The future is here! In “Back to the Future,” Marty McFly famously set his time-traveling DeLorean for Oct. 21, 2015, solidifying the car’s place in pop culture history. But, there’s more to the car than just those cool doors:
1. As few as 9,200 DeLorean DMC-12s were produced before the DeLorean Motor Co. filed for bankruptcy in 1982. There are more than 6,000 models still in existence.
2. Although the DeLorean is known for its unpainted, brushed stainless-steel finish, three cars were factory-plated in 24-karat gold.
3. The gull-wing doors were designed by defense company Grumman Aerospace, known for developing the Apollo Lunar Module and the F-14 fighter plane.
4. The car was named DMC-12 because of its projected retail price of $12,000 in 1978. However, when the car was rolled out in 1981, the suggested retail price was $25,000.
5. When DeLorean Motor Co. shut down, Big Lots (known as Consolidated Stores Corp., at the time) bought the remaining stock of cars.
6. With a 170 horsepower (130 kW) engine, the car is relatively slow, going from zero to 60 mph in about nine seconds.
7. As cool as the car looks, owners had many complaints — dye from the floor mats rubbing off on shoes, doors becoming stuck and a stainless steel body that was a huge challenge to keep clean.
8. There is an international association for DeLorean owners and enthusiasts.
About the Author
