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

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3-Wheel Drive

3-Wheel Drive

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It looks like the iconic DMC DeLorean may indeed make a comeback:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-garage28jul28,0,7786124.story?coll=la-home-center

No exact date, but as currents parts dwindle, it may not be far off. Plans include making about 20 per year when they do start building them, though.



Optional Mr. Fusion package, anyone?

1981_Delorean_DMC12.jpg
 
Of the 9,000 built 1981 and 1982, about 6,500 are still on the road...
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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! 👍
 
Oh yeah, plenty of DeLorean DMC's were sold. They had a big plant in Ireland. I don't know what your getting at about them never being homologated, homologated for what? They never had plans to race them, but there was enough built to pass production requirements. Other things may have prevented the car meeting official FIA rules or what not, I don't know.
 
Please god let them put a REAL engine in it. The best engine the had was underpowered and frankly rubbish. Something simple like a Ford 302 or Chevy 350 will suffice.
 
If they bump up the build quality, fit it with a better engine that growls, I would love to see brand spanking new DeLorean's on the road. A mate of mine when I used to live in Germany, his father owned one and said it was wonderful. (Cult follower I reckon.)
 
That is pretty awesome. The only time i've ever seen a Delorean was a few years back at my high school's homecoming game. The Delorean Club of Arizona brought about six of them out at half-time. They are better looking in person.
 
Sting
If they bump up the build quality, fit it with a better engine that growls, I would love to see brand spanking new DeLorean's on the road. A mate of mine when I used to live in Germany, his father owned one and said it was wonderful. (Cult follower I reckon.)
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New suspension is needed, too. The originals had Lotus-designed suspension, but US requirements butchered them and destroyed any potential handling the car could have had.
 
JCE3000GT
Please god let them put a REAL engine in it. The best engine the had was underpowered and frankly rubbish.
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It would have been perfectly adequate had it not been strangled for emissions and/or turbocharged. Renault taught us that.
And, to be frank, a rear-engined car sold to the amount of yuppies that would flock to this, with a 350 or 302, would be suicide, not to mention be impossible to balance in weight distribution.
Nah, me likey a VQ35HR.
 
Dave A
I don't know what your getting at about them never being homologated, homologated for what?
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I don't know, you tell me. People over here are telling me the DeLorean never hit the road...


*EDIT* Nevermind, read a Wikipedia article, nothing seems wrong with them, only few were made I guess...
 
hmmm and your in Norway... the mate's dad I mention in my previous post, he was from Sweden.... so a DeLorean must've been in a scandinavian country at some time. lol
 
JCE3000GT
Please god let them put a REAL engine in it. The best engine the had was underpowered and frankly rubbish. Something simple like a Ford 302 or Chevy 350 will suffice.
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Or they could build one that runs on bannana skins and soda! 💡
 
Toronado
It would have been perfectly adequate had it not been strangled for emissions and/or turbocharged. Renault taught us that.
And, to be frank, a rear-engined car sold to the amount of yuppies that would flock to this, with a 350 or 302, would be suicide, not to mention be impossible to balance in weight distribution.
Nah, me likey a VQ35HR.
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I guess i wont make mention of the fact that both the ford 302 and GM small block (350) are actualy smaller engines than the VQ35... whoops.
 
The local classic car rental club in Edinburgh has one, so I see one every couple of months.

It's one of those cars which is an iconic shape but was rubbish. An ideal candidate for modernisation with real parts. I think it would be awesome with a TVR AJP6 engine.
 
There are quite a few of these around here in Grand Rapids, and they will show up quite frequently to the local car shows and cruise-ins. A guy nearby where I grew up had a movie-replica version with Mr. Fusion and whatnot on the back, and that was quite cool, but I like many always saw right through it's facade.

Modernizing the car is a good choice, as the overall shape is somewhat timeless. Adding a more-powerful engine would be a huge plus, as well as a sport-worthy suspension and the like. Keeping development and production costs down would be key, and I'd think that it would be quite easy for DMC to pick up crate GM LS2s and order T56s for a good deal of performance matched with overall drive ability and a fair amount of economy at a not too outrageous price.

...But, thats just me...
 
GilesGuthrie
The local classic car rental club in Edinburgh has one, so I see one every couple of months.

It's one of those cars which is an iconic shape but was rubbish. An ideal candidate for modernisation with real parts. I think it would be awesome with a TVR AJP6 engine.
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Most cars would be awesome with an AJP6 engine.
 
That is so awesome. 👍 I'd love to see "new" DeLoreans on the road.


Whats really cool is that there is a huge lot of DMC's around here, there is about 75 on the lot!
 
inferno
I guess i wont make mention of the fact that both the ford 302 and GM small block (350) are actualy smaller engines than the VQ35... whoops.
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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.
 
if it weights nothing, then it needs and engine that weights nothing and has no torque. thus, forget the *coughlol*PUSHROD*coughlol* nonsense and put in good ol' Wankel from Mazda, or 2.2l engine from S2000..
 
Wow, I never knew John Delorean died?! Hopefully they ditch the 200 or so original engines, and stick something with balls under there. I already like the current suggestions, 350 would damn sweet in a delorean but I'm wishing for a rotary in this thing, kinda like the original plan they had for the car.
 
Toronado
I'm sure they would wan't something somewhat similar to torque as well as reliability.
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They should speak to Al Melling. I doubt their budget would allow them to contract him to build a new engine just for this car, but he's got a pretty good range of performance engines they could use of his.
 
I hear it had a curb weight of 2700 lbs, which seems exceedingly light given that it ran over 10 seconds 0-60 in that Road and Track test. My car is over 3000 lbs, has 15 fewer horses, and matches that performance. Odd...

Engine wise, my vote would always go to the LS3 if given the option, but if it were to be the choice otherwise, there are plenty of decent options out there.

- The GM LSJ (205 BHP Supercharged 2.0L I4): A good choice that has been proven as a nice powerplant by the Ariel Atom, but it may not have the torque that DeLorean would want for the car. But for $5000, its a tough choice to ignore...
- The GM LNF (260 BHP DI Turbocharged 2.0L I4): Again, a proven choice in the Solstice GXP/Sky Red Line, but it may be too expensive and may not produce the kind of power delivery that DeLorean would want in their car. However, I'm uncertain on pricing, as GM hasn't made it a crate engine yet.
- The GM L32 (260 BHP Supercharged 3.8L V6): Its a well-worn design that has lasted nearly two decades, has proven itself as a powerful alternative to a V8, and can be matched with a wide variety of transmissions to put power to the ground. Problem is, GM already has a better alternative...
- The GM LY7 (250-275 BHP 3.6L V6): This would probably be the best choice to go with, given that it is a pretty well-designed V6 without too many mechanical problems, offers a pretty smooth and flat powerband, and works well with just about any transmission you throw at it.

...There is always the LS4 as well, but the size/power trade-off may not be worth it. Same can be said for the Northstar 4.6, which is probably too expensive anyway...
 
@ the Ecotec twins, I can't see them going for a 4 cylinder.
The 3800 is tasty just because it would prolong the engines life, but I can't see them using it for the reasons you already mentioned (though it is a proven reliable design with a bajillion parts). It does weigh a little more than the High Feature, too.
On the LY7: I'd prefer an LLT, to be honest. Or the Saab variation (its even the right size!).
YSSMAN
I hear it had a curb weight of 2700 lbs, which seems exceedingly light given that it ran over 10 seconds 0-60 in that Road and Track test. My car is over 3000 lbs, has 15 fewer horses, and matches that performance.
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Using the science of Google, I have determined that your car weighs pretty much exactly the same as a DeLorean, if not less. Only the VR6 cars came close to 3000 pounds.
 
The Saab 2.8T actually wouldn't be too bad of an idea now that you mention it, as I had completely forgotten about it. It would in theory deliver enough power to make it a worthwhile investment, and should hold up pretty well (the overall design has been around a few years). More on the plus side, it should be able to run on E85 as well, which seems like a good way to bring some people in.

I have no idea what the overall size, weight, and furthermore price would be, but most of the tests of Saabs with the engine seem to be quite positive on the power delivery.
 
Engine weight and size would be comparable to the other High Feature engines (heavier than competitors, but not by much. I doubt the Saab turbo engine would be more than 400 pounds, at least.). Cost would be an unknown factor, though. But the irony would be too great to pass up (a 2.8L V6 from a Swedish make? Awesome!).
 
A Bora (Jetta in the US) 1.9 TDi weighs 3140lbs.
 

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