One of the most highly-recognizable cars in the world is the DeLorean DMC-12 which brings you a roadster appearance from the 1980s.

The iconic nature of this car began with the story of its creation and then continued into the “Bag to the Future” trilogy to show us what a car could be on the big screen.

The Starting Point of the DMC-12

The name of the car wasn’t the DeLorean, and had the company been more successful we might have seen other models coming from the DeLorean brand. We know the DMC-12 as the DeLorean because it was the only car made by the DeLorean Motor Company. The youngest of the GM division heads, John DeLorean, decided to branch off and create his own brand. He knew the power of design in cars and the DMC-12 is certainly proof of that. This car was a sleek and impressive roadster that offered performance and a lightweight build.

A Different Application to Performance

At the time of the DMC-12 release, we had seen other cars with the engine in the rear, but none were quite as unique as the DeLorean DMC-12. This car not only has the engine in the rear, but it also hada set of gull-wing doors and a stainless steel unpainted body which gave it a spectacular look. The uniqueness of this car was unmistakable.

After being designed with the wedge that it brought to the road, the DMC-12 was ready to be shown off. In 1976 we saw the first of these models which originally featured a fiberglass chassis which was extremely resistant to breakage in a crash. The engine was moved to the middle of the car to give it better balance, speed, and power.

The Final Product

So many redesigns of the DMC-12 took place and the model that finally made it to the public was a car that didn’t have the fiberglass chassis because it became controversial. The engine was also moved back to the rear so the car could accommodate a V6 engine.

Unfortunately, this altered the handling of the DMC-12, which is still a troublesome aspect of this unique vehicle.The 12 part of the DMC-12 name was to signify the price of the car or at least the price that John DeLorean wanted to sell it for. When this car finally made its way from the Northern Ireland plant to where it was being sold, the price was much higher, but the name stuck.

Production Troubles at the DeLorean Plant

When under the umbrella of GM, John DeLorean had decades of production experience at his disposal, but that wasn’t the case with his plant. Newer versions of this car were constantly being modified to make up for some of the unforeseen issues which meant the cars that were produced first weren’t as good or as capable as the ones that were made later.

The car also suffered from a lack of power with only 130 horsepower coming from the V6 engine. This meant the DMC-12 could reach sixty mph in ten seconds, which was super slow. Even though this car was a bit slow, it stayed in production until 1983 because John DeLorean was faced with legal issues. The plant had to close down and only 9,000 models o the DMC-12 were ever built.

Going Back to the Future with the DeLorean

You’ve probably seen at least one of the Back to the Future trilogy of movies. Just imagine if the time machine was a refrigerator instead of the DMC-12. The movie would change significantly, but that was the original ideal from Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the writers of “Back to the Future.” Thankfully,by the time production began in 1984, the time machine was changed to a DeLorean.

The change from a refrigerator to a controversial car that had a unique look made a huge difference and allowed the DeLorean name to become legendary. This allowed Stephen Wynne to rejuvenate the DeLorean Motor Company in 1995. The movie franchise also made the DMC-12 models highly coveted by fans with many replicas fetching a price of over $100,000.

FAQs About the “Back to the Future” DeLorean

How Many Were Made?

For the filming of the three movies, there were three specialized DeLorean models built. The filmmakers used all three throughout the films and the primary one is now on display. The film company only had to make small adjustments to the original build, which means John DeLorean still receives credit for the “Back to the Future” models.

How Was the Film Model Built?

To make the car go faster, the DMC-12 was fitted with a Porsche engine for the Back to the Future films. They also added blinking lights and aircraft parts to the vehicle. In the second film, a repulsorlift flying unit was added which gave the car the swivel wheels and flying thrusters. The most iconic addition was the flux capacitor which was the key to time travel and thepremise of the movies.

Who Owns the Movie Cars?

The “Back to the Future” models of the DeLorean are owned by Universal Studios Hollywood. These cars were used for filming and held in storage for a period of time but have since been put into public use in various capacities.

Where the Movie Versions of the DMC-12?

The primary model of the DeLorean that was used in the movies was stored at Universal Studios and was exhibited from time to time. Maintenance wasn’t kept up on this car, but it was fully restored in 2010 and has been permanently loaned to a museum. The second car was destroyed in one of the films and the parts were used to help build the other cars.

Later, the body panels of this car were hung upside down from the Planet Hollywood Hawaii location and shown as a shell of the car.The third DeLorean from the films was not cared for and began to row away in storage. Some of the car parts ended up being used for a DeLorean which is displayed at Universal Studios Japan. This is still where you can see some of the original parts on display.