...come Standard?
Posted on 07/29/2007 6:48:27 AM PDT by SubGeniusX
Danny Botkin's love affair with the DeLorean got off to an unpromising start.
It was the early '80s and a teen-age Botkin was tagging along while his father shopped for a new car. A Ford dealer had a rear-engined, gull-winged DeLorean on display, and the flash of stainless steel automotive skin caught Danny's eye.
"I was smitten," Botkin, now 40, recalls. "I said, 'Hey Dad, let's get this.'
"He got a Bronco instead."
Botkin had to grow up and buy his dream car himself. He drives a restored DeLorean modeled after the one that served as a time machine in the 1980s blockbuster "Back to the Future."
He also manages a repair and refurbishing shop in Garden Grove that's affiliated with DeLorean Motor Co. (Texas), a suburban Houston company that rebuilds DeLoreans and is laying plans to bring the car back into limited production.
The last DeLorean rolled off the assembly line in Northern Ireland in 1982. But like Duran Duran, the Rubik's Cube and other Reagan-era icons, the car retains a following.
Of the 9,000 built in 1981 and 1982, about 6,500 are still on the road, according to James Espey, vice president of DeLorean Motor. Enthusiasts gather at clubs from Cleveland to Norway. An event next week at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park is expected to attract more than a hundred DeLoreans.
"People of all ages are interested in this car," says Espey, a San Diego native. "Kids who can't tell you what a Camaro is come through here on tours because they've seen 'Back to the Future.' "
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
...come Standard?
“On a Clear Day You Can See GM” was my introduction to Mr. DeLorean. Liked his ideas. At the time, I’d hoped that his car would make it. Always wanted one but couldn’t afford it. Now I’m a retired old man and actually not doing too bad. Could be a new toy in my future. :^)
The problem with the DeLorean was that it was underpowered and had crappy suspension and handling. I drove one briefly and felt a Corvair moment ‘unsafe at any speed’. That said, it wouldn’t take much to make it into a really nifty niche sporty vehicle.
MY birthday is just around the corner...
are you series?
http://www.theavanti.com/studebaker_museum.htm
http://www.theavanti.com/avanti_motors.htm
http://www.AvantiMotors.com/
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