When John Z. got the auditor on board.(News)(John Z. DeLorean, General Motors Corp.)

Byline: Jim Dunne

The March 19 death of John Z. DeLorean prompted a lot of memories and inevitable storytelling by those who knew him. This story reflects both the era and the outsized persona of the General Motors maverick.

My most defining story of John Z. comes by way of a fellow named Jim who worked in the Chevy zone office in Los Angeles during John's well-known "Hollywood years.''

On many Friday afternoons, a representative from Chevrolet's L.A. zone would drive to the old LAX airstrip and pick up John Z, then general manager for Chevrolet, for his weekend fling with the famous and beautiful in southern California. John would descend the steps …