The DeLorean DMC-12 was made famous by the legendary "Back to the Future" saga and its owner in the film, Marty McFly. A commercial failure upon its release, this car was destined to fall into general oblivion, leaving behind a dark history. However, by an incredible twist of fate, it perfectly matched what Robert Zemeckis, who is none other than the director of the Back to the Future films, was looking for.
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The creation of the DeLorean, a dream...
The history of the DeLorean officially began in 1975. John Zachary DeLorean obtained his technician's diploma after several years of study at the Chrysler school. For 15 years, he worked for the best automotive companies: from General Motors to Pontiac and Chevrolet, accumulating incredible experiences that allowed him to acquire an unparalleled knowledge of the sector. At 47, after a lifetime dedicated to his passion, he was promoted to Vice President of the General Motors group. He was then the youngest Vice President the brand had known, and he owed his promotion to the recognition of his brilliant and visionary mind by his peers.
However, John Zachary DeLorean did not want to spend his life working for others. He had a dream he wanted to achieve since childhood: to create his own car brand and offer the public a car that had nothing to do with the standards in force in the United States at that time. For him, the car of the future had to be ethical and responsible. He then promised to develop a sporty car in which drivers could place all their trust: safety and respect for the environment would be paramount, notably through the choice of eco-responsible materials that would guarantee the vehicle's longevity.
… Which turned into a nightmare
In 1975, he resigned from General Motors. On October 24 of the same year, he founded the DeLorean Motors Company. To get started, he obtained financing from the Bank Of America, and he used his network to collaborate with stars of the time, notably Johnny Carson, a famous host, who invested $500,000 in his project. Later, he replenished his capital through car distribution networks: every dealer who committed to selling DeLoreans could become a shareholder of the company.
Production was initially scheduled to begin in 1979, but it ultimately didn't start until 1981, due to various technical problems that severely slowed down activity. What had to happen, unfortunately, happened in 1982, as the brand began its descent into hell. The numerous delays and accumulated design flaws, coupled with very poor internal management, caused the DeLorean Motors Company to collapse. Sales projections were completely unrealistic, and the ambitions promised to investors were absurd in the face of reality. The lack of capital was therefore very quickly felt, and while an estimated 30,000 units of the DeLorean DMC-12 were expected per year, only 9,200 were produced between January 1981 and December 1982.
A car designed for the future but built in the past
The failure of the DeLorean is notably explained by the multiple problems with the materials used, but also by the fact that the workforce of the time, the factory being located in Ireland, was too unqualified to achieve its creator's dreams. The choice of engine first proved to be bad, as it was too fuel-hungry and not powerful enough to support the vehicle's weight, which was then 1233 kilograms. Potential buyers were extremely disappointed, not to mention that the asking price was $25,000 for a car clearly below expectations. To this was added a mechanical problem concerning the gull-wing doors. Thus, the first models exported to the United States had to be dismantled and then reassembled in a new factory specially created for the occasion, and this incurred enormous costs despite an already very limited budget...
Yet, John Zachary DeLorean had surrounded himself with the best. To create the chassis of this futuristic car, he called upon Colin Chapman, the founder and CEO of another well-known brand: Lotus. Chapman imposed a manufacturing method similar to that used at Lotus, equipping the DeLorean DMC-12 with the suspension and chassis used on the Lotus Esprit. As for the car's design, Giorgetto Giurgiaro was in charge. He produced numerous sketches and a faithful model that matched John Zachary DeLorean's aspirations, with a mid-rear engine and an aerodynamic style. For the engine, after many failures, it was finally the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo trio that took on its creation, as this V6 engine was then the only one capable of meeting the anti-pollution standards prevalent in the United States.
A drug trafficking and money laundering affair
At the end of 1982, a dramatic turn of events hit the DeLorean Motor Company. John Zachary DeLorean was arrested for drug trafficking following a video where he was seen buying cocaine to resell it and thus bail out the company's accounts. According to FBI information, he allegedly helped spread the equivalent of $24 million worth of drugs in the country. Following the trial and after 29 hours of deliberation, he was finally acquitted in August 1984 thanks to his lawyer's defense.
Why was the DeLorean chosen for Back to the Future?
As the sad fate of the DeLorean unfolded, Robert Zemeckis, the creator of the Back to the Future films, offered a last hope. Completely captivated by the DMC-12's design, he recounts that he had initially imagined the famous time machine based on an old refrigerator that the technical team had rigged. But, quickly, it became obvious that the time machine had to be a vehicle. According to him, the choice to use a DeLorean came from a joke he had written for the film. In one of the cult scenes, the machine arrives in the past and the inhabitants of the farm where the protagonists land think it's a spaceship. Thanks to its eclectic design, notably due to its gull-wing doors and its stainless steel color, the DeLorean was at the time the only car to truly resemble a futuristic craft from space.
Eternal recognition
Robert Zemeckis revisited the story of the DeLorean in an interview. He stated: "We hadn't foreseen this cocaine story or that it would become so infamously known. John DeLorean wrote us a letter expressing his admiration for the film shortly after its release, thanking us for perpetuating his dream and offering to hire anyone who had worked on the car in the film as designers for his design team."
A beautiful story was thus created between the two men!
Origins of the DeLorean in the Back to the Future film
The DeLorean DMC-12 is used by Doctor "Doc" and his character Emmet Brown in the Back to the Future film. On August 11, 1982, he spotted what would be his time machine in the Hill Valley newspaper. Doc would buy it a month later, in September 1982, for $4,800 from another character named Bob. Emmet Brown would subsequently add many elements to customize the Back to the Future DeLorean, notably a flux capacitor which is the key element allowing this simple car to be transformed into a true time machine.
The machine embarks on its first time journey on October 26, 1985, at 1:20 AM. Einstein, Doc's dog, is the first to use this technology, allowing him to travel into the future for one minute. He is teleported to the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall. Shortly after, Doc is assassinated by Libyan terrorists, and Marty McFly, the hero of the Back to the Future saga, takes refuge in the car, also trying to escape the Libyans. Inside the vehicle, Marty inadvertently activates the DeLorean's temporal circuits and causes it to reach the famous 88 miles per hour, which triggers the time machine's flux capacitor. The DeLorean and he are then sent to the morning of November 5, 1955, the last date entered by Doc on the machine's control panel when he showed Marty how it worked.
How does the DeLorean work for the Back to the Future films?
To be used as a time machine, the DeLorean from Back to the Future must meet two essential conditions:
- The flux capacitor must be charged with energy
- The car must reach a speed of 88 miles per hour
More precisely, it is the flux capacitor that needs to be moved through space-time at that speed. Whether the car is moving or not, and whether its engine is running or not, if the two elements mentioned above are met, the time machine will work. Indeed, the DeLorean DMC-12's engine is powered by ordinary gasoline, but its flux capacitor requires an electrical power of 2.21 gigawatts to function. It is initially powered by plutonium, then, a little later, by refuse such as banana peels, eggshells, or beer cans, thanks to modifications made by Doc in the future. This is also made possible by changing the nuclear reactor to a fusion reactor.
Finally, in Back to the Future 2, the DeLorean is capable of flying! It will even continue to be perfected throughout the saga (Back to the Future 2 and 3).
