Three Litre
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Oscar 24
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Post by Three Litre on Jan 27, 2021 20:50:29 GMT
Interesting looking documentary on BBC2 tonight at 9 pm.
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Cartman
Producer
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Post by Cartman on Jan 27, 2021 22:57:22 GMT
Recorded it, will watch it later.
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Cartman
Producer
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Post by Cartman on Jan 31, 2021 22:36:19 GMT
I've just watched it and it was quite good. Delorean was a bit of a con man and a bit of a dodgy operator but I don't think he went into the venture with that intention, he just wanted to be an innovator and build up a car company. However, when he got the grant he then went down the embezzlement route and Colin Chapman of Lotus seemed to get involved too.
I wouldn't criticise the British government for getting involved as it was an imaginative idea for a job creation scheme in what was then a very depressed area, Northern Ireland, and it also had the effect of bringing elements of the two communities there togrther. The workforce there were enthusiastic and he became a bit of a hero in Belfast for bringing in investment.
As for the car, it had technical problems, but that was to be expected, as it was quite advanced for the time and it was being built by a new group of workers with no motor background.
I remember quite a bit of coverage on the news at the time about the project.
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Post by Sam Tyler on Jan 31, 2021 23:25:44 GMT
I watched this last night.
Good summation there from Carty and very little I can add to it apart from the fact that it was only because I was so interested in the whole story that I sat through it.
With all the facts, information and history about the man, the factory, and the rise and fall it was a great documentary but I must say that the production left a bit to be desired in that it kept bouncing back and forth, back and forth over the years. I would have much preferred to have seen it presented in a chronological order rather than the repeated counting up and down of the years.
Sam.
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Post by Dirty Epic on Feb 1, 2021 10:59:18 GMT
I'll try and give this a watch on iPlayer, Derlorean was always an interesting and intriguing character -right or wrong, as Cartman says I think there were some good intentions here which sort of went awry.
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Three Litre
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Oscar 24
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Post by Three Litre on Feb 1, 2021 12:24:41 GMT
I agree with Sam that the programme although interesting was a bit disjointed.
The main point for me was that DeLorean was a deeply flawed and unpleasant man.
He seems to have also corrupted Colin Chapman who would definitely have gone to prison.
I'm sure he did want to make a successful and unique car and but regarding the character of the man that was never going to happen as he went bent at the first sign of trouble. He only got away with the not getting the drugs conviction by the skin of his teeth and luck.
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Simmo 1
Runner
'Beauty & The Beast' a Blue 1977 & Brown 1974 Ford Granada MK1 fleet.
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Post by Simmo 1 on Feb 1, 2021 15:02:55 GMT
I watched it 'live' and although tired and wanting to go to sleep managed to keep awake as it was a very interesting documentary. Agree what has been said above, If DeLorean said it was raining just stick you head out the door before looking for your umbrella! Also seen a car last week sold at auction for £42,750 - at themarket.co.uk - also says there are only ever 1 or 2 for sale at any one time here in the UK and around 6,500 are still about worldwide of the 9,000 produced - It's an interesting read if you want to know more about the car it's self :- 1982 Delorean DMC -12
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Post by D.C. Burtonshaw on Feb 1, 2021 19:45:16 GMT
It's not the first documentary I've seen on De Lorean but I watched and quite enjoyed it, but I agree about the toing and froing with the storyline. I remember it all in the news at the time with the financial problems started and the scandal. He had a vision of the car, but putting it into practice was going to take a lot of work, helped out by Lotus but the end result was a car that although ultra modern for the time, was produced at the wrong time, got a poor reputation for reliability, eventually, (Gull wing doors trapping occupants etc) and was produced by a business that ran into the difficulties that it did.
I sometimes wonder how the car might have turned out, as a further improved model, had sales been better or the right financial backers had a larger budget. There were later derivatives planned like a 4 seater version.
Certainly was a notable car in automotive history, however one looks at it.
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B16YUG
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Post by B16YUG on Feb 1, 2021 23:48:18 GMT
I watched it the other night, I wasn’t aware of the implications on Chapman and Lotus around the same time - was there any founded truth into underhand dealings from him?
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Three Litre
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Oscar 24
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Post by Three Litre on Feb 2, 2021 19:58:18 GMT
I watched it the other night, I wasn’t aware of the implications on Chapman and Lotus around the same time - was there any founded truth into underhand dealings from him? I think so. DeLorean paid Lotus for engineering via a Swiss based company but denied it. the Lotus accountant was locked up but Chapman died before any possible charges could be brought. The judge at the accountant's trial said Chapman would have gone down as well. Millions went missing.
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