The iconic DeLorean DMC-12 might be coming back. The vehicle attained a legendary status after it starred as the time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy. However, unlike the original vehicle, the new cars will not be built in Northern Ireland by the Delorean Motor Company. The new vehicles will be manufactured in Humble, Texas by DeLorean Motor Company (Texas), a company that has been supplying parts and rebuilding/restoring DMC-12s for years.
This is happening thanks to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015. The act brought a number of transportation-related bills including one, which allowed companies to build replica vehicles without having to satisfy modern safety regulations. The only catch is that fewer than 325 cars will have to be built each year. However, the replica cars would still have to meet current Environmental Protection Agency standards for emissions. This means that the vehicle’s original Peugeot-Renault-Volvo 2.85 litre V6 would have to be replaced. DMC Texas’ CEO, Stephen Wynne told KPRC2 that the final price of the car will depend on whichever engine is used to replace the original one. However, the new cars should still cost less than $100,000, which is roughly Rs. 68,20,000. There are also reports that there could be an electric variant of the vehicle.
The history of the DMC-12 is as interesting as any Hollywood movie. The founder of the DeLorean Motor Company, John DeLorean, initially worked at General Motors before founding his own company. The DMC-12 from manufactured from 1981 to 1983, but the company was already bankrupt by 1982. In that same year, John DeLorean was arrested for trafficking cocaine after a sting operation. The DMC-12 was chosen to be the time machine in 1985’s Back to the Future movie and became instantly recognisable due to its gullwing doors and stainless steel body. The car in the movie was heavily customised in order to give the appearance of a high-tech time machine.
While the DeLorean DMC-12 that will be manufactured will not be designed to look like the car from the movie, buyers can get it customised to look like it. In the FAQs section of the official website, it is stated that the new DeLorean Motor Company are affiliated with a dealer in California, who can do just that. However, the catch is that the final price of the customised vehicle may easily be double or more than the original price.
If you do end up buying the vehicle, do be careful when you hit 88 miles per hour.
Source: Ars Technica