Futuristic in Style

This Day in History: October 19, 1982

DeLorean DMC-12

There are few automobiles ahead of their time like the DeLorean. Built on dreams ending in a nightmare, the futuristic style of the DeLorean was like nothing ever seen before. 

Its stainless-steel body was unpainted; its doors opened up, not out; it had a 130-hp Renault engine and could go from zero to 60 mph in eight seconds.

In 1973, John Z. DeLorean unexpectedly resigned his position as General Motor's Vice President of car and truck production. What a shocker! After all, he was positioned to rise to the top of the company. John Z. was a renegade at heart and having risen to prominence within the company according to the corporate 'rules' of the game, it was time for a change. His visions did not fit any pattern for GM. Thus, the change, the start his own company, and the hiring of GM engineering guru Bill Collins to make it happen.

It needed to be be very European in feel and impress aspirational buyers. Throwing a curved ball into the mix, the pair concluded that their car would have stainless steel bodywork and gullwing doors to give it requisite wow factor, and tempt buyers away from their Euro cars.

The dream gained momentum through the years as financial backers came on board, such as Bank of America, strategic partnerships and dealers who had been offered shares in the company. However, on October 19, 1982, the FBI pounced on John Z in a Los Angeles hotel room for ‘narcotics violations.’ The dream became a nightmare the moment the briefcase full of cocaine was captured on camera.

Back to the Future...

A Nightmare with a Somewhat 'Happy' Ending: Gone but Never Forgotten

DeLorean was already mired in legal problems by the time director Steven Spielberg chose a DMC–12 to serve as Marty McFly's time machine in "Back to the Future." Spielberg had originally planned to use an old refrigerator instead of a car, but had changed his mind at the last minute. (The director liked the DeLorean's futuristic look, but more than that he was worried that young fans of the movie might accidentally get stuck in refrigerators and freezers while playing make-believe.)  While the DeLorean's instant celebrity did not do much to revive its creator's fortunes, it granted him a permanent footnote in pop-culture history. (Source: History.com)

Did the DMC-12 deserve such a fate? It was definitely launched at the wrong time, grossly overpriced at $25,000 compared to $10,000 for the average car and $18,000 for a souped-up Corvette and the company just wasn't strong enough to survive the economic downturn. However, the DMC-12 is classified as a fascinating monument to the unique character of its creator, John Z. DeLorean. Had the designer been anyone else it probably would have gotten no farther than a drawing board on scratch paper.

Into the Future...

NEW!!! 2015 Delorean DMC EV

First announced last October, the reborn, all-electric Delorean has made a surprise appearance at the New York Auto Show this year. It's a surprise because not even Delorean Motor Company president Stephen Wynne knew he was going to be here until a few weeks ago, when show organizers called with an invite.