On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors

by J. Patrick Wright

Book Information

Category: Corvair and the Automotive Industry

Publisher: Wright Enterprises, 1979.

Description: John Z. DeLorean's look inside GM.  Includes his take on GM's behavior/performance during the Nader-induced GM/Corvair public relations debacle.

• The first chapter was used, according to the author’s foreword, to pitch the book to The Playboy Press.  It should come as no surprise that the stories in the first chapter are absolutely fascinating.
   
• After the first chapter, however, DeLorean (through the book’s author), settles into a series of 70’s-era diatribes about the inner-workings of big, baaaad corporations.  Almost thirty years later, this viewpoint can seem a little tired … and tiresome.  DeLorean takes several opportunities to settle various "scores" with the senior managers at GM with whom he didn’t see eye to eye.  Some of these managers’ shortcomings, if true, however, were horrifying.  Sadly, GM management’s public behavior in its pursuit of Ralph Nader following the publication of Unsafe At Any Speed would seem to be consistent with DeLorean’s observations.
   
• After a few chapters, DeLorean settles into a narrative covering his personal history in the automobile industry.  I found his experiences at each of the key stops in his career to be riveting.  His successes at Pontiac and his apparent turnaround of the Chevrolet division beginning in 1969 are a great read.
   
• Following this great run of a story, however, DeLorean returns to his grating litany involving his reasons for resigning from GM.  Among other anecdotes that just didn’t ring true were his annoyance with GM management over its refusal to call upon the President of the United States to help settle the U.A.W. strike of the early 1970’s.  Frankly, I agreed with GM senior management that inviting the U.S. Government in to help manage GM’s affairs was like letting the proverbial camel get its nose under the tent.
   
• Another extremely annoying moment in the book comes when DeLorean presents his stupefyingly simplistic "program for profit improvement" at GM.  DeLorean’s "program" went as follows:



1. Better management, management motivation & morale..............................$ 200,000,000
    
2. On-time tooling programs & better planning....................................................250,000,000
    
3. Last cost, non-standardization (or parts and cars).............................................300,000,000
    
4. Back-to-back start-up........................................................................................200,000,000
    
5. Reduce cost of components-or-assembly to lowest level in GM today..............100,000,000
    
6. Competitive motivation of all suppliers, car divisions and allied (divisions).....200,000,000
    
7. 14-day improvement in order response, one-time profit...................................100,000,000
    

                                                                             DOMESTIC POTENTIAL $1,350,000,000

Mind you, DeLorean maintains that the above figures were presented within the body of a 14-page memorandum he submitted to management subsequent to his resignation.  I mention this only to emphasize the improbability that trival things like details, backup, and, ahem, a business case that these ideas would work were presented elsewhere among the 14 pages of the memo.  Did DeLorean truly expect GM’s senior management (not to mention the book’s readers) to believe that improving "management motivation & morale" would result in annual savings to GM to the tune of $200 Million (1972 dollars, that is)?

John Z. DeLorean was no fan of the Corvair.  Still, he played a key role at GM and at Chevrolet during the time the Corvair was being produced.  As a result, his story helps Corvair enthusiasts understand a little more about the policies, procedures, and even the thought processes of GM and its senior management team during a key period in the Corvair’s history.

Final Thoughts: You might be wondering why I am devoting all this time, energy, and space to John Z. DeLorean’s little period-piece of a book.  As stated above, the simple answer is that DeLorean was no fan of the Corvair.
Although he speaks very highly of Edward N. Cole — and all that Cole stood for as a steward of General Motors — DeLorean claims in his book that the decision to produce the Corvair was "immoral".  The irony is that this accusation comes from a man whose downfall occurred, in part, due to his entrapment by the FBI involving a multi-million dollar loan and the sale of cocaine.  Although he was acquitted of all charges, there was a famous piece of video of DeLorean holding a bag of cocaine in his hand and saying "it’s better than gold".  Immoral, indeed.
In closing, I’d like to emphasize the following fact, if only to keep the matter straight: John DeLorean assumed the presidency of Chevrolet in February, 1969 and production of the Corvair ended in May of that same year. In the court of public opinion, Ralph Nader filed the initial charges against the Corvair.  GM made matters worse by putting up the most boneheaded defense possible, and cheap gas and the monster car competition of the era became the jury that decided the final outcome.  On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors makes it very clear, however, that John Z. DeLorean served as the Corvair’s actual executioner: One of DeLorean’s first official acts after becoming President of Chevrolet was to throw the switch on our beloved car.

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