Are you ready to travel back in time? In the United States, a law on the production of low-volume cars is expected to soon allow the DeLorean factory to produce the legendary DMC-12. After its commercial flop in the 1980s, this DeLorean became a cult hit thanks to the film “Back to the Future.”
The legendary DeLorean DMC-12 car, which failed commercially at its release, made only 8,583 vehicles. Its production came from a factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland and endured for only three years, from 1981 to 1983.
A resounding flop was due in particular to manufacturing defects, poorly chosen materials and a tarnished image from the start. Even though, it had so much promotion coming from the film “Back to the Future,” released in 1985. The beginning of a trilogy for which director Robert Zemeckis saw in the DMC-12 a perfect ship to travel back in time.
Although it wasn’t previously accepted, the DeLorean has become an object of desire. A car nugget, which is sold today, used, between 30,000 and 60,000 dollars depending on the condition of the vehicle.
For the record, it is John DeLorean, former vice president of General Motors and former general manager of Pontiac who was behind this endeavor. Now deceased, the American businessman, arrested in 1982 for trafficking illegal drugs, which were supposed to alleviate the financial difficulties of the company, provided a very sad end to the DeLorean.
Even with all the negativity behind it, the enthusiasm for the brand was not dampen, which counts on a very active community of fanatics and vehicle collectors.
Today, the adventure is being rewritten in Texas, where the brand is seriously considering to restart production of the famous DMC-12 as early as 2021. A modest production, at the rate of 325 vehicles per year, which should revive the myth.
To correct the defects that had tarnished its reputation, the future DMC-12 will mix modern components (suspension, brakes, headlights, cruise control…) and the remaining stocks of the original production of the car.
However, the DeLorean Motor Company, which acquired the assets of the Belfast original factory in 1997, will provide the new DMC-12s with the same bodies as the originals from the 1980s. But under the hood, engineers will change the 2.8-liter Renault V6 engine that generated 130 hp: rumors suggest instead a 3.5-liter V6 with 350 hp.
The project, which has been in the works for more than four years, could be reborn thanks to a 2015 U.S. law authorizing the manufacture of low-volume vehicles.
These regulations allow small U.S. automakers to produce and sell up to 325 vehicles per year. Cars that don’t need to comply with the latest U.S. accident safety regulations. A controversial bill that, if passed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, could allow production to begin as early as 2021.
Once at full capacity, DeLorean Motor Company plans to produce one to two vehicles per week, for which the credit card would have to be set ablaze. Each vehicle is expected to cost about $92,000 dollars. I don’t know, what’s the price you’re willing to pay to time travel?
