I’ve had this photo sitting on my desktop for quite some time now. I keep coming back to it — and every time I do, I notice something new. The motorcycles, especially, keeps raising questions.
From what I’ve been able to gather, this photo was taken shortly after John DeLorean left General Motors and formed the DeLorean Motor Company. It captures him at a fascinating moment — no longer a Detroit executive, but an independent visionary plotting his next move.
You can almost feel the momentum in the room.
The 70’s track lighting, brightly focused on the future. DeLorean stands over a table scattered with drawings and a clay model — composed, focused, and very much in command. This wasn’t just a man with an idea. This was a man executing a plan.
Many of the posters appear to center around a mid-engine, two-seat sports car. On the wall are what look like renderings of a Porsche 914 and a Fiat X1/9 — likely reference points for benchmarking. Alongside the clay model on the table, they strongly suggest he was “thinking small” for his first car.
A lightweight, European-inspired halo vehicle. Something to establish credibility. Something to build a brand around.
Behind him are two white cars I don’t immediately recognize. My first instinct was a Lotus Esprit S1, but that car wasn’t released until 1975. If this photo dates to around 1973–74 — which seems likely, given the timing of the company’s formation — that timeline may not quite fit. A Maserati Bora, perhaps? And the car below it.. I can’t see enough of it to figure out.
And then there are the motorcycles.
Multiple motorcycle renderings appear on both the wall and the table. I squared up the images in the photo to get a closer look, trying to piece together what these all mean.
My working theory?
They may simply be compositional filler.
The photographer likely wanted more visual density — more material on the walls and table to frame the shot and reinforce the sense of creative intensity. More “future” on display. More evidence of a mind at work. He had one of this designers put together some quick renders for the shot.
Still, the question lingers.
Did John DeLorean ever seriously consider building a motorcycle?
I’ve never come across any credible indication that he did. And aside from this single photograph, I haven’t found any meaningful association between DeLorean and motorcycle development.
So perhaps the bikes weren’t part of the plan at all.
Perhaps they were just props in a carefully staged moment — one designed to show a man standing at attention, sharply reviewing his next move.
Either way, it’s a powerful image.
And it captures something rare: the moment before the legend was built.
