Great Scott! Pristine DMC DeLorean for sale
Maybe the most famous movie car of all time - from the most infamous car maker - is now a six-figure classic
There aren’t many cars in the world that absolutely everybody knows. But thanks (mostly) to starring roles in silver screen mega hits, some are among the most recognisable vehicles on the planet. You know the sort of thing: Aston DB5, Mini Cooper, VW Beetle and so on. Some might additionally appreciate an Audi RS6 or S8 thanks to their minor film roles, but those cars are as famous - if not more so - than the actors they shared the screen with.
Obviously this is true of the DeLorean. There is simply no way this mid-engined sports car curio, with its modest performance and unbelievable story, would have been quite as well remembered were it not for Back To The Future. The sheer wackiness of the gullwing doors and the stainless steel finish - plus John DeLorean’s exploits - would have ensured the DeLorean notoriety, but its role as a time machine ensured it icon status for the ages.
Because in the '80s (and indeed for about 20-something years after the end of the decade), we didn’t inhabit algorithmic media siloes tailored just to us. To a large extent, we consumed a lot of the same programmes and movies. So when one went big, it was huge, the only one talked about in schools, colleges, hairdressers and pubs around the country. The first Back to the Future came out in 1985, or just three years after Channel 4 went on air. Going to the cinema probably happened more often 40 years ago than it does now, and it could well be argued that the films meant more as well. Because you didn’t also have a favourite YouTuber, hours of reels every day and access to every movie ever made at the touch of a button. Having such a library so easily available is great, but it’s hard to believe we appreciate them as much.
The subsequent Back to the Future films came out in 1989 and 1990, with the DeLorean featuring heavily in all of them. Such was the significance of the series that the DMC soon became better known as the car from the films rather than the doomed brainchild of John DeLorean. Meaning huge affection for them across the globe, even if by all accounts they weren’t tremendous cars. Not very fast, not very well built and not very sporty for something mid-engined, rear-drive and with gullwing doors (devotees will recall Marty's incredulous reaction: 'you made a time machine - out of a DeLorean?')
Of course, there’s no escaping the fact that Back to the Future was a long time ago. Even if the enthusiasm shows no signs of abating, the trilogy finding new fans with every subsequent generation. Yet with no more cars built after 1982, the chances of finding an immaculate DeLorean dwindle further by the year, especially given they weren’t known as the sturdiest sports cars to begin with.
Then there’s this one. Not a right-hand drive one, as only 13 were ever converted, and an automatic at that, though a car that’s been in the UK for more than a decade. Incredibly, it’s showing fewer than 10,000 miles from new as well, which is some going for a 44-year-old car. That does mean it looks almost fresh from the Dunmurry factory, if not better, and all these decades later it guarantees attention like nothing else. And £110,000 is a lot less than a Bond-spec Aston DB5 will cost…
SPECIFICATION | DMC DELOREAN
Engine: 2,849cc, V6
Transmission: 3-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 132@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 162@2,750rpm
MPG: c. 20
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1982
Recorded mileage: 9,423
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £109,950
Probably not that list price, though...
That aside, when did these go up in value?! theparking-cars.co.uk has a bunch of them listed at maybe median price £65k... Who the hell's been hiking the price up? They were about £30k last time I was bothered to take notice?
Factoid 1. You can still get new glass in the UK. Factoid 2. There's apparently one bloke in the UK who knows how to refinish the brushed aluminium bodywork.
Objectively a bit rubbish but actually quite striking in the flesh.
Dreadful thing, poor performance and build quality to boot
He admitted he had paid too much for it (less than £10k iirc) and that’s where I see one today.
A six-figure car? Well yes, it should be, £1099.50.
Dreadful thing, poor performance and build quality to boot
He admitted he had paid too much for it (less than £10k iirc) and that s where I see one today.
A six-figure car? Well yes, it should be, £1099.50.
Seen a few at the Motorist a few times when I've been and in the flesh they're such kooky looking things, almost like they're on stilts. Think someone in the US fitted a V8 in one and maybe put it on air ride etc to deal with the ride height.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff