Back to the future: new DeLoreanshite

[Guest Breadvan72]

I was about to go back in time to buy a DeLorean in 1982, when my future self appeared and said not to bother as I can buy one next year.


http://jalopnik.com/the-delorean-is-coming-back-thanks-to-this-new-law-1755528406

[mouseflakes]

I hope they put the PRV V6 back into production for it. Odd-fire of course.

[brickwall]

Peugeot parts counter will do a bit of business then.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Alleged to have new OMG POWAH engine instead of previous spavined nag special so might actually be able to do 88 MPH.

[Longblackcoat]

Ever so slight problem is that the DMC-12 really wasn't very good as, y'know, a car. Sure, I looked cool, and it clearly has the trump card in that it's the McFlyMobile, but everything about it - everything - was crap.

 

From the stainless steel body stuck onto fibreglass - making it way heavier than it should have been - to the engine behind the rear axle, the rubbish interior, and the all-round crap build quality, it's just not a very good car. I don't mean that it doesn't meet today's standards - that much is obvious - but it was pretty terrible in both concept and execution when it was new.

 

The idea that they could crank out these remaining 300 cars to a decent standard, with a new engine and actually make a profit at $100k is laughable, unless all they're planning on doing is sticking an LSx crate motor in and doing nothing else. Think about it, their entire production run will realise just $30m. By the time they've found somewhere to build it, done some testing to ensure they're legally-compliant and done even the smallest amount of development (getting the electronics sorted, replacing the axle with something that'll take 300+hp, different wheels/brakes, getting the HVAC to work), they'll be burring through that.

 

There's a reason that something like a Singer costs so much - it's essentially hand-made rather than being a production car. And the only real way to get any sort of quality for the DMC-12 is to either 'do a Singer' or to set up low-volume production, which is suicidally expensive if you're doing it for a total, never-to-be-repeated run of just 300.

 

Sadly, I think this is just a pipe-dream. Love to be proved wrong, of course.

[Guest Breadvan72]

It's a shit idea!  As you say, crap car when new.  Apparently the handling was dangerous until Lotus did some work on the chassis.  That put Chapman in touch with DeLorean and mucho CRIME ensued, but Chapman died before he could be busted, and DeLorean walked.  The accountant went to jail.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

There's no way a grown man can look cool driving round in a DeLorean nowadays, even though they are a fantastic looker in themselves. You're just gonna look like you love BTTF a little bit too much which is not a good look for anyone beyond their mid-late twenties I reckon.

[Junkman]

Ever so slight problem is that the DMC-12 really wasn't very good as, y'know, a car. Sure, I looked cool, and it clearly has the trump card in that it's the McFlyMobile, but everything about it - everything - was crap.

 

From the stainless steel body stuck onto fibreglass - making it way heavier than it should have been - to the engine behind the rear axle, the rubbish interior, and the all-round crap build quality, it's just not a very good car. I don't mean that it doesn't meet today's standards - that much is obvious - but it was pretty terrible in both concept and execution when it was new.

 

The idea that they could crank out these remaining 300 cars to a decent standard, with a new engine and actually make a profit at $100k is laughable, unless all they're planning on doing is sticking an LSx crate motor in and doing nothing else. Think about it, their entire production run will realise just $30m. By the time they've found somewhere to build it, done some testing to ensure they're legally-compliant and done even the smallest amount of development (getting the electronics sorted, replacing the axle with something that'll take 300+hp, different wheels/brakes, getting the HVAC to work), they'll be burring through that.

 

There's a reason that something like a Singer costs so much - it's essentially hand-made rather than being a production car. And the only real way to get any sort of quality for the DMC-12 is to either 'do a Singer' or to set up low-volume production, which is suicidally expensive if you're doing it for a total, never-to-be-repeated run of just 300.

 

Sadly, I think this is just a pipe-dream. Love to be proved wrong, of course.

 

Don't be such a spoilsport.

[face]

There's no way a grown man can look cool driving round in a DeLorean nowadays, even though they are a fantastic looker in themselves. You're just gonna look like you love BTTF a little bit too much which is not a good look for anyone beyond their mid-late twenties I reckon.

 

I'd still have one, mind.

[billyboy406v6]

If it is a crap car then a brand new crap car makes sense to me !

[Lacquer Peel]

It's a shit idea!  As you say, crap car when new.  Apparently the handling was dangerous until Lotus did some work on the chassis.  That put Chapman in touch with DeLorean and mucho CRIME ensued, but Chapman died before he could be busted, and DeLorean walked.  The accountant went to jail.

 

I think Lotus were involved in "productionising" the idea, the chassis looks similar to an Esprit's. DeLorean insisted on a rear engine layout because that's what the best* Porsches used, which set the handling back a bit.

 

They were expensive, with a rushed design, and too slow to be a success.

[Matt]

Ever so slight problem is that the DMC-12 really wasn't very good as, y'know, a car. Sure, I looked cool, and it clearly has the trump card in that it's the McFlyMobile, but everything about it - everything - was crap.

 

From the stainless steel body stuck onto fibreglass - making it way heavier than it should have been - to the engine behind the rear axle, the rubbish interior, and the all-round crap build quality, it's just not a very good car. I don't mean that it doesn't meet today's standards - that much is obvious - but it was pretty terrible in both concept and execution when it was new.

 

The idea that they could crank out these remaining 300 cars to a decent standard, with a new engine and actually make a profit at $100k is laughable, unless all they're planning on doing is sticking an LSx crate motor in and doing nothing else. Think about it, their entire production run will realise just $30m. By the time they've found somewhere to build it, done some testing to ensure they're legally-compliant and done even the smallest amount of development (getting the electronics sorted, replacing the axle with something that'll take 300+hp, different wheels/brakes, getting the HVAC to work), they'll be burring through that.

 

There's a reason that something like a Singer costs so much - it's essentially hand-made rather than being a production car. And the only real way to get any sort of quality for the DMC-12 is to either 'do a Singer' or to set up low-volume production, which is suicidally expensive if you're doing it for a total, never-to-be-repeated run of just 300.

 

Sadly, I think this is just a pipe-dream. Love to be proved wrong, of course.

 

Then you have to live with people asking the same questions about it constantly.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Come on, look at it!

[Lacquer Peel]

Poor man's Toyota Sera.

[Guest Breadvan72]

The dude who is poorer than the dude who has a Toyota Sera must be right up Shit Street.

[Cleon-Fonte]

I think Lotus were involved in "productionising" the idea, the chassis looks similar to an Esprit's. DeLorean insisted on a rear engine layout because that's what the best* Porsches used, which set the handling back a bit.

 

They were expensive, with a rushed design, and too slow to be a success.

 

The story apparently goes that DeLorean asked Lotus to sort the chassis out. Lotus quickly found they'd have their work cut out and presented DeLorean with the bill, only for him to inform them he had only a small fraction of that kind of money available. Quickly Lotus went away and worked out a cheaper solution, which basically involved chucking on bits of the Espirit parts bin.

 

The engine's where it is because one of DeLorean's requirements was that a bag of golf clubs should fit on the back seat, and he was so uncompromising about this that when he was told a mid-engined layout wouldn't allow for it, he had the engine put somewhere where it would. So, another thing ruined by golf.

 

I always wondered why he didn't put a Rover V8 in it rather than the PRV V6. It's lighter, probably just as compact and likely to have more street cred on the American market. And it was fitted to everything else built by ramshackle companies at the time.

[Formula Autos]

I think Lotus were involved in "productionising" the idea, the chassis looks similar to an Esprit's. DeLorean insisted on a rear engine layout because that's what the best* Porsches used, which set the handling back a bit.

 

They were expensive, with a rushed design, and too slow to be a success.

 

Yep, pretty much what I've heard too in relation to engine positioning. DeLorean thought this was an easy sell to US buyers as the Porsche 911 was a (relatively) good selling and understood sports car in that market.

 

Seems like the marketing side of things had as much, if not more, sway than engineering.

[robinmasters]

 

Very exciting news. In the DeLorean’s particular case, the definition of them as “replicars†is a bit fuzzy, because the DeLorean Motor Company of Texas bought the leftover inventory of parts from the original DeLorean company back in 1997. They say they have enough parts for about 300 cars, which makes me wonder: are these replicas if they’re being built with the same parts as the originals?

 

The first time an American 'sports' car has presented a philosophical difficulty. The shite of Theseus.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

And [the Rover V8] was fitted to everything else built by ramshackle companies at the time.

As a TVR owner I resent that remark.

 

True though, innit.

[Bstardchild]

I like em

 

Owners are great

 

Just like when you get a gathering of Lotus Carltons together the bonnets go up straight away - makes em look broken when actually they are a very reliable car - honest!!!

 

With Deloreans you get the doors up

 

Which means you can either take this shot (which hints)

 

 

or this one (which delivers)

 

 

At least they don't look unreliable with the doors open (ref my previous owner comment)