybastardatlive Swallow?
@@OrbitalTrails-x5s obviously
From what I could find out, this is what happened. John Delorean was approached by an investor. During negotiations, it became clear that the investor was also involved in drug trafficking. Then when Delorean said he wanted nothing to do with that, the investor treatened him. "I'll send your baby daughter's head home in a shopping bag!" Is what he was told according to wikipedia.
So Delorean did the only thing he could and complied, letting himself be treatened into submission by this drug dealer investor.
Then when the drugs were delivered, the investor turned out to be a police informant and the whole thing was a trap from the beginning.
During the trials, the depth of the entrapment became clear. The FBI agent in charge was even recorded saying "I'm going to get John DeLorean for you guys ... The problems he's got, I can get him to do anything I want".
In the end, the court ruled that is was clear case of entrapment and Delorean was aquitted.
So, as much as i appreciate and respect Jay, calling JD “just another drug dealer” is really not doing justice to the situation.
I recently watched a documentary about him and what you said seems clear and part of the public record.
I heard he was set-up also.
This actually shows jays lack of knowledge on the whole situation. Yeah Mr DeLorean compromised himself. But he also brought peace to war torn northern Ireland 🇮🇪. He deserves a little respect.
gammaraider - Bingo! I was very surprised to hear Jay Leno (an admitted dope user ) lie about John DeLorean. What two-faced logic. This was a very ignorant statement from Jay Leno. DeLorean was set-up.
@@gusloader123 great point. Who knows the real reason.
Jay is one of the few guys that has a real matchbox car set we all used to play with in full size .With a team of fabricators , mechanics and maintenance to keep them clean and serviced .
Matchbox???
Despite the Conan thing, Leno deserves credit for his role as a steward of these pieces of history. Hopefully his legacy will always continue so future generations don't forget where we started and how we developed automotive technology.
@@charger6811 Although some view Matchbox as the Beta-Max of die-cast minis, Hot Wheels to me are so cliche. Lol
@@charger6811 The company that manufactures toy cars and aircraft etc., they've been going since the '50's. They focus mainly on the small sized stuff, and are probably the most famous company in the business.
I wish I had those Matchbox cars, Hot Wheels, Tonka toys that I had when I was a kid. They are very collectable now.
He’s so, so off the mark here though. John DeLorean wasn’t a “coke dealer” by any means, nor did he compromise his morals. He was a businessman with a failing company, which put him in a desperate position. He was entrapped by a close friend of his in an FBI sting operation (which many speculated that the heads of GM played a hand in), and was later acquitted of all charges by a jury.
The reason he went along with the deal in the tape was because he was surrounded by armed men in the room whom he feared would kill him and/or his family if he backed out. He talked about this in numerous interviews.
I wish Jay Leno would have educated himself a bit more on the topic before just broadly calling DeLorean a “coke dealer” like all the other casually ignorant people, especially as someone who apparently had admired him before.
He was a sleazebag long before the coke. He was interested in personal fortune, not cars.
Excellent post, and spot on.
He was a sax player too. Pretty sick.
@@qwertyuiop32935 Huh? Did you mean to post this under a completely different YT article?
@@TheRealDrJoey Nope! He was a sax player, even got a music scholarship to the Detroit Institute of Technology. I can’t seem to find any of his music, but I hope one day I can.
I like that when Jay doesn't like a company or CEO or whatever, he literally doesn't buy the car. So many people hate on Amazon or whatever but still have prime accounts, or rich people jump through all the Ferrari hoops to get the latest & greatest. Jay just straight up doesn't play the games. If he feels wronged by something, he votes with his wallet. I love that.
Truth
Not a huge fan of Amazon but you're comparing apples and oranges as far as necessary products and being able to buy them.
You don't need a DeLorean.
Most people do need things from Amazon.
@@AquarianNomadic I'm guessing you're young so this may come as a shock, but Amazon wasn't always around, it's in-fact quite recent. It wasn't really a thing until after I was finishing college. You get by just fine w/o it - you need food, there are grocery stores, need electronics, there are electronics stores, need something urgent? There's 24hr CVS, Wallgreens, Walmarts, etc. Life existed before Amazon.
Getting modern day slaves to deliver your shit in 2 days is a luxury. It's not something you need. You can go to the store and buy whatever you need - and it'll be cheaper there as well because Amazon prices are marked up a bit to cover the large portion that Amazon takes.
@@MrSlowestD16 I'm 50.
Start over.
@@AquarianNomadic Then you're senile if you think Amazon is an essential. That or you're too lazy, forgot what it's like to get in the car & drive to the store. Shouldn't need me to explain this to you. Amazon is a luxury, plain and simple.
I love the fact that a personal hero to Jay was an automotive person. Not an athlete, actor, or commedian... just a down to earth automotive person
Then jay lies and calls him a drug seller
Jay was probably just using some verbal shorthand and saying that he felt DeLorean was in fact a grifter, con artist and phony.@@Printknight528
He also will not own a Ferrari. I like that he has principles.
The whole “Purr-Ari” incident is enough to pray every day that the company fails.
🤣
Owns a couple of fords though. Shout out hitlers friend Henry Ford, writer of the international Jew. Also the company that spent millions to defeat a passionate mans racing project. it’s kinda like David and Goliath but Ford is Goliath yet everyone praises them for it.
The reason he won't own a Ferrari is they're horrible customer service
I also will never own a Ferrari. But it has pretty well f--k-all to do with principles...
Pretty insane the level of reputation damage the federal government did to Mr. DeLorean. If they were willing to do that to a desperate businessman, just imagine what they'd be willing to do to someone to actually posed a threat to them!
(DJT)
Not unlike Preston Tucker & his Tucker 48.
@@monkeywrench4169 cope harder
@@EliasTheHunter Cope with the fact that russiagate was a lie? Um, ok.
There are many things I could easily blame on the government but 'reputation damage',? Really? LOL. Delorean has only himself to blame for becoming what Leno calls him here 'a sleazy coke dealer'.
With great respect Jay, I’m not sure the simplified version of Delorean’s fall from grace was necessary.
Or true. At all.
I love these interviews man
I’ve considered a Delorean myself in the past however I didn’t buy one either, not for the reasons Jay mentioned tho or the fact it was a “bad” car. I actually didn’t want one in the end because having spoken to some owners they all mentioned the fact you can’t park one anywhere without the same comedy gags or generic questions every time. The novelty of it would wear out very quickly for me after the 20th “where’s the flux capacitor” or “what happens when it hits 88mph?” .
I could not agree with you more. Im a huge car guy and a big Back To The Future fan so you would think I would have wanted one... but no for really the exact same reasons you state. It's just a shitty car at the end of the day. I remember when you would be able to get a decent one for 20-25k and I just didn't. If you have yours all Time Machined out then yea that is uber cool but its a prop at that point. Funny story is we have our annual 4th of July parade where I live and they had a few Deloreans in the parade.. they get to where I am on the parade route and not even joking you, two of the 5 or 6 they had pull out right in front of me due to over heating... lol.. smell of coolant promptly hits the air...oh man.. yeah as much as I love 80's shit boxes.. DMC.. not for me. If there is a one vehicle I would buy that appears in Back to the Future would be the black Toyota truck.. that thing was cool.. and Im not even a truck guy.. lol
I wanted to say your post was a bunch of twaddle but you are exactly right on all points.
Haha.. It would probably blow a gasket if you get it over 88mph Haha..
@@evilboxing1 Amen. It was a shitty car. Fly Wing Doors for the 'masses' -- Some good ideas; stainless steel that doesn't rust.. That's STILL a good idea! But beyond the 'cheese'; it was all cheap parts; including the square GM headlights.
Which ironically were the most STABLE/GOOD thing about the damn car! I agree with Jay on this one.. The car was a piece of pure crap.
Jay is a bright guy, I'm surprised he isn't aware of the actual JZD story. He never sold so much as a gram of drugs, and his only crime was being recorded in a hotel room with undercover agents who set him up.
I don't believe a word of that.
@@COlson-rh3dgmaybe do some research if it matters enough to you to comment.
@@COlson-rh3dg he was set up by the fbi
I always thought he was charged with tax crimes 😅 I'm defo gonna look this up at 3am sometime now 😂
@@CookieMonster-go9zj it just proves how even though he was acquitted how much the fbi damaged his reputation falsely
When I first saw the Delorean in Road and Track magazine as a kid, I dreamed that this would be a supercar that I could drive someday. But, the engine looked familiar. Popping up the hood of my dad's Volvo station wagon kind of ruined it for me.
Twin turbos would have really picked it up, but it was already waaaaaay over budget and I don't know if they could have gotten some kind of blower packaged inside or qualified for emissions at that time.
Volvo station wagons are good solid, sensible cars.
🤷♂️
@@straybullitt sure they are and they are good at it.
But do you really want a bread and butter engine in a supposed sports car?
@@MrTheHillfolk the PRV engine isn’t even regarded as a good engine in the volvo community. The bread and butter engine for volvo fans is the redblock and I would definitely rather take a delorean with a redblock than a PRV. I have cars with both engines and the PRV is way more complicated but at the same time it’s heavier, slower, and more unreliable. I don’t want to sound cynical by roasting the PRV but the bottom line is that the engine is not even that good for non sports cars. If I can ever afford a Delorean I’m gonna engine swap it :)
Actually the PRV engine was never used in a Volvo station wagon.
Could it be that yr dad never owned one?
I honestly think the "Back To The Future" franchise helped hype this car up, and made a newer generation fascinated with it.
There’s no speculation, you are 100% right. The movie franchise is the only thing that kept the car relevant. They are truly a disappointment to drive, but at this point they are iconic.
Pretty much. I mean, the car itself is slow and not that amazing. The movie is really what helped make it iconic and synonymous with the 1980's. If Robert Zemeckis went with a different car, nobody would remember the Delorean at all.
@@GabePlaysYT He wanted to go with a fridge. A fridge of all things.
They only scrapped the idea because they thought kids would replicate the movie and, well… go sit in a fridge.
It's a beautiful car - even today.
It didn't help that it went begging for an engine in the Malaise Era, when engines were smog-xhoked and weak. 20 tears later, there were no end of engines you could use, at the time, it couldn't get out of its own way.
This channel is 10000% going to blow up
Here before the blow up
I wonder what Jay Leno thinks of Preston Tucker and the Tucker 48. Similar situation to DeLorean, both were accused, both acquitted, both companies tanked by the time the legal proceedings were done
Exactly! Why do people not know this? It's a simple Google search away...
Tucker was an ambitious promoter, but DeLorean was a crook. DeLorean is on tape making a drug deal. DeLorean also was part of a multimillion dollar fraud that sent Lotus' Fred Bushell to prison. DeLorean couldn't be extradited to the UK, so he couldn't be tried there.
Tucker was an ambitious promoter, but DeLorean was a crook. DeLorean is on tape making a drug deal. DeLorean also was part of a multimillion dollar fraud that sent Lotus' Fred Bushell to prison. DeLorean couldn't be extradited to the UK, so he couldn't be tried there.
I respect jays choices...it takes more than a movie to warrant the space of the garage....
Except, clearly, Jay doesn’t actually know the real story of what happened surrounding John DeLorean. Apparently all he knows is the Internet stories…
Jay's garage is iconic; and he should have one for that reason; long after he's gone; his 'garage' will be iconic and a tourist attraction.
@@NorthernChev He knows. As much as we all can know. The car is crappy. What would be so fun is him doing a 'Driving a Delorian" and it breaks down. Have the guest driver get it over 88mph. The only thing I fear is Jay dying while driving or having a guest drive a Delorian over 88mph hahaha.. He would need to wear a helmet and certainly the seatbelt which probably would fail like everything else on the Delorian does! hahaha..
"Famed car enthusiast and true successor to Johnny Carson died while filming a driving session in a Delorian. Imagine the headline. Then.. "I bet he got the Vaxx!" hahahahaha..
@@RealtyWebDesigners Let us all know when you finally figure out how to spell DeLorean correctly. I bought mine in 1996 with only 19000 miles on it. It now has well over 100k and have never once ever had any sort of failures or problems outside of the a/c stopped working once. Clearly, you’re talking out of your ass as someone who’s never owned one and are just repeating shit you’ve heard other people repeat.
Delorean was acquitted, and only got wrapped up in that sting operation in order to save his company, his lifelong dream. I like Jay's videos, love his cars, but as a close friend of Tim Allen.....who was convicted of dealing coke btw.....he's really pretty hypocrytical in his statements about Delorean.
Tim Allen is Hollyweird, they get a special pass.
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history
Yes, Tim Allen was convicted of Coke possession but he willingly did his time and testified against some dealers who did far worse things than he did
Yep.
Tim Allen wasn’t a childhood hero of Jay’s...he didn’t say he hated DeLorean...he said it marred memories he had of DeLorean’s career. Moreover JD was an extremely successful inexplicably getting involved in dealing...whereas Allen wasn’t. His success came after the fact. And the acquittal is patently irrelevant...he’s not guilty in a criminal court of law...he’s not innocent. Jay answered a question...he didn’t come out and advocate the death penalty for all coke dealers. Nothing hypocritical here.
A JURY found John DeLorean NOT GUILTY, on all drug charges! Period.
They were idiots, it was all caught plain as day on camera ffs! There's a rule of law for the rich and famous and a whole other one for the rest of us.
@@MichaelJP yes, if you ONLY judge DeLorean by the arrest video, he appears guilty as sin. HOWEVER, what was done to DeLorean, in the days preceding the arrest, by the FBI, was, in my OPINON, "ENTRAPMENT" And the jury agreed.
@@MichaelJP I hope law enforcement uses entrapment against you.
@@mpf1947 Having looked into it more, you know what guys, I was wrong. I'm no fan of dodgy cops and tactics like entrapment, so rich asshole or not, they got it right.
Just irks me that they continuously get away with shit the rest of us would get locked up for, we're not as equal under the law as they pretend we are.
They also found OJ not guilty....
What I really like about Jay besides him being a mutual car nut like me is that he just seems like a genuinely down to earth and likeable guy
No
Regardless... the DMC12 will always be an important part of automotive history. It’s an epic story and an idea that took pure gumption and risk. No matter how you slice it...the car, the man, the story...deserve proper recognition and respect.
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history
What really let the Delorean down was its pathetic engine. Only 130HP. It's like a sheep in wolf's clothing.
@@Veroxzes I used to own one they are a PITA John should of used the lotus engine instead of the Volvo engine. But its neat what this one guy did with his running a KIA Stinger engine in his DMC that thing moves.
@@wickedhouston5538 Right. That honor will have to go to…?
The DeLorean rates slightly above the Yugo as a quality automobile.
When you boil it down, Leno has a code. You may not like it, and like everything else including one's own sacrosanct beliefs, people can poke holes in it, but it is a code. More to his credit, he doesn't shout it at you either.
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history. jays code is to eat as much as possible and wear the same outfit everyday
@@wickedhouston5538 You’re saying the DeLorean is the best car in history? McFly! Anybody home, McFly?!
Why doesn't the code apply to Tim Allen?
@@-sensibleChris He just said it's lenos code, not Tim's lmao, read bro, read
@@chadchadchadchadchad Iconic? Yes. Visually futuristic? Hell yes. A good car? Nope. It was actually included in the movies partly as a joke because it was widely regarded as a failure by that time.
Im waiting for Jay to inevitably take delivery of his new Gordon Murray hyper cars.
@One Issue Voter so what car was the fastest production car at that time? A chopped up lotus with a V8?
Despite how much I like Jay, he is notorious for sometimes not drilling down below the surface too much on subjects & knowing the facts. The Feds entrapment & later falsifying evidence against John DeLorean is now very well known, & documented in books & articles on the subject if one wants to avail themselves of the information. DeLorean was not, "just a coke dealer" as Jay opines, & his ignorance may cause those who look up to him to feel about him the same way he does about DeLorean.
I feel the same way about General Motors, Ford, and especially Volkswagen to name just a few. I don’t know if any corporation is honest, actually.
They say never meet your hero’s, but I’d love to meet Jay. I’m betting he’s just like I imagine, a down to earth car guy….
I’ve met him 2 weeks ago he’s a really cool guy
Don’t be so sure, admiring him from a distance.
I see him every couple weeks in Malibu on sundays. He is definitely a very personable nice sweet guy, real great to talk to about cars! Love him !
@@805NAVE Being a musician, I’ve met and played with several names that would be recognized, and all but one were nothing but awesome. First one I opened for in the late 70’s was, shall we say a VERY pretty, very sweet, short brunette, with pipes that could break windows. We were young and scared to death. They took us out to their tour bus and fed us dinner.
It’s too bas that celebrities aren’t like that anymore…….
@@williamsporing1500 you really should just mention who it was, people would probably like that singer even more if they could put a face to the act
Imagine saying this of a man he knows was acquitted of all charges while being long te friends with Tim Allen. Or did tim Allen sell coke to feed his family?
SMH
It was to feed his mustache
Interesting point.
I don't believe he bought a car from Tim Allen either.
Jay seems to lack self awareness after his own shady past during his last years at NBC.
The Delorean had a 130hp V6 and a reputation for unreliability. Not exactly a 1964 Pontiac GTO with a 389 ci, 325 hp engine. Meh.
The US version was de-tuned. Euro versions had more power and very usable. Shame the V8 version didn't make it in time before folded.
exactly ,he lost his way
@@charleslindsay3201 You can't blame DeLorean completely. The car cost almost twice to make than they planned to sell if for by the time it made production. All sorts of compromises had to be made to even get that lump out the door. John should have just kept the car a dream and retired to some island to live out his life - oh, and not sell coke!!!!
The DMC-12 was never intended to the a performance car. It was supposed to the practical commuter car of the future. A new Volkswagen Beetle.
When I was in my early 20’s I had the opportunity to meet my childhood hero…a NASCAR driver from the 70’s at a race. He was a legend and was by himself and it would’ve been easy to go up to him and introduce myself. Nope…didn’t want to take the chance of him being an asshole to me. I don’t regret it either, even the nicest person can have an off day.
Petty? Yarborough?
Not a chance it was Petty... that dude is a fans fan. He loves everybody
I think Jay is a hero to a lot of car guys and girls. He lives everybody’s dream.
I can't believe he said when he saw the movie, he realised that DoLorean was worse than he thought 😂 As if the movie is %100 accurate. There were a lot of discrepancies. Definitely not taking up for DeLorean just thought it was very ironic.
Yeah, the Hollywood show biz guy falling for the Hollywood show biz shite. It appears he just wants to pile on DeLorean. Leno knows the difference between a documentary and a biopic. I think.
Which movie he is talking about?
Your tight uncomfortable smile and giggle when Jay is explaining his distaste speaks volumes about you.
Jay, I think John DeLoren was trying to desperately save his company. I don’t think he should have gotten into the drug trade no matter what. You do realize he was acquitted? He was also likely tripped up by government bureaucrats who are not so pure and above the law and by Government Motors (GM). You know, that company that went bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the taxpayers.
High-dollar lawyers to get acquitted does not mean he wasn't guilty.
@@markdodd1152 does not mean he was guilty either
Opinions vary
@@markdodd1152 obviously
@@markdodd1152 Well "innocent until proven guilty" is supposed to take care of that, and he was never proven guilty.
I find it’s rather foolish to avoid owning a DMC car for that reason. Look at all the other cars that have a less than perfect past that are beloved. The Volkswagen Beetle being a prime example. Jay doesn’t seem to mind owning any of John Delorean’s designs from when he was from GM either. As for the low HP numbers it was the 80’s and emission laws were very restrictive hence the underpowered v8s of that era too. the chassis handles well and engine swaps are a thing
"Volkswagen Beetle being a prime example" of not spending a cent on V.A.G. products. Sorry but I think the bar should be much higher.
Ridiculous analogy of VW. The people’s car ultimately rebuilt a broken nation into our strongest ally!
He doesn't like the guy, he doesn't want the guy's car. It's got the guy's name all over it and his face was all over the marketing.
The Beetle is a Volkswagen, not a Hitler. The Beetle as sold represented West Germany, the reformed Germany that was a US ally against the communist bloc. It wasn't sold as a Hitler Beetle. If it were actually sold as a Hitler Beetle, maybe Jay wouldn't want a Beetle, either.
@@PO-pi5su Agreed. The GTO may have been pushed by Delorean but in the end it was a GM product with Pontiac badges that was ultimately approved by his boss for production.
BMW do it for me used slave labour during the war and are still owned by the same family.
Ok. Just a minor point. 1: DeLorean was not a coke dealer. He was set up in a sting operation. 2: he was aquitted of all charges.
I had the opportunity on several occasions to meet Mr Jim Wangers and speak to him for a while. Sometimes when you meet your childhood heroes they are as good as you thought.
He was acquitted. (Entrapment) I don’t think he mentioned that part... or conveniently ‘forgot’ that part.
But he fully admitted being involved in the scheme; you conveniently forgot that part.
However, he WAS 100% guilty of a coke deal. The argument was that someone _falsely_ spread rumor's about him in order to shut down his legit car business (which was also true). He felt he could flip the coke (by buying it with worthless DMC stock) and make a buck.
August 17, 1984 he was acquitted of ALL charges against him.
I can’t think of another auto/cycle ambassador who’s more far reaching and effective as this guy.
Jay should reconsider and come to the Delorean Factory in Humble Texas!
Most famous people aren't like you think they are in real life. Including Jay Leno.
1:18 Huh actually he did that only after it was the only alternative left to him to feed the family at the ENTIRE factory in Ireland, he used to actually show up and greet everyone there personally, its only towards the end when things were getting desparate that he stopped, the factory workers remember him fondly and look at him as a victim of a political target of opportunity, given he took UK money to make that factory and wasnt allowed a second loan to keep it going, and the thing they think happened is the UK people tipped off the US ones about this and then the sting happened,
and he was acquitted under the rules of entrapment, as the agents kept hounding him trying to get him to agree to the deal, and why would they know this information without some sort of knowledge about this
and everything else fell through, so he went through with it as a last resort, as it was the 80's, its not like anyone gave a damn, only to turn out it was a sting, John's REAL failure was that he was like all entrepreneurs, he tried to do too much too quickly
if he had slowed it down, waited a year or two, and worked out the production troubles, well you see how much interest there is in the car to this day
he would have made it, and I dont look at that as a fallen hero, just a guy who tried to do too much too quickly, and got screwed because of it.
hell one of the cars failings was because of one of the things he did off the hip, the engine sits too far back as he met some guy who wouldnt own a car that didnt have space for his golf clubs, so they moved the engine back to make space in the cabin
like you'd really stick those behind the seat so it slams into you every time you hit the brakes, and also that piece behind you, its plywood
and the engine, well one of the key engineers came to him and was like please tell me we're gonna have a V8 as it doesnt have enough power
and that only came to his attention AFTER he had signed the deal with Renault, which they were working on fixing by making a twin turbo version when they went under
given US spec zapped 30 horsepower and jacked up the suspension to meet federal ride height regulations
given this was the Jimmy I'm a dumbass lets rake up the inflation and rig up the speedos so they only go to 85 Carter era.
so........ he was just a victim of too much too fast, I mean for god sakes the struts for the delorean had to be developed by an Aerospace company, northrop grumman to hold up the doors
and your telling me that WASNT expensive to do?
and they were so specialized that even DMC texas, the continuation company couldnt get them to continue remaking the cars, they had to source some new ones from somewhere else lol
like he just tried too hard, and ontop of that think of it this way, no failure, and marty mcfly would have been flying a refrigerator lol
it was a setup, John had powerful enemies
I've seen your vids before and I thought I had subscribed until I just realised I hadn't. So I've fixed that. Apologies. You have a very good channel going on here mate
Thanks for the sub!
Yeah this is a bit of a heart breaker to hear Jay say. John wasn't a coke dealer.
He never said that
@@mikeholland1031 Feel free to replay the video, Jay said Delorean was a coke dealer
@@davecarnevale8017 I know. The statement said Jay said he wasn't a coke dealer.
The truth hurts but good for you Jay, you believe what you believe in and you stick to it!! 😊
Anyone who follows Jays Garage knows he does not own a DMC 12. The interviewer didn’t do his homework. And relied on unreliable sources or websites.
Watching the interviewer mispronounce "DeLorean" was an early tipoff. His constant tittering when Jay was giving a perfectly serious explanation only added to the embarrassment. They'll let anyone have a mic these days.
Zero Fs Jay Leno is the best Jay Leno.
Jay is a quality individual.
Jay Leno is the best man I know. We ❤ Jay.
The DMC Delorean was actually the prototype for the Canadian sportscar called the Bricklin built in 1972 , Delorean bought the rights to use the prototype and the man who owned the Bricklin Automobile company still has that prototype in his possession today
Still see one of those every few years.
BULLCRAP - the DMC has nothing to do with BRICKLIN, the Technical Concept is totally different.
I read it on the internet, so it must be true.
I love the confidence of the guy doing the interview of what’s in Jay’s collection despite having no verified sources or doing any work on his own. Next week I’m sure he’ll tell Samuel L. Jackson what a great job he did in that Super Bowl commercial.
Most people have seen the Netflix documentary Myth & Mogel: John DeLorean which goes into great detail that DeLorean was set up.
@Irish Sox What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China? My comment had nothing to do with DeLorean.
He wasn't a coke dealer, leno's a fool.
A man with principals. Nice to see, so few around. Kind regards
*principles.
Leno's cars are impressive, but his most prized possession is his chin. That thing is just humongus.
I used to live in Burbank, and one Sunday morning I'm driving myself to Portos, and on the other side of Magnolia, driving the opposite direction is Jay Leno in like a chitty chitty bang bang car, with goggles and driving gloves and the whole deal on. Was so surreal lol
Except the whole “coke dealer” bullshit was exactly that. Entrapment by the government which is why he was acquitted. Don’t let facts get in your way, Jay.
While it obviously was entrapment it’s also true that he fell for the trap and agreed to do something sleazy to make a buck. It’s possible to be legally innocent but still morally corrupt.
John agreed to a loan that was supposedly funded by coke in order to save a company and hundreds of livelihoods. Jay, on the other hand, brags and laughs about playing venues owned by mobsters. Killers. Assholes with real blood on their hands. Leno has no morale high ground only a high horse.
The videos are on line. We've all seen them. Whether he was entrapped or not is immaterial. He still took the bait.
@@ohger1 And Leno took the blood money.
@@Pr3ct coke has certainly cost hundreds or livelihoods and actual lives. Not to mention their is a world of difference between legally working for someone who might be shady and being that shady person.
And again it’s not a moral high horse he just was disappointed in Deloren and so he doesn’t want the car.
Love Jay Leno. A true American gearhead and regular guy. Besides the fact that he owns and drives an original Chrysler Turbine Jet car, the coolest car ever made!
Jay is a cool guy, but there is an ugly Boomer underneath the hood.
@@MarquisDeSang I know what you mean. I like Jay, but not really.
Jay has proven himself over time to be (to a car lover's mind) the GOAT.
@@johnvalentine3456 In the car lover's world, Jay is the GOAT
@@johnvalentine3456 Not about politics; on that I can 'feel ya' - But as a car lover; he's got 'sauce' - I could out-fix a car vs Jay; I doubt he's had (as I have) cars fallen on him; fixed not only standard transmissions; clutches and throw out bearings but also automatic transmissions; endless 'carburetor kits' - But give Jay some props: He is a car lover and knows, if not from experience, 'academically' he knows; so don't spit too much 'hater-aid' on him. He loves cars and you can tell.
I was a teenager when the designs for the DMC-12 started showing as news flashes in my car mags. It seemed to instantly morph from safety car to a bare-bones, great handling SS wedge, reminding me an old Esprit. Then it started getting PWs, leather, sound insulation, etc., and the weight went WAY up. Then the engine pick wouldn't oomph it. Never blamed DeLorean at all. If anything, he'll always have my respect for his love and passion. He tried 100%. But Leno, don't confuse him w/"a sleazy coke dealer", he's a car man.
Jay neglected to point out that DeLorean was found not guilty of the cocaine charges. A good question is why the FBI decided to entrap DeLorean in the first place. I find it hard to believe someone over there just decided one day that it would be a good idea to go after him with 55 lbs ($24 million) of cocaine. Perhaps he was too critical of his old employer General Motors and they conspired to sick the dogs on him for revenge.
He was acquitted on all counts, but the case achieved the objective of crushing his car company because he was unable to get financing for the ailing venture while he was up on federal charges, regardless of how ridiculous those charges were.
And regardless of how ridiculous his cars were.
I wouldn't put it past them.
@@JimN696 That may be true, but it not the point. The judge should have thrown the case out from the start, and someone should have investigated who at the FBI came up with such an absurd scheme and why they just happened to pick John DeLorean to be the target at that time.
It's just a little odd that a 50 year old prominent business executive with no priors just all of the sudden gets caught, on camera no less, with a briefcase stuffed with $24 million of cocaine. The FBI literally created the crime
The FBI works for the crime syndicate who pull the strings in DC. They shot JFK, set up Nixon, so knee-capping a talented engineer to protect the automobile oligarchy was not a problem.
I didn’t know there was a movie. What is it called?
DeLoreon was someone you can look up to when he made the GTO. He seemed like a rebel doing what he had to do to give the people what they want. Then when he got his own company he made a piece of crap. People expected a super car to rival Ferrari or at least a Corvette. It comes out and it’s a straight six with 145 Hp. And the price tag was for a super car and you got a 6 cylinder Mustang for double the price.
It had a V6 but was underpowered for sure.
I was Listeneng to one of Gale Banks's Speed School podcast the other day, and his Guest, Walt Ware, said that DeLorean tried to hire him to help get more Power out of the PRV v6, but that Smokey Yunick had recommended against it. Smokey was seemingly aware that Delorean was in deep trouble well before the whole FBI entrapment thing happened.
@@danr9584 Smokey had deep connections to GM engineering from when he built race cars for Chevrolet and Pontiac. He probably knew a few inside stories from when Delorean was at GM.
Like the Cybertruck it’s only available in stainless steel?
Many years ago I worked with a guy who grew up in the same neighborhood as DeLorean at the same time. He always resented how DeLorean described his youth as one in poverty. My co worket said the Depression was for real for them, but he and DeLorean lived lives well above poverty. He thought DeLorean was a jerk.
In the mid-80's, I worked with a guy who lived a few doors down from the DeLoreans. He thought they were normal neighbors, until the whole cocaine thing.
I mean honestly, does anyone give a shit he was moving a little blow? Of all things corporate execs get up to that’s almost a non-issue.
I mean it’s almost expected if you end up where DeLorean ended up. And I’m not talking about jail I’m talking about corporate bigwig.
You never know what’s happening behind closed doors. Your friend is making assumptions that a child doesn’t understand.
@@cmbaileytstc Nope. Heck, in this day and age with fentanyl etc; cocaine is like 'health medicine'! What matters in that the Delorean car was was a piece of crap! Imagine if you paid full price for one of these shit-bird cars! Not about the person or xyz; the car sucked!
Even though i agree with Mr leno's opinion. I do have to say once you see the car in person it makes you want it and its a lot different when you get your eyes on it. I got the rare opportunity to see to a fully drivable one just last saturday. Its a lot more sleek and lower to the ground than videos and pictures have you believe. And that stainless steel is what helps preserve the car. And even though Mr deloran may of not been the best person from how he went about it he sure knew how to make a car timeless and appealing even 30+ years later.
You were a hero to Conan O’Brien. Look what you did to him. What makes you think you are any different than John DeLorean?
Jay Leno never did anything bad to Conan O'Brien.
Conan O'Brien's fans killed him on the Tonight Show. They wrote lots of online petitions to get him the show, but then they never watched the TV show they got him. They watched him online, but network TV producers don't give a shit about online watchers. They care about how many people watch their network. Jay Leno had the number one show on late night TV. Conan turned into the number four show. So, they dumped Conan (and gave him about $40 million), and offered the show back to Jay. Jay took the job and put the show back to number one. So go pound sand into your anti-Jay bullshit.
Which movie is Jay referring to?
I've the same question, is he talking Framing John DeLorean?
Jay saying this about DeLorean after having made his entire career in Hollywood with all the creeps that run that industry 😂
Very cool that Joe Burrow is the interviewer here, and kudos to Jay for not taking the easy route with lame football jokes!
You think thats bad. You should see the right wing of the government
No more than any other industry, sounds like someone has been paying too much attention to QAnnon's anti-semitic hate campaign
@@Ottophil like Hunter Biden?
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history
Jay is a true wholesome American with a strong value system. Haven't watched any late night shows since he left. We miss you Jay!
You do know he hid in a closet to listen in on people considering him for the Tonight Show
@@justayoutuber1906 I remember Jay talking with Jerry Seinfeld and bragging about continually winning all these comedy awards and using that publicity for himself and when Seinfeld congratulated him he cracked up and then joked about how the award was his in fact his own creation Seinfeld was horrified , but that attitude mystified Jay who thought it was just funny and showed how clever he was and he couldn't see how anyone else especially another comedian didn't see it as funny but as fraud especially since he used those awards for his own benefit .
It’s probably fair to say, when Carson was electronically locked into his brand new DeLorean, that may have possibly deterred Leno into buying into it.
Bad relay/fuses and bad wiring connections. Lol
Did Leno assist in getting Carson out of the DeLorean earlier then expected?
Carson's "right hand man" said he got arrested in that incident and iirc a dui charge. Search it but he seemed legit and had documents.
wht movie is he referencing?
Got to look over a DeLorean many years ago. As a Mechanical Engineer myself I wasn't impressed with it! At least not favorably. With the door up you could give it a fore-aft push and watch the whole roof flex. A LOT!
I know of a guy who has two Deloreans with consecutive VIN numbers. One is factory stock and the other has all the go fast aftermarket parts on it.
Becomes clear to me that the owning many of Mr Leno's cars is a story about the car when not owning a car is also a story
Did Jay serve in the Nam ?
The DeLorean had a poor drive train in general...Not so much when a Grand National is in there ..but I digress. The Delorean was just a poor excuse for a car and the irony is since it's made of stainless steel it will never wear out.
jay is just jealous he will never own a car company or design the best car in history
@@wickedhouston5538 I'm thinking maybe you're senile, what with the repeating yourself over and over again :P
@@JimN696 dont be mad, peck
@Richard Harrold Yep, peak power at 4000rpm and a tune away from outrunning all of the 80s supercars we all dream about. Revs are really cool, but revs are also bad for reliability, especially back in the old days. High revving engines aren't as nice to drive on the street either compared to a torquey, lower revving one. GM did their thing as an inflexible mega corporation and we somehow got some damn good looking cars out of it. Love my 83 Camaro, but none of the drivetrain is stock lmao!
@Richard Harrold 9000rpms for hundreds of thousands of miles? LS with reliability issues? Get real man, we dont have to use hyperbole here. Pushrods are perfectly fine ways to operate a valve train. Running engines at those revs for extended periods is rough on purpose built race motors, let alone the everyday economy oriented engines we use in our personal cars. North of 100mph? Thats all about gearing and there's plenty of durable options given a Chevy V8 bellhousing pattern. Speed limits top out at 75 most places anyways. Our UPS delivery trucks use LS engines (dreaded pushrods) and frequently hit 200 and 300k miles on the original unit despite abusive treatment. Your remarks really sound like the usual lines from Brits about how "backwards" Americans are but about cars. Your country has no entries to speak of in this competition, unless we count the substantially worked over Triumph 4cyl that Saab used.
John Delorean was an unfortunate case of a man set out to do big things but the big boys in the industry played dirty since they saw him as a threat.
This man honestly has some very rich logic and I respect because he really put it in the greatest scenario on what really are good and bad people because theres one man to sell yay to feed themselves or family and the other wants to see people get hooked on their cocaine to get rich while watching others go under .
From what I've read, Delorean wasn't actually a drug dealer. He was acquitted of all charges as the FBi basically set him up. It's rather an interesting read, if you want to look up the details.
McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola used to have a DeLorean sign over one of their internal doors. Below it was a sign advertising "Things go better with Coke."
Morals, something Jay has in his collection.
Jay Leno opened my eyes on the possibilties of a 1925 steam car with NASA add-ons. Very cool.
I'm with you Jay, I'll never own one either.
(It would be fun to own one with the intention of replacing all the innards.. And to enjoy the pure shittyness of the car; how bad it is, to get a true feel for how crappy it was)
When I was a lowly Private in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii I was given a DeLorean as a loaner while my Porsche 914/6 was being worked on. (This was in the early 80's and i got the car dirt cheap) I immediately drove down to Waikiki in it with my best friend and while slowly cruising down Kalakaua Ave. i realized that besides its cool looks, etc that it had a major flaw! The windows wouldn't roll down! You just had a little winglet window that popped open an inch or two and it was extremely difficult to try and talk to girls and ask them out with that dang car!
If you had any "Game" Buddy, you would have caused those doors to rise up, then GET OUT and talk to the ladies! AND, THANK YOU for your service!
DeLorean was NOT "a sleazy coke dealer". DeLorean was DESPERATE to save his company. It's not like "he had been selling cocaine for quite some time" or "he was planning on selling even more cocaine after this 1 big deal". NO, IT WAS A DESPERATE 1 TIME DEAL, that was an idea given to him, again, for the sake of saving his company. Was it the right thing to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It was a horrible decision, and a horrible mistake. How do I know this? Answer: HIS LONG TIME FRIEND: THE LATE GREAT SMOKEY YUNICK SAID SO. Smokey spoke about John DeLorean to great lengths in his 3-part autobiography, just as he spoke at great length about many big names in the automotive industry, that he either knew personally, or was good friends with. Smokey was GOOD friends with John DeLorean for many years. Smokey even stated how he was shocked to learn of this deal, and resulting drug bust, involving DeLorean. But Smokey also went out of his way to say: "John wouldn't have sold cocaine in a million years, had he had other means to save his company". I'm really disappointed to know Jay LACKS the wisdom pertaining to such a situation......and I also find it awful damned funny how he was, and IS good friends with actor/comedian TIM ALLEN..........because Tim Allen was well known for his LONG TIME COCAINE ABUSE AND DEALING. This makes Jay a hypocrite in this situation. Lastly, you can bet the farm ole Jay has a few skeletons in HIS closet as well. I have always liked Jay for his down to earth attitude, especially about cars.........but this is rather disappointing. John DeLorean made a huge mistake, and he paid for it dearly.
"...and then when I saw the movie!"
The DeLoreans also weren't really good sports cars.
They were turds, performance and quality wise. All hat, no cattle.
No car during during that time was a sports car really, even by their standards since EPA and the Oil Prices neutered all performance of the cars at the time.
My brother had one. They looked home-made to me.
I wanted a DeLorean for a long, long time, until one of my friends bought one and he asked me to help him get it going. They are nice looking cars, but what a pile they are. The electrical system uses more power than the alternator can keep up with so it will drain the battery, if you upgrade the alternator the electrical system can't handle it and will burn out the relays. The circuit board for the tail lights can't hold the weight of the light bulbs so the vibration of driving them down the road breaks the solder joints so the tail lights stop working. The smallest power windows on a production car are also the most prone to falling off the tracks or just not working when you want. By the time you gotten the car up to the famed 88 mph, good chances you sheared all the teeth off the plastic speedometer gear so now you have no speedometer. Then if it has a manual gearbox try to run it a bit fast, if you stand on it hard in first gear and wind it out, they will not shift into second, the sincro rings are cut so they need to shift at low rpm. And then try to buy parts for them, the people that deal in DeLorean parts don't want to sell you anything. And thats just a few quirks off the top of my head. And the funniest one, is the DeLorean that Johnny Carson got on the tonight show, broke down on his trip home.
The DMC-12 was an underwhelming car propelled to stardom by a cool movie... but John DeLorean wasn't a "sleazy coke dealer". He was a desperate man with a failing business who was entrapped by the FBI. I love and respect Jay but he's misaligned on this one.
There is a Netflix documentary that presents DeLorean as a complete asshole. Like among all other things, he stole some guy's intellectual work, a huge patent for an engine cooler.
@@dimitristripakis7364 That's fair. I never said he was a good guy, just saying to paint him as a drug dealer was incorrect. The desperation led to the entrapment.
DeLorean DMC is one of 10 cars I would own if I was a multi millionare! No Ferrari, No Porsche, No Lambo, No Lotus etc and those other over the top brands.
You would only find DeLorean and Ford, Cadillac, Dodge, Volvo, Chrysler, Aston Martin DB5 etc.
I'm sure at least one of the cars he owns was built by not good people lol
Delorean- A true poster-child for the whole "how the sausage is made" thing.
To be fair on John D. he was entrapped by the Feds on that coke thing.
What movie is he referring to?
Gee, Jay, might be a parallel there with how I felt about you before and after your thuggish, greedy, ungentlemanly behavior with Conan.
YUP ! ! !
I am thankful Delorean had a part in creating the GTO. I owned a 1965 goat. Omg it was fast for the time.
That same hero of yours that is shaking your right hand is also flipping you off behind his back with the left.
Yet he's had tim allen on his show a bunch of times and they're friends...
To be accurate- "James Timothy Hoffman (a neighbor) reported to the FBI that DeLorean had approached him to ask about setting up a cocaine deal. In truth, Hoffman had called DeLorean and suggested the deal (which DeLorean then accepted) as part of Hoffman's efforts to receive a reduced sentence for a 1981 federal cocaine trafficking charge on which he was awaiting trial. Hoffman (whose name was redacted on the original indictment) also stated that he was aware of DeLorean's financial troubles before he contacted him, and had heard him admit that he needed $17 million "in a hurry" to prevent DMC's imminent insolvency.
DeLorean's lawyers successfully argued that the FBI and DEA had unfairly targeted and illegally entrapped DeLorean when they allowed Hoffman (an active FBI informant who only knew DeLorean casually) to solicit DeLorean into a criminal conspiracy simply because he was known to be financially vulnerable." Wikipedia
To me DeLorean was a hero, willing to do anything and everything to save his company and good knows the jobs of how many people working for him. Put yourself in his shoes, he got shafted so many times
The entire world can now sleep much better knowing this.
I’m sad to see Jay doesn’t educate himself more about what really happened between John and the cocaine trials. Yes, he made some poor choices, but he wasn’t as “sleazy” as he claimed. Worst of all, it’s people with this narrow mindset that came to confront Zachary and Katherine throughout their lives as constant reminders of what happened. Let’s try to look at the car for what it is: it’s ideals, principals, and for what it really is worth.