DeLorean/LMC Snow Groomers

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

Well don't ever let it be said again that DeLorean products don't 
perform, nor handle well in the snow! :D

This is indeed a VERY interesting link. And even so, these little 
snow groomers have quite a bit in common with thier Stainlesss 
cousins from Belfast. After a little bit of research, LMC is indeed 
out of business (filed for bankruptcy in 2000). Although coincidence 
enough, there appears to be quite a simular support network of 
messageboards for repairs, a vendor network for parts supplies, and a 
new company called VMC who is trying to pick up where the former 
company left off. Kinda sounds alomst like the same situation we're 
in right now with our cars!

There is much more info that remains to be discovered it appears, so 
if I find anything else out, I'll post it to the group. But here is 
an excerpt from a webpage I found giving a quick summary of the 
companies history as a whole.

-Robert
vin 6585 "X"



Recently, while researching DeLorean cars to satisfy a curiosity, I 
uncovered a piece of very interesting information. The fact: DeLorean 
also manufactured snow cats. 

The idea of a DeLorean snow cat triggered a new curiosity. So, I set 
off in my usual frenzied search for information, and what I 
uncovered, is an astounding story beginning with Thiokol, and ending 
somewhere between NASA, Dopplmayr, and Chapter 11. 

Originally, this was supposed to be an article about the DeLorean 
snow cat. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, DeLorean 
wasn't really the center of the story. 

Lets start with Thiokol in the present day. Thiokol currently 
manufactures rocket boosters, including the boosters on NASA's space 
shuttle fleet. 

Prior to the 1970's, Thiokol was a leader in the manufacture of 
mechanical systems. They designed and built chair lifts, and 
manufactured a line of snow grooming equipment. Even today, you'll 
spot the occasional Thiokol lift or Thiokol snow cat. 

During the 1970's, NASA was in the research and development phase of 
its reusable space vehicle program. Thiokol came up to the plate in 
1974, and was awarded a contracts for solid rocket booster research, 
design and testing. 

Two men employed at Thiokol in 1974, were Jan Leonard and Mark 
Ballantyne. Both men got their start in the lift industry by working 
for the two leading lift manufacturers. One at Thiokol, and the other 
at Hall Ski Lifts. 

Lift manufacturing at Thiokol continued until 1976, when NASA 
accepted their design for the space shuttle rocket boosters, changing 
the company's fate. Deciding in the interest of focusing on rockets, 
Thiokol decided to exit the ski industry. Jan Leonard and Mark 
Ballantyne left the company to form their own company, CTEC. 

The newly formed CTEC took 2 years to evolve, and in 1978, they 
purchased Thiokol's lift designs and inventory. The first lift 
manufactured under the CTEC name, was a triple chair built for Seven 
Springs, PA. 

Thiokol began looking for a buyer interested in purchasing their snow 
cat/groomer business. 

Shifting focus for a moment to DeLorean... 

Practically everyone is familiar with the DeLorean car. Yes, its the 
model used in the movie "Back to The Future". 

The DeLorean car, a radical new sports car with gull wing doors, was 
manufactured in Scottland between 1981 and 1983 by the DeLorean 
Manufacturing Company (DMC), founded by General Motors veteran John 
DeLorean. The manufacturing facility and DMC project was financed by 
the British government starting in 1979, in the interest of creating 
jobs in Ireland. 

Unfortunately, only 8,583 of these cars were ever produced, and DMC 
came to an abrupt end amid accusations of scandal. John DeLorean was 
charged with misappropriation of public funds, and the DeLorean car, 
was finished. 

How does this relate to Thiokol? 

John DeLorean, sometime between 1978 and 1979, picked up a personal 
project for his own enjoyment. He purchased Thiokol's snow cat 
manufacturing business, and renamed it Logan Manufacturing Company, 
after its location of Logan, Utah. Logan was made a division of DMC 
and became known as LMC. 

LMC seemingly thrived under the direction of John DeLorean, but it 
became rumored that funds from the British government intended for 
DMC were secretly funneled to LMC. None of this was ever proven. 

LMC continued to grow into the late 1980's, producing DeLorean's snow 
cats. 

In 1988, John DeLorean was caught in a drug raid, suspected of 
cocaine trafficking. Mounting legal expenses forced him to sell the 
Logan Manufacturing Company. He was later acquitted of the charges. 

Several employees of LMC in 1988 stepped up to purchase the company. 
The business slowly declined throughout the 1990's, ending in Chapter 
11 bankruptcy sometime around 2000. 

LMC snow cats are still a common sight on the slopes, although most 
are aging with the grace of a lumbering monster. Next time you see 
one, look at the simple LMC logo. Compare it with the DMC logo of a 
DeLorean car. The two logos have a similiar style ... futuristic "D" 
or "L", followed by the same styled futuristic "MC". 

Final notes... 

In the years following the acquisition of Thiokol's lifts, CTEC grew 
steadily and merged with Garaventa AG in 1999. Forming Garaventa 
CTEC, the North American division of the Garaventa Group. 

In 2001, the Garaventa Group merged with Dopplmayr, another large 
world-wide lift manufacturer. 

So, now you know the story of Thiokol in the ski industry, and how it 
ends somewhere between NASA, Dopplmayr, and Chapter 11.