Posted on 08/21/2007 8:38:35 AM PDT by goldstategop
He may be gone--suave auto world genius John DeLorean died in 2005--but his namesake is back.
My favorite car ever, the silver stainless steel DeLorean with its gull-winged doors is making a comeback (details here and here). You remember it as the time-transporting car from the hit movie, "Back to the Future." DeLorean Motor Company went out of business 25 years, but it has been reborn.
The Dashing, Brilliant Late John DeLorean
>p>
& His Namesake Automotive Invention
A new DeLorean will set you back $57,500 (today's real dollar equal to the original $25,000 price tag) and will retain the original John DeLorean design. And they will be American made--hand-assembled in Humble, Texas at one or two DeLoreans per month, and mostly made from original DeLorean parts from the '80s. That will begin in the third quarter of next year. There will be five U.S. dealerships and one in Europe.
One of my schoolmates parents drove a DeLorean, and it was very cool. Hard to fit the car in a two-car garage next to another car and still to be able to open the doors, though. About 6,500 DeLoreans from the original 9,000 are still in existence.
If I could afford to drive any car, DeLorean would be it.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
How can you tell if a Delorean has gone down a road ... the white line is gone...
I want mine with the “Mr. Fusion” reactor in the back, and the wheels that fold up to reveal an anti-gravity drive.
they should come out with a DeLorean SUV. Now that would be bad a*&^ American!
I rather see some follow up on an article I read last year that said Dodge was bringing back the Challenger. The ‘71 Dodge Challenger was my favorite muscle car of all time.
Who’s selling the suitcases full of cocaine this time around?
Cool 25 years ago. Now just time-warp buttocks-ugly.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070821/AUTO01/708210332/1148
New DeLorean company to revive car
The DeLorean is back.
Twenty-five years after the stainless steel carmaker went belly up, the vehicle that starred in all three “Back to the Future” movies will get a new lease on life, according to executives of the new DeLorean company, formed in 1995.
James Espey, vice president of DeLorean Motor Co., said the company will begin building new DeLoreans next year. The cars will sell for $57,500 and retain the squared-off looks and gull-wing doors that made them unique.
Instead of mass producing the cars, DeLorean will assemble them by hand in Humble, Texas. Espey said the company will build one or two cars a month.
“Job 1 will begin in the third quarter of next year,” said Espey of a possible start time.
Standing with several DeLorean owners along Woodward Avenue during Saturday’s Dream Cruise, Espey described the cottage business that emerged from the wreckage of the bankrupt original DeLorean company.
“When DeLorean closed in 1982, there were thousands of parts left untouched,” he said. “Everything was shipped to a warehouse in Texas. We took those parts and have been helping people restore and repair their DeLoreans for the past 12 years.”
Dave Swingle, president of the company’s Midwest office, said his 4,000-square-foot shop in Chicago remains busy strictly with DeLorean work.
“There’s currently about a one-month wait at the shop to get work done on a car,” Swingle said.
Espey said the idea to build new cars came because of the continued success of restoring the vehicles, which have grown in popularity. Out of the 9,000 DeLoreans originally sold, about 6,500 remain on the road.
Even as the supply of spare parts diminished, the demand remained, Espey said. So the company decided to start producing new parts, which led to the decision to combine the old parts with the new.
Roughly 80 percent of the new cars will be made from parts produced in the early 1980s. However, the company will update the interior, provide stronger engines and address any shortcomings in the original vehicles.
The cars will be sold at five U.S. locations and one in Europe.
Kevin Smith, editorial director for the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, told the Associated Press he’s interested to see if the effort fares better than the first attempt. He said quality control is often an issue with limited production, “but I’m always optimistic for people who want to make new and interesting cars.”
The newest version of the DeLorean will certainly be interesting and exclusive, Smith said, “and for some people with means, that’s enough.”
Originally the creation of renowned automotive engineer John DeLorean, DMC folded in 1983. DeLorean was arrested the year before in a drug-trafficking sting. He was accused of conspiring to sell $24 million worth of cocaine to salvage his company.
Although DeLorean used an entrapment defense to win acquittal, legal entanglements plagued him for years. He died in 2005 at age 80.
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Fantastic vehicle ... I’ve not ever heard how reliable it was mechanically .. anyone know?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
DeLorean President Stephen Wynne has purchased all remaining DeLorean parts, and plans to start making the cars in Houston.
I want one!
Unlike some classic cars, time has not been a friend to the Delorean. Those awkward-looking bumpers really date it. There are no sexy curves, just angular sheet metal.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
My garage has 11’ ceilings - I think I could squeeze it in.
How many kilos can you hide in this classic.
Must...have...one...honey...
Same answer as last time - Your own US Federal Government
I agree the back of the car looks like the old Datsun 240Z and the front grill and bumper look like an AMC Rebel
I had a buddy who “specialized” in working on these out of sheer desperation to save his auto shop (nobody else wanted anything to do with them).
He eventually went bankrupt, saying “it wasn’t worth it” to put up with DeLoreans.
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