Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

The DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drugs and Marty McFly's Car - with Business History

August 21, 2026·49 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

This is a special crossover episode with Business History. John DeLorean was a visionary who wanted to create a futuristic new sports car - a stainless steel marvel with distinctive gull-wing doors. The British Government agreed to finance the project, provided he built his factory in a troubled part of Northern Ireland. Production stumbled, sales fizzled and DeLorean liked to fiddle with the numbers. As the company approached ruin, a neighbour offered DeLorean a lifeline, if he'd only come in on a cocaine deal.   See the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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