About 9,000 automobiles in the DMC-12 line were sold; about 6,000 were extant in 2023, supported by a thriving aftermarket parts industry. In 2016, a revived DeLorean Motor Company announced plans to revive the DMC-12, but nothing came automobile movie of it. Plans for a reborn DeLorean DMC-12 include a new engine and modern amenities, but the same iconic looks fans know and love. The company has floated a price tag of around $100,000 in the past for a modern DeLorean, but for some, it’s hard to put a price on such epic nostalgia. You see, it wasn’t because DeLorean didn’t want to build the cars, or didn’t have the means, it was simply still against the law.
Lotus Theory 1 Concept
The remaining parts from the factory stock, the parts from the US Warranty Parts Center, as well as parts from the original suppliers that had not yet been delivered to the factory were all shipped to Columbus, Ohio in 1983–1984. A company called KAPAC sold these parts to retail and wholesale customers via mail order. There has also been a long-standing rumor that the body stamping dies were dumped into the ocean to prevent later manufacture. More recently, evidence emerged that the dies were used as anchors for nets at a fish farm in Ards Bay, Connemara. There were two transmission choices with the DMC-12, a buyer could opt for either a 5-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic.
However, this also left little time to correct errors and foreseeable teething problems in the car. Johnny Carson, talk show host/comedian, was given a De Lorean and also invested in DMC; other famous owners included Matthew Reilly, Patrick Swayze, Jim Varney, James Bourne, Howard Johnson, Bobby Allison, Smokey Yunick and Chevy Chase. The De Lorean time machine from Back to the Future on display in the Universal Studios Backlot. Children of the ’80s are now able to afford the car that captured their imagination in Back to the Future. The DMC-12 features power-assisted disc brakes on all wheels, with 10 in (254 mm) rotors front and 10.5 in (267 mm) rear. There’s been so much written about the DeLorean’s driving experience over the years – not all of it complimentary – that it’s hard not to have preconceptions when taking the wheel for the first time.
During typical day-to-day driving, the DeLorean generally handled well and offered a smooth ride, but it was a pale shadow of the high-end muscle car it was supposed to be. To find out why, we have to go back in time to 1974 and the passage of the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which set a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Five years later, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration enacted a regulation which required that all speedometers show a maximum speed of 85 mph. Most speedometers from the time also emphasized the 55 mph limit by making those digits larger or a different color. The regulation didn’t last long, but most car manufacturers stuck with the dashboard design for years.
However, these two cars were the only DeLoreans to be thus equipped from factory parts. Consolidated International, which owned the department store, had purchased 1,374 DMC-12s during the De Lorean Company’s financial troubles, acquiring the remaining stock after the company went into receivership. Now held by a private owner in La Vale, Maryland, the third and last gold-plated De Lorean is currently for sale at the price of $250,000. However, these two cars were the only De Loreans to be thus equipped from factory parts. Only 23 right-hand drive factory licensed De Loreans were ever produced; these cars were converted from left-hand drive models by Wooler Hodec, in Andover, United Kingdom. A third gold-plated car exists with 636 miles (1,018 km) clocked up; it carries the VIN plate for the last production De Lorean, #20105.[22] This car was assembled with spare parts that were acquired by American Express.
[2] The last DMC-12 was assembled on December 24, 1982, and the final “model year” was 1983. DeLorean’s Espey told Roadshow that “Realistically, I wouldn’t expect to see production begin until at the earliest this time next year.” He added summer or fall of 2021 is an even better timeframe for when we’ll see the “new” cars hit the road. Sorting through the public comment period for the regulations and OMB review will likely take the entire year, especially with an election on the horizon, Espey also noted. DeLorean is perhaps the most famed extinct car company on the face of this Earth, largely thanks to its starring role in Back to the Future… Almost four years ago, DeLorean Motor Company made a splash and said it planned to build “new” DMC-12 models from new and old stock.
Besides some early seed capital from Hollywood stars, the DeLorean Motor Company relied on the British Government for about $120 million of its $200 million startup costs according to The Times. The British Government was keen to create jobs in Northern Ireland to reduce sectarian violence. DeLorean was under the impression that the British Government, as part of this offer, would provide his company with Export Credit financing. This would provide a loan of 80% of the wholesale cost of the vehicles (US$20,000) upon completion and delivery for shipping. Giles is CEO of The Classic Valuer – one of the world’s largest databases of sold classic cars in the world going back over 30 years covering over 11,000 models.
Lot 184901: 1981 Delorean Dmc-12 5-speed
Don’t be surprised to find a stainless steel exhaust system as it’s a common replacement, and consider it a bonus if it’s been fitted recently. It’ll be equally good news if the engine idles and runs cleanly with no sign of fuel-injection issues; the K-Jetronic system is pretty old now, and a new injection head is pricey, plus there’s the potential to find aging and brittle pipework. One point that DeLorean authority Chris Nicholson from P J Grady Europe is keen to make is the issue of corrosion. It appears as pitting in the surface of panels, and while serious buffing can remove it in mild cases it can perforate the panel completely if left.
Besides these events, local clubs hold events throughout the year featuring driving tours, road rally scavenger hunts, tech sessions, and more. Online, the owner base keeps in contact using a mailing list called the Mailing List (or DML). Here in the real world, the DeLorean’s story was all too brief, bizarre, and surrounded by a story worthy of its own blockbuster movie.
When this combined with the suspension system changes, the US version was regarded as disappointing. DeLorean’s comparison literature noted that the DMC-12 could achieve 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) in 8.8 s, respectable for the early 1980s, but Road & Track magazine clocked the car at 10.5 s. It is possible that the factory performance numbers were achieved using a European-spec car with the 150 horsepower (110 kW) engine.
The ‘c’ Car
In October 1976, the first prototype DeLorean DMC-12 was completed by William T. Collins, chief engineer and designer (formerly chief engineer at Pontiac). This new technology, for which DeLorean had purchased patent rights, would eventually be found to be unsuitable for mass production. The gas flap was built so that the trunk could be added to the total cargo area of the DeLorean.
[5] The newly produced cars will have a base price of $57,500 and have new stainless steel frames and lighter fiberglass underbodies. Though the 1980 car market wasn’t exactly solid gold, the lavish DeLorean style didn’t stop at the cars themselves. A 1983 book later charged that John DeLorean ran up expenses on the company’s dime even after it was clear the cars wouldn’t be a big hit. In April of 1981, he bought a new house in what was then one of the largest residential real-estate deals in New Jersey history.