DeLorean

DeLorean /duh-law-ree-uhn/ proper noun

The DeLorean is a sports car, officially designated the DMC-12, that was produced in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, from 1981 to 1982, and is distinguished by its gull-wing doors and unpainted stainless steel body panels. This was less a car and more a four-wheeled cocktail of ambition, hubris, and an astonishing amount of British taxpayers' money. It was the brainchild of a charismatic American executive, built in a purpose-built Belfast factory by a largely inexperienced workforce, and hastily engineered by the geniuses at Lotus. The DeLorean is a legendary failure, a car that promised a gleaming future but delivered mediocre performance, before its creator's downfall in a blaze of scandal. It is famous not for what it was, but for the time-travelling film trilogy that made it an immortal pop-culture icon.

The Full Story of the DeLorean

The story of the DeLorean is the story of its creator, John Zachary DeLorean. A rock-star executive at General Motors, he was a brilliant engineer who walked away from the top of the corporate ladder to build his own "ethical" sports car. With film-star looks and a gift for salesmanship, he charmed his way across the world, seeking investment for his radical new vehicle.

He found his most eager partner in the British government. Desperate to create jobs and project an image of modernity in strife-torn Northern Ireland during The Troubles, they made DeLorean an offer he couldn't refuse: over £80 million to build a state-of-the-art factory in Dunmurry, a suburb of Belfast. It was a colossal political and financial gamble on one man's dream.

With the money secured and a stunning wedge-shaped design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, DeLorean had a problem: the car was not remotely ready for production. With the clock ticking, he turned to Colin Chapman and Lotus to engineer the entire vehicle. In an incredible feat of speed, the Norfolk firm threw out DeLorean's unproven chassis and replaced it with their own signature steel backbone. The planned high-performance engine was also scrapped in favour of the dreary Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6, a powerplant known more for its availability than its excitement.

Production began in 1981, and it was chaotic. The workforce was green, and the car's signature features were a manufacturing nightmare. The stainless steel panels showed every mark and were impossible to paint or repair conventionally. The complex gull-wing doors, supported by gas struts developed by a defence contractor, rarely sealed properly and were prone to trapping occupants.

The car launched to a lukewarm reception. It looked like a supercar, but with just 130 horsepower, it had the performance of a warm hatchback. Sales were dismal. The company burned through cash at an alarming rate, and the British government refused to pour any more money into the venture. In a final, desperate act, John DeLorean was filmed in an FBI sting appearing to agree to a cocaine trafficking deal to raise funds. He was later acquitted on grounds of entrapment, but the damage was done. The dream was dead, the factory was closed, and the great DeLorean experiment was over after barely 21 months and around 9,000 cars. The car would have been a curious footnote in automotive failure, had it not been chosen, in 1985, as the time machine in the film Back to the Future, which transformed it from a disaster into an icon.

For The Record

Why was it built in Northern Ireland?

Because the British government offered John DeLorean an enormous package of financial incentives to build his factory there. The hope was that creating thousands of well-paid jobs in a modern factory would help ease the violent sectarian conflict of The Troubles. It was a politically motivated industrial strategy.

Was the body really made of stainless steel?

Yes. The outer body panels are brushed SS304 stainless steel, the same grade used for beer kegs and kitchen sinks. This is why they were unpainted. The panels themselves are unstressed and are bolted to a glass-reinforced plastic underbody, which is in turn mounted on the steel chassis.

Why were the gull-wing doors so problematic?

They were extremely heavy and supported by gas struts that were initially too weak, meaning they sometimes wouldn't stay open. The complex seals required for waterproofing were also notoriously difficult to get right, leading to infuriating leaks. They looked spectacular but were an engineering headache.

Was it actually fast?

No, not remotely. The 2.85-litre PRV V6 engine produced a lethargic 130 horsepower for the American market. While it looked like a Ferrari, its performance was on par with a decent family saloon of the era, which was a major source of disappointment for buyers and critics.

Did Colin Chapman have a role in the scandal?

Chapman's involvement is a source of enduring mystery. A significant amount of the British government's investment money, around £10 million, went missing through a Swiss-based company. Both Chapman and DeLorean were implicated. Chapman, however, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1982 before he could be questioned by authorities, leaving many questions forever unanswered.