European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 5, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes tuesday september 5, 1978 modern living the $140 million the new Delorean sports  brainchild of former Detroit Whiz kid John Delorean inset will be built in Belfast Northern Ireland. By Jerry Flint new York times hey can t Back out now said . Brown from Belfast Northern Ireland. We re both in it up to our  Brown is John z. Delorean s right hand Man and at the moment he is in Belfast working at the site of the proposed automobile Plant that is to build Delorean s dream . They is the government of Northern Ireland which is putting up $100 million to lure Delorean a former Gen eral motors executive to the troubled province. Delorean s venture an Effort to mass produce and sell a new  from scratch must be considered speculative. We know it s difficult especially in the United states. Nobody has succeeded since Chrysler Brown said and that was half a Century  and indeed the enormous sum to be invested by Northern Ireland has received some Strong criticism in Britain. The economist for example a respected British publication said that without More assurances the Northern Ireland government would be Daft to think of raising a  the Magazine even questioned that there is much of a Market for sports cars in America. But Daft or not the Money apparently has been put up and the work is beginning. I m looking out the the window now Brown said in a Telephone interview and the men Are out there taking the Survey and Boring holes for the 500,000-Square-foot Plant. We re under Way he said. Lots of people said it would never get this  before becoming Delorean s top aide Brown once worked for Chrysler and then headed the Mazda operation in the . For Toyo Kogiyo the japanese  maker. The big questions Are first whether Delorean can actually build a  and second if he does succeed whether anyone will buy it. Strange As it might seem with the nationwide 55 mile an hour Speed limit there is a growing Ameri can Market for expensive two seaters that can Rush from Zero to 60 Mph in six to eight seconds. Dat Sun the japanese  maker is Selling 75,000 of its $10,000 280 z models in the United states this year and planning to Export 90,000 next year. Chevrolet Sells 45,000 of its $12,000 corvettes a year. Mazda just introduced a $7,000 two seater the rx-2, and demand is so Strong they Are Selling for $2,000 Over list Price and production is being increased to 3,000 a month from 2,000. Delorean who is flitting Between London and Belfast is projecting 20,000 to 30,000 sales a year for his  and a Price of $11,000 to $14,000, although the final Price might climb. I d guess our first year s production will be sold out before we build the first one at the end of next year Brown said. But building an automobile a highly sophisticated mechanism with 14,000 parts that must fit together and hold together under All types of knocks and bounces let alone passing the safety and emission tests of the . Government is not As easy As outsiders might think. Even the established Auto makers have great difficulty doing it As the millions of recalls each year attest. The last Independent Malcolm Bricklin apparently failed on just that problem. Bricklin like Del Orean spotted the sports  Market raised Money from a provincial government in Canada and Actu ally built 10,000 of his Bricklin two seaters no simple accomplishment. But sales slowed As word of the Bricklin mechanical problems spread and his company folded. Our top 10 people have 250 years of experience in automobiles Brown said insisting that the Delorean team has the know How to produce a mechanically acceptable  where Bricklin failed. Other failures in the past Quarter Century alone in clude Henry j. Kaiser who made tens of millions of Dol Lars in construction and shipbuilding but failed in the  business Crosley and Willys As Well As such better known names As Studebaker and Packard. In fact a handful of americans have succeeded in building cars in spite of the Odds but their volume is Small a few dozen or a few Hundred cars a year. Usually they take a motor or Chassis and build a new body around it. Brooks Stevens for example took a body design from the Mercedes of the 1920 s plus a new Chevrolet engine and found some Success Selling his Excalibur . More recently West coast body shops have been remaking expensive Cadillac and Continentals. But these Are Small operations while Delorean s dream is to create a fair sized manufacturer. He has had difficulty raising Money from private speculators or risk capitalists but governments seem to be falling Over themselves with subsidy offers. Americans from Detroit to Alabama wanted his Plant but the offshore bids were higher and the labor rates lower with workers pay to Start at $3 an hour in North Ern Ireland. Puerto Rico expected to win the Delorean Plant with a loan package of More than $60 million but was confounded and angered last month when delo Rean switched to Northern Ireland. Ulster offered a $100 million package of Loans Grants and invest ment. He and his associate Are supposed to raise something like $40 million themselves including $10 million to come from 400 american Auto dealers putting up $25,000 each 220 dealers have signed on so far and about $20 Mil lion to be raised by Oppenheimer & company in new York. Oppenheimer fell Short of its goal that was part of a commitment to build the Delorean  in puerto Rico. Then the puerto rican plan was cancelled and the Irish offer accepted. Brown who is acting president of the new Irish subsidiary of the Delorean motor co. In Bloomfield Hills mich., said it was not the venture capital shortfall nor the larger loan offer that led to the change of production Sites. Instead he said there was some worry about a Clear title to the puerto rican Plant site and also importantly things just moved too slowly on the sunny Island. We be accomplished More in 45 Days in Northern ire land than we did in a year in puerto Rico Brown said. The  itself called the Delorean dmc-12, has received about As much publicity As any Detroit Model in the three years Delorean has been trying to get it off the ground. The Low Slung sports  is to carry a rear engine and transmission with a Glass fiber body to be sheathed in stainless steel. Delorean has been even More of a favorite with the press than his sports . He was tall dark handsome and Young As he moved up in general motors he is 53 years old now. He liked to talk but without the usual corporate Cau Tion. Reporters remember him As the first pm executive to Tell a dirty joke in a press conference and even More shocking to jest about higher ranking pm executives in Public. He had outside interests for example he was one of the owners of the new York Yankees and was married three times to very attractive and very Young women. He Rose fast heading Pontiac and Chevrolet divisions and becoming a High ranking corporate vice president then unexpectedly resigning in 1973. He made his mistakes along the Way. The Small Vega  put out when he headed Chevrolet was a disaster but he apparently has Learned a bit of Cau Tion he wrote a confessional Book about his experiences As a pm executive and then decided to cancel publication As his own automobile project moved along. There Are still plenty of doubts about his ability to build his . Perhaps the Little people will help put it together the economist sneered at the plan to build in Northern Ireland. Given the failure rate in the automobile business he May need All the help the Little people can give. But then again Lucky John Delorean already seems Mohave found a $100 million pot of Gold which in t bad for a Start. I