The tale you thought you knew. In De Lorean: The Rise, Fall and Second Acts of the DeLorean Motor Company, auto journalist and author Matt Stone recounts the life and career of John Z. DeLorean, from his influential tenure at General Motors where he played a pivotal role launching the Pontiac GTO and igniting the 1960s muscle car phenomenon, to the founding in 1975 of the DeLorean Motor Company and its 1981 launch of the now-iconic sports car bearing his name.

The DeLorean car gained a new following based on its starring role in the 1985 blockbuster Back to the Future and its two sequels. Since DeLorean Motor Company’s bankruptcy in 1982, various entities have persistently sought to revive the brand for modern times. The DeLorean has achieved pop-culture status and remains well recognized, with growing appreciation today.

Author Stone delves deep into the car’s design, development, engineering, and the intriguing missteps encountered during production. The book is richly illustrated with archival design photos from Italdesign—many never before published—alongside period ads and contemporary images. Stone is the former executive editor of Motor Trend and has been a professional automotive journalist and photographer since 1985. (He is a longtime friend and contributor to Modern Rodding.) He is the award-winning author and photographer of several books, including Motorbooks’ best-selling 365 Cars You Must Drive, McQueen’s Machines, McQueen’s Motorcycles, Hot Rod Empire, and The IROC Porsches. He co-authors Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman and History’s Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed with Preston Lerner.

Published by Motorbooks on October 17, 2024, it is a hardcover book with 192 pages and 250 images. It costs $40 U.S. or $52.99 Canadian (ISBN:  9780760384718).

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