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The DeLorean Motor Co. plans to start producing 300 replica models of the gull-wing two-door car by March 2017, according to Vice President James Espey.
“There’s a long-term business here, as there has been for the last 30 years,” he told The Detroit News Thursday during a phone interview. “It’s not just a movie prop. It’s something you can buy, own and drive.”
Epsey said the Humble, Texas-based company is currently in talks with several automakers to identify a suitable engine supplier for the replicas, which DeLorean Motor hopes to sell for $80,000 to $100,000. The cars will feature original parts as well, Epsey said. DeLorean Motor purchased millions of parts after the original company filed for bankruptcy in the early 1980s.
The DMC-12 was originally produced by the original DeLorean Motor Co. in 1981 and 1982. The company — founded by Detroit native and former General Motors employee John DeLorean — produced fewer than 9,000 of the cars before the filing for bankruptcy in 1982. The Texas-based company is not affiliated with the original 1980s company.
The DMC-12 has became an icon after the “Back to the Future” movie franchise used the car as the vehicle that Dr. Emmett Brown turns into a time machine. There was renewed interest in the DMC-12 in 2015 — the 30th anniversary of the movie, and the year Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly traveled to in the car in the 1985 film.
“As a result of those movies, there’s a constantly re-generating stream of new customers and people interested in the car,” said Espey, who has worked for the company for 17 years. “You certainly can’t discount the value of the movies to keep the spotlight on the car.”
The company, which offers service and parts for current DeLorean models, has wanted to reproduce the DMC-12 for years. But legislation in the United States was restrictive and the company was in a legal battle over the DeLorean name, trademarks and logos. Both issues were resolved in 2015 with an out-of-court settlement and new regulations.
Legislators in the United States gave the green light for production with the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act” (H.R. 2675) in 2015. Signed into law in December, it creates a regulatory structure allowing small companies to produce a limited number of completed replica vehicles. The replica DMC-12 models, Epsey said, will essentially have to meet the safety standards of when they were built instead of today’s.
“We’re hopeful that the law could be expanded to not just include replicas but all sorts of low-volume cars,” said Espey, adding the company’s long-term goal is to produce its own cars.
DeLorean Motor has five locations in the United States, including a Midwest location in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The company sells used DMC-12 models available from roughly $30,000 to $60,000 based on condition.
While GM is an engine option, they’re not the only ones. They’re looking at three possible suppliers, two domestic, one foreign. There’s one favorite though, and the engine that’s the frontrunner is a normally-aspirated V6 making between 300-400 HP. This seems to be the non-American company, and while the company wouldn’t comment, it may well be Japanese. It may be Toyota, but that’s just a guess. Lotus already buys the Camry’s V6, right? They cram that into some tight areas. That 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V6 used in the Lexus IS makes over 300 HP now; maybe that one?
That company has had enough OEM parts to start making new Deloreans for years. I know they would sell you a "new" frame off restored car using their new parts for several years now.
As for engines, its GM LS V8 or nothing in my book!!!
Good that they are putting a engine in it suitable for the styling/pricetag and not sticking that awful and slow 130hp French V6 that originally came with it.
why do they call it a franchise? calling b2tf a franchise is like calling smokey & the bandit a franchise or bad news bears a franchise, those sequels were no good
Perhaps a little off-topic, but for those of you who have not read it, DeLorean himself wrote a book about his life, his time at GM, founding his own company, its car, and, of course, the famous (and questionable) cocaine bust. Check it out if you have a chance. I have a copy....it is part of my automotive library.
why do they call it a franchise? calling b2tf a franchise is like calling smokey & the bandit a franchise or bad news bears a franchise, those sequels were no good
It's a franchise because not only did the movie make a lot of money but the name/theme has a lot of marketing power too from the merchandise based off the movie's, soundtrack, theme park rides, everyone associates Delorean's with "Back to The Future" since the movie came out, etc. It has tons of pop culture significance. I thought the sequels for "Back To The Future" were pretty good, not as good as the original of course but much better then most sequels. "Smokey & The Bandit" is a franchise too despite the sequels being not good to awful and awful tv series, when you count in all the merchandise like toy/plastic models/hot wheel cars(I had them) of the trans am/police cars from the movie, soundtrack, clothing/theme merchandise from movie, tons of pop culture significance too, everyone calls that model era trans am the "Smokey and The Bandit" Trans Am. I don't know about "Bad News Bears", never saw any merchandise/themes from that movie really sold or popular anywhere even though the original is a very good movie and pretty popular.
I like your screen name, must be a original "Smokey and The Bandit" fan, I worshipped the movie when I was a kid and it got me into cars along with "Duke's of Hazzard", "Magnum PI", and "Knight Rider".
Smokey and the Bandit was an hour and a half Trans Am commerical. And I love every second of it, it brings out the inner 11 year old boy in everybody.
Getting back on topic with Back to the Future and the DeLorean, there is no way Marty would've hit 88mph in that mall parking lot with that 130hp turd V6. Still love all three of the movies though, heck I'd say the sequals measure up pretty well with the original. I wish Crispin Glover(George McFly) had decided to be in the squeals, that's my only real beef that he kind of flaked out and flat out refused to do them(but then he's a really weird dude anyways)
Getting back on topic with Back to the Future and the DeLorean, there is no way Marty would've hit 88mph in that mall parking lot with that 130hp turd V6.
That Renault/Peugeot/Volvo V6 was a "turd" only by today's 2016 comparison. It was about average for V6s of the era, which typically ran 100-150 HP (non-turbo in-line fours were generally in the 70-100 HP range). The DMC-12 was originally slated for a Wankel rotary engine, similar to those used in Mazdas, but the V6 was chosen when several factors prevented the use of the rotary.
That Renault/Peugeot/Volvo V6 was a "turd" only by today's 2016 comparison. It was about average for V6s of the era, which typically ran 100-150 HP (non-turbo in-line fours were generally in the 70-100 HP range). The DMC-12 was originally slated for a Wankel rotary engine, similar to those used in Mazdas, but the V6 was chosen when several factors prevented the use of the rotary.
Everything in the late 70's/early 80's was a turd in terms of horsepower and performance. But yes, I guess it did make similar power to the 305 V8 in your 1982 Caprice if that's any consolidation. Just saying if this car had come on about 5 years later, it would've made about double the power.
I'm a huge fan of John Delorean's work. Without him, we wouldn't have had the Pontiac GTO or the Firebird, let alone the DMC-12.
Cool to see that they're going to make some replicas.
John D was head of Pontiac Division in 1963 when he got the idea of sticking in the big 389 tri-power V8 in a run-of-the-mill Pontiac Tempest, creating the GTO. His bosses at the GM level nixed the idea...he secretly countermanded their orders and had the car built. It sold so well, and made GM so much money, that his bosses didn't fire him for disobeying orders......he kept his job as a result.
01-28-16, 10:46 AM
DeLorean DMC-12 slated to return in 2017
