Thanks to the newly passed Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015, the DeLorean Motor Company is making plans to revive the DMC-12 and has released new details about their new model ahead of mid-2017 production.
What is the DMC-12?
To understand the allure of the Delorean DMC-12, you have to be a fan of the popular 1980s sci-fi film franchise Back to the Future. A central theme in the movie is a DMC-12, a stainless steel sports car with gull wing doors, which character Doc Brown converts into a time machine. The enormous popularity of the Back to the Future franchise (3 movies) has assured that the Delorean would become one of the most memorable vehicles of the 20th century.
Was it a real car?
Absolutely, the Delorean Motor Company (DMC) was an American automobile manufacturer formed by John Delorean in 1975. The sales manager at Car City West in Clive, IA, a full-service automobile dealer, explained to us that John Delorean was a senior executive at General Motors during the 1950s and 1960s. Delorean’s first model was the distinctive stainless DMC-12 sports car which featured gull wing doors. Built in Northern Ireland, the Deloreans were plagued with quality issues and funding problems led to eventual receivership and bankruptcy of the Delorean Motor Company in 1982. Near the end, in a desperate attempt to raise the funds, John DeLorean was recorded accepting money in a drug deal. He was subsequently acquitted of charges brought against him due to a successful argument of entrapment.
Enter Stephen Wynne
Fans of the Back to the Future films loved the car so much that in 1995, a Liverpool-born mechanic called Stephen Wynne decided to start a new company to continue to repair and restore the existing DMC-12s still on the road. He bought the trademark and he too called his company the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC).
The new Delorean
DMC vice president James Espey revealed that the new DeLorean will have an engine that will be twice as powerful as the original underpowered 138-horsepower Peugeot-Renault version and the car will also be much lighter. The outside look of the car will be virtually the same as its famous predecessor.
As it is no longer possible to get the same sort of tires that the original DMC-12 used, the new car will instead have 17in and 18in wheels, which will also make it easier to install superior brake assemblies.
DMC also wants to improve the car’s electrical systems, as well as outfitting the automobile with high-tech systems for in-car entertainment, high-end instruments and other luxury features like seats that can be heated or cooled.
DMC only wants to build a maximum of 50 cars per year, and although the price hasn’t yet been released, it is likely to be in the $100,000 range.
