DeLorean DMC-12

Aimed squarely at the American market, the DeLorean DMC-12 was first shown in prototype form in 1976 but the first production cars did not roll off the Northern Irish production lines until January 1981. The brainchild of American automotive tycoon John DeLorean, the car was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered by Colin Chapman of Lotus fame.

The backbone chassis was very similar to that on the Lotus Esprit, as was the suspension which was independent all round with double wishbones at the front and a multilink set up to the rear. Steering was by rack-and-pinion with disc brakes all round. Power came from a PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) fuel-injected 2.8-litre V6 mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that, in European spec, produced 170bhp and could propel the car to 60mph in 8.8 seconds. The bodywork was made from unpainted stainless steel and had gullwing doors that only needed 11-inches of side clearance to open to their full extent.

Only around 9,000 DeLoreans were produced before production came to an end in 1982 when DeLorean was controversially implicated in a drug running charge from which he was later cleared. Survivors are now rare and sought after, especially as the car has cemented itself in popular 20th Century culture since starring in the Hollywood movie ‘Back to the Future’. Virtually all parts are still readily available in America as the Irish factory’s large stock was bought up by the DeLorean Motor Company of Texas.

This early 1981 DeLorean is said to be the 315th example to roll off the production line and was on the first shipment of cars to the USA. It was first owned by a customer in San Diego, California, and has covered some 73,000 miles from new. The vendor states that: “The car has many updates that were found on later DeLoreans including all factory recalls and a rear aerial. The side windows have been tinted and the electric windows work with no problems. The black leather interior is in good condition, with clean original carpets and headlining. The engine is very healthy and the gearbox is faultless. The bumpers have recently been professionally repainted to the correct original colour. The only thing the car needs is a new radio. It has recently had a full service and starts, runs and drives very well and gained a fresh MOT certificate in April, with no advisories. It will be UK registered and have six months’ road tax by the time of the auction.”