January 6, 1925 – John DeLorean’s birthday American automotive engineer and industry executive John Z. DeLorean was born in Detroit, Michigan on this day in 1925. While he is perhaps most famous for founding the DeLorean Motor Company, which produced the iconic DMC-12, he worked with great success for a number of other automakers prior to starting his own company. His career didn’t start that way, however. After receiving a degree in engineering, he sold life insurance for a stint. He then enrol