The Delorean DMC-12: Not Gone and Not Forgotten

In 1981 the Delorean DMC-12 sports car entered the USA Auto Market with a lot of pizzazz and promise. Hope was also factored into that formula. When John DeLorean created the upstart auto company that bore his name in the mid-1970s, he turned to Northern Ireland to help him build his vehicles. Northern Ireland offered DeLorean a huge sum of money and tax breaks to build his factory in Dunmurry, just outside of Belfast. With unemployment always a problem in Northern Ireland, a huge car factory for a promising brand seemed like the perfect answer to creating some much needed jobs.

Originally designed in 1976, various changes to the DMC-12 made between 1979 and 1981 resulted in numerous problems involving increased production costs and the time required for assembly. Even the factory build was delayed by financial issues and production changes. Cars were supposed to begin rolling off the assembly line in 1979, but that did not happen until early in 1981. When they did, quality was an instant problem. It turned out that most of the workers hired by DMC were inexperienced and also overpaid to comply with the agreement the auto maker had with the government of Northern Ireland.

Although most of the manufacturing quality issues were ironed out by early 1982, it was too little and too late. While initial sales were brisk, new owners quickly discovered that the ultra-modern looking sports car with gull wing doors did not perform in a very sporty manner for the $25,000+ price tag. Meanwhile, all the cost overruns and other problems quickly bankrupted the company and its founder found himself in FBI custody after a sting which caught him allegedly trying to sell drugs to agents to raise capital for his failing company. That was a sad end to an otherwise stellar carrier. John DeLorean (1925-2005) was the brain behind the Pontiac GTO, Firebird and Gran Prix. He was also a very lucky man who managed to garner a Not Guilty verdict by defending himself and proving that the government had pushed into into the drug deal.

The DMC-12 was unique, but perhaps too much so for the time. The unpainted stainless steel body gave it a fast and sporty look, but if that body was scratched the scratches had to be removed with a scouring pad. That process could leave tiny bits of metal embedded in the body which would eventually discolor. Because a number of the designers involved in the creation of the engine and drive system were European, they had failed to account for U.S. emission regulations that caused changes in the vehicle which affected performance. Originally designed with a 200 horsepower engine, the DMC-12 ended up with a 150 horsepower V6 which did 0-60 miles per hour in a disappointing 10.5 seconds.

Plagued with many last minute production changes, cost overruns and poor reviews for the DMC-12, DMC folded in 1982 with just 9000 DMC-12 sport cars built (including three which were plated in 24 karat gold). The company’s demise was not only a disaster for the auto maker, but for many celebrity investors from Hollywood and the government of Northern Ireland which had reportedly invested up to £100 million in the DMC factory. Despite all the bad news, a film was released in 1985 that changed everything for the future of the DMC-12.

When Steven Spielberg’s ‘Back To The Future’ hit theaters big in 1985, one of the stars of the movie was the DMC-12. Commonly known today as the ‘Back To The Future’ Car, it immediately attracted interest among the fans of that film. As two more ‘Future’ films were released over the next several years and had the same blockbuster box office success as the original, the DMC-12 became a film legend all by itself. Before long, people started buying up any pre-owned or unsold DMC-12s they could find. Restoring and selling these cars became a very profitable closet industry in the early to mid-1990s.

In 1995 as demand for DMC-12s reached a fever pitch, Texas entrepreneur and transplanted Brit Stephen Wynne created a new company using the DeLorean Motor Company name. He purchased the trademark for the unique DMC logo that appeared on the vehicles built in 1981-1982 and bought up the parts inventory left over after the original company folded in 1982. The new DeLorean Motor Company is located in Humble, Texas. That company builds new DMC-12s to order from available original and reproduction parts. In addition to new builds, DMC offers pre-owned DMC-12s and parts and repairs for DMC-12 owners that need them.

Among the improvements to the original DMC-12 are tech updates which allow owners to plug their iPods or iPhones into the sound system and a few added buttons for some modern features. The biggest change is that the DeLorean Motor Company now offers an all-electric DMC-12 which replaces the original gas engine with a 400 volt electric induction motor that produces 260 horsepower @ 5000-6000 RPM with 350 pounds of torque. The all electric DeLorean manages an amazing 0-60 miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds.

The all electric DMC-12 premiered in 2012 with a range of 70-100 miles before a recharge was needed. The model continues to be available in 2013 with interest in it growing by the day. Sales are reported as brisk for a small company and many traditional DMC-12 owners are asking about electric conversions, which the DeLorean Motor Company also offers. It looks like the ‘Back To The Future’ Car is going to follow the advice given to Marty McFly and his girl friend by Doc Brown in the third and final film installment of the series: “Your future is what you make it, so make it a good one.”




Search Engine MarketingSubmit Express