Nearly forty years after production of the DeLorean DMC 12 ended, it seems as though the iconic marque is back from the past with a futuristic powertrain, writes Ryan de Villiers.
The DeLorean is a beloved icon of the ‘80s that captivated movie fans and car enthusiasts with its central role in the hit film “Back To The Future”.
The DeLorean Motor Company produced one of the most unique-looking and iconic cars ever. Following a teaser trailer posted by DeLorean, the hype around the next iteration of the evocative sportscar has only grown. On the 1st of April, a blurry image surfaced on the internet of what appears to be the rear haunches and taillight of a potential new DeLorean which has been teased again.
The original DeLorean featured a V6 motor that sent a not too raucous 97 kW to the rear wheels. According to impressions of the car from when it was produced, the DMC 12 was not a car that performed well, and coupled with the short lifespan of the company, it’s not hard to understand why the car had such a short production cycle. The DMC 12 was short-lived but managed to stay on people’s minds for years to come thanks to its many appearances in movies and media.
At the beginning of 2022, the DMC group announced that it plans to bring the DeLorean back to life and not only that, but that it would come back as an electric vehicle. A short nostalgia trip and a mixture of feelings washed over the car community at the new of the return of an icon with a new heart and new body. To date, no information has been released detailing the powerplant that will be put into the upcoming DeLorean, but it will be electric.
Like Dr. Emett Brown said in the first “Back To The Future” movie, “The way I see it, if you’re going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?”. ItalDesign has confirmed that they will be involved in the styling and design of the next DeLorean, so we have no doubt that it’ll be a looker much like the Guigaro-penned original.
The new DeLorean will debut on the 18th of August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where we will not only get to see what it will look like, but finally find out what it’s going to be called.
Words: Ryan de Villiers