In 1957, John Z. DeLorean decided to create his own sport car. It was one of his childhood dreams. He created the DeLorean Motors Company near Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his project was helped by the British government. His first car, the DMC-12, was produced in 1981. When the car was publicly launched, the car was a success, and 6,539 DMC-12s were produced in 1981. The car was expensive, and regarded as underpowered for its cost.