“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?” — Marty McFly

Few eras throughout cinema history have ignited the same level of pop culture fervor as the 1980s, with that decade producing some of the most enduring and influential motion pictures ever made. Standing out among the blockbuster pack was 1985’s Back to the Future. A nostalgic take on the past and a visionary concept of the future — as shown in its 1989 sequel —- it’s no surprise Back to the Future remains one the most beloved films of all time. 

Sure, its brilliant screenplay is a masterwork of plot foreshadowing, its charismatic cast gifted with pitch-perfect comic timing, and its evocative and rousing Alan Silvestri-composed film score is an orchestral triumph. But as every Back to the Future fan knows, the moment Doctor Emmett Brown backed the gadget-laden, plutonium-powered 1981 DeLorean DM-12 out of his GMC Value Van under the incandescent lights of the Twin Pines Mall parking lot, a scene-stealing star was born. With its futuristic appearance — including a gleaming stainless steel visage, gullwing doors, rear-mounted engine, and low-slung design — the DeLorean, like the film itself, became truly timeless.

The Rise of a Futuristic Marvel 

More than a decade before traversing the planes of time and spatial displacement throughout the tranquil community of Hill Valley, California, the DeLorean DM-12 was merely the brainchild of visionary automotive engineer and former General Motors executive John DeLorean. Becoming the youngest executive in GM’s history following his spearheading the creation of the enormously successful Pontiac GTO in 1964, DeLorean left General Motors in 1973 to establish the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC).

To bring his futuristic sports car vision to life, DeLorean enlisted the expertise of famed Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who, inspired by a 1970 Porsche concept, crafted the DeLorean’s distinctive wedge shape in its earliest incarnation. Requiring structural reinforcements, the DeLorean’s foundation was refined by mounting a fiberglass body atop a Lotus-style chassis, then encased in stainless steel panels.

The Downfall of a Dream

While the sleek aesthetics of the DeLorean were truly impressive, its performance left much to be desired. Initially designed to house a Citroën/NSU rotary engine, the plan was abandoned due to availability issues. Instead, the DeLorean was equipped with a 2.85-liter Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) V6 engine, producing a modest 130 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque. Paired with either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission, the lackluster power of the DeLorean — combined with the weight of its rear-mounted engine — failed to deliver the exhilarating ride its designers had envisioned.

Approximately 9,000 DeLorean cars were built between 1981 and 1983 at the multi-million dollar DeLorean production facility in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. Though the DM-12 was ahead of its time, poor quality control, a high price point, and an underpowered engine plagued sales throughout Europe and the United States, ultimately leading to DMC’s bankruptcy in October 1982.

Seemingly gone was a dream…until Hollywood came calling.

“When this Baby Hits 88 Miles Per Hour…”

In their earliest screenplay drafts, Back to the Future director/co-writer Robert Zemeckis and producer/co-writer Bob Gale set the film’s climax on a nuclear testing site, literally blasting protagonist Marty McFly through time via a tricked-out refrigerator. When executive producer Steven Spielberg made Back to the Future the first film project of his newly-formed Amblin Entertainment, he immediately vetoed the refrigerator concept. All three decided Doc Brown’s time machine needed to be three things — interesting, mobile, and COOL! Enter the 1981 DeLorean DM-12. To shave off at least $1 million from the film’s $19 million budget, the nuclear test site concept was reworked into the town center clock tower being struck by a bolt of lightning — conveniently on the Universal Studios backlot in Universal City, California. 

Three DeLorean DM-12 models were used in the production of the first Back to the Future film. These included the “A” (hero) car, fully assembled inside and out for distance and close-up shots. The “B” car was used for visual effects and high-performance stunts — and ultimately destroyed by a train at the conclusion of Back to the Future Part III. For interior footage, including close-ups of dashboard gadgets, the “C” car cabin precisely matched the “A” car interior, but with the back half of the body completely removed to allow for front-facing camera mounts. 

Skilled artisans under the leadership of production designer Lawrence G. Paull and visual effects artist Michael Fink transformed each DeLorean using salvaged airplane parts, colorfully funky lights, complex wires, flexible hoses, and an array of mismatched components. Not to mention the installation of a fake speedometer that reached 95 miles per hour as DeLorean models maxed out at 85 MPH.

A total of seven DeLorean models were used throughout the trilogy. A lightweight fiberglass shell replica was built for “flying and landing” sequences in Back to the Future Part II. Both “dune buggy” DeLorean configurations from Back to the Future Part III were mounted onto Volkswagen sand rail chassis for filming throughout the rugged terrains of Monument Valley, Utah. And, finally, a specialized “Oxnard Car” DeLorean was created for the railroad track sequences in the third film.

An Icon That Stands the Test of Time

Though short-lived as a production car, the 1981 DeLorean DM-12 has enjoyed an enduring legacy among millions of Back to the Future fans and collectors, inspiring many of them to build their own full-scale DeLorean “time machine” recreations. Today, all but one DeLorean configuration from the Back to the Future trilogy still exists. Some are now in private ownership, others are currently housed at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Japan. With Bob Gale’s blessing, a team of 24 hardcore Back to the Future fans performed a two-year restoration of the original film’s “A” car DeLorean in 2013, which now resides in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. In May 2021, the Back to the Future DeLorean became the 29th car inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register.