Back to the future...again. Sort of.

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The official weight of my car according to Edmunds is 2954 lbs, so I usually call it safe at 3000 lbs even. My old Fox was a lightweight at about 2300 lbs. Having only 81 BHP, it still felt kinda quick, but it was no GTI...
 
Toronado
Um, 3.5L versus 4.9L and 5.7L? Are you joking?
And in any case, the small block 5.7 weighs either 620 pounds (if you get an iron block) or 497 pounds (if you get an LS1). The Ford 5.0 weighs 460 pounds, and the 5.0L crate motor weighs 412-424 pounds. All I've read (and it was hard to find) puts the VQ35 in the 360lb range. And the HR is supposedly lighter.
When you take into account that the LS series is as heavy and powerful as it is, putting it into an RR car is suicide without some sort of AWD system; so I can't see any American V8 going in the car. This is especially true considering the car already had a poor weight distribution to begin with when the PRV was a lighter engine than both the LS series and the VQ35. They would go with either a lightweight V6, I6 or V8, and mount everything else in the front of the car (to fix the weight distribution problem). Remember, the DeLorean didn't weigh anything even with its steel body and gullwing doors, so it doesn't need high power so much as it needs good weight distribution and suspension.
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Who said anything about displacement? Please dont try to make me look stupid.

i do know though that the LS engines are smaller in size, (not to be confused with displacement) than the VQ. i've never heard any actual weights but to me it would make sense that given the fact that the LS is smaller and it has an alluminum block it should weigh about the same or less.

Also, weither or not the car "needs" that much power was not a part of the equation. you simply stated that you would rather have a VQ35HR as opposed to an LS engine for reasons of weight distribution. my argument was simply that the LS engines are actualy smaller and (as far as i know) weigh about the same. The GM "small block" archetecture as seen in the LS engines IS indeed a verry compact and verry light design, and the displacements it can be pushed to are impressive. i dislike OHV engines in gerneral but i do respect the LS because of that. It IS smaller than most DOHC V6s

I would just like to close my response with this tidbit of trivia. when the 350Z was relased, the biggest gripe about it was that it was too heavy. i recall specific mention of "there is no excuse for this car to weigh more than a corvette". The weight of the "nissan parts bin, standard issue" VQ35 was pegged as the primary reason for that. sory i dont take your word for it on the weights. however i am interested in hearing what GM and nissan have to say about the WET weights of both engines.
 
inferno
The weight of the "nissan parts bin, standard issue" VQ35 was pegged as the primary reason for that. sory i dont take your word for it on the weights.
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You know, I provided links to all of the weights of the engines except the Nissan. And quite frankly there is no way that the Nissan weighs over 400 pounds (or 380, for that matter) regardless of if I'm wrong on 360. So it weighs at least less than 100 pounds than the LS series regardless of which one is looked at.
inferno
however i am interested in hearing what GM and nissan have to say about the WET weights of both engines.
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That would add very little. I assume you mean engine oil and other lubrication, and unless for some reason the Nissan takes an ungodly amount of it and the Corvette doesn't fluids would have little bearing on engine weights (22 pounds, as seen by the LS7).
 
It said curb weight for all of them.
Are you sure you aren't thinking of the the current or Jetta IV (considering you said Bora instead of Vento) Dave? Because I can't imagine the old Jetta III, especially not the 2.0L, weighing as much as the Passat Mk. IV (which at 3000lb, it would).
 
Bram Turismo
I thought the DeLorean never actually hit the road? It never was homologated :confused:


Anyway, if I ever spotted one, that would be simply fantastic! 👍
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It was never homologated in France for instance due to its doors.
I came across a DeLorean once, about 15 years ago on a small road in Wales.
That was pretty impressive because totally unexpected at that place.
 
Toronado
It said curb weight for all of them.
Are you sure you aren't thinking of the the current or Jetta IV (considering you said Bora instead of Vento) Dave? Because I can't imagine the old Jetta III, especially not the 2.0L, weighing as much as the Passat Mk. IV (which at 3000lb, it would).
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Maybe that's what it is, though I thought the Bora was sold as the Jetta in the US.

This is the Bora, like mine.
VW%20Bora%20TDI%201.jpg
 
The VQ35 is PHYSICALLY bigger, which is what Toronado originally meant isn't it? 100lbs here 100lbs there..? Who cares, that's nothing on a 2700lb car. But, I digress the weight issue.

How about something a bit different. The D30 3.0L Duratec V6 (or the new D35) or the Volvo 2.5L I5 Turbo. Good power, good torque, and not that expensive.

Please don't even mention a rotary or VTEC. No torque, ever, no matter how much you tune it.
 
Dave A
Maybe that's what it is, though I thought the Bora was sold as the Jetta in the US.
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It was during the MKIV Generation, my Jetta was sold as the Vento in Europe during the MKIII Generation.



Tharr she be!
 
You need some better bigger rims. Put on the VR6 Jetta rims, those rock.
 
One problem: Money

I had better-looking 5-spoke rims on there, but I bent one beyond repair in a pothole incident, and with them no longer being manufactured, I had to buy a whole new set. These were the best-looking and most-affordable ones I could get. Still, they're 14" and I believe the VR6 ones you speak of are only 15". But I would agree, they look good.

I'm not considering a replacement any time soon. The list of things that need to get fixed are beginning to stack up, so I have to pick and choose which I will take care of on a scale of whats more important. Wheels are probably at the very bottom, the alignment and new tires is at the very top.
 
Let me be honest here. I've never loved this car. Never been excited for it, never loved it, never cared about it... just a machine I never been excited or fond of it. This may just be typical of the '80s "fanboyism" in which people think every decade and day has to be 1980s because the 1980s were the crap compared to now. Of course, I HATE the '80s (and I was born in 1983). I hate this machine about as much as I hate most Cadillacs. But if you want one, I have no control over it. I'm just an average joe from Houston, Texas. Just hope this doesn't become the next Hummer (in terms of a fad car).
 
YSSMAN
It was during the MKIV Generation, my Jetta was sold as the Vento in Europe during the MKIII Generation.



Tharr she be!
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Ahh, right, that could be a lighter car than mine. I always thought your Jetta was the same model as my Bora, learn somthing new every day eh.
 
JCE3000GT
The VQ35 is PHYSICALLY bigger, which is what Toronado originally meant isn't it?
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It is probably far wider than a SMC is, but I doubt it is longer.
JCE3000GT
100lbs here 100lbs there..? Who cares, that's nothing on a 2700lb car.
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You have it backwards. On a 2700 pound car 100 pounds is a big deal. And on a rear-engined car already with a weight distribution of 35/65 with a far lighter engine? Even 75 pounds could mean the balance between 35/65 and 30/70 (or worse).
 
JohnBM01
Let me be honest here. I've never loved this car. Never been excited for it, never loved it, never cared about it... just a machine I never been excited or fond of it. This may just be typical of the '80s "fanboyism" in which people think every decade and day has to be 1980s because the 1980s were the crap compared to now. Of course, I HATE the '80s (and I was born in 1983). I hate this machine about as much as I hate most Cadillacs. But if you want one, I have no control over it. I'm just an average joe from Houston, Texas. Just hope this doesn't become the next Hummer (in terms of a fad car).
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I don't think you'll need to worry about that. They say production will not be in large numbers (20 a year they estimate). But I think one of the main reasons people like it is that its was so different. It was rear-engined, had gull-wing doors, and is made out of stainless steel. There just aren't any other cars quite like it.
 
Toronado
You have it backwards. On a 2700 pound car 100 pounds is a big deal. And on a rear-engined car already with a weight distribution of 35/65 with a far lighter engine? Even 75 pounds could mean the balance between 35/65 and 30/70 (or worse).
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I see your point on the weight. I had no idea that the distribution was as bad as it is on the DeLorean. Sheesh...
 
the 13B Renesis Might help complete DeLorean's vision: the car was, after all originally supposed to have a rotary. However, I'd go for a V6, and many of todays passenger car sixes would work fine. The VQ is a trackstar, one of the best going, and I'd go with it if I were DMC. A V8 is a bit too heavy, although the 5.3 DOD GM mill might fit, It's just not "DeLorean" enough.

think of the VQ37 in that thing...or, perhaps, a Porsche mill...
 
Milliethemutt
Sitting outside a pub last year I saw 11 or 12 Euro registered ones drive back on the way home from this...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5018016.stm
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Oddly enough i had a good friend at Uni who lived just outside Newcastle. His dad had one of the original used-in-the-film Deloreans. It required some cosmetic work and had little of the original props left on it, but he was going to restore it back to how it was in the first Back to the Future and then use it as a display piece to collect money for charity. I lost touch with him not long after so never knew how far he got with it. Perhaps it now roams the streets of Tyneside?
 
I went to a Delorean conference in Tennessee a couple of years ago to watch my friends band play (I went to see the cars as well of course I loved BTTF) and you would never have guessed that there were only 9000 of these things made because they were EVERYWHERE DMC in the parking lot DMC in the building DMC on all the local roads in and out... The highlights were several unusual colors, the original single turbo and twin turbo factory prototypes, 1 of each made, a Twin engined model (Caddy 4.9 in the rear and Honda B16? in the front) that the owner described having the most evil handling of any car ever made, and several models that Fulfilled JZD's dream of having rotary power... Two weeks ago on the way home from the beach I also saw what was apparently a fairly rare dealer installed twin turbo package in need of much help to return to it's former glory.

Now that I've told you all my life story let me make my point. Even though the original Deloreans were far far far from perfect I for one would love to see new ones on the road today (regardless of what engine they stuff in there) since they are a big part of my childhood dreams and I imagine the dreams of others as well.
 

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