John DeLorean and His Acomplishments John DeLorean was born on January 6, 1925 in a blue-collar neighborhood on Detroit's near east side. He was the oldest of four sons. His father, Zachary, had immigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France during his teen age years. His mother, Kathryn, had immigrated from Salzburg in Austria-Hungary as a young child. Together, they held an assortment of manufacturing jobs, Kathryn as a tool assembler, and Zachary as a millwright in a Detroit Ford factory. The family lived in a small house, and for most of Johns childhood they were relatively happy. Zachary's drinking problem eventually led to a divorce when John was 1