Classic Cars Codexery

The DeLorean

A short-lived sports car made iconic by film.

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It was the only car brought to market by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company.[1] John DeLorean's company, DeLorean Motor Company (DMC), produced the DMC DeLorean, a rear-engine, two-seat sports car, for the American market between 1981 and 1983; it was the only car the company ever brought to market.[1]

How it changed

Total production is estimated at 8,975 cars across the 1981, 1982, and 1983 model years.[2] Chief engineer Bill Collins completed the first prototype, called the DSV-1 (DeLorean Safety Vehicle), in October 1976.[3] Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign created the DeLorean's body design, taking inspiration from his earlier 1970 Porsche Tapiro concept car.[4][5] A 2849 cc single overhead camshaft V6 engine, known as the PRV, powers the DeLorean; for the US market, its output was reduced to 130 hp at 5,500 rpm.[6]

Manufacturing commenced in December 1980, and the first completed production vehicle was officially presented on January 21, 1981.[7] In February 1982, the DeLorean Motor Company entered receivership, and it filed for bankruptcy on October 26 of that same year.[8]

What the maker and period sources say

The same article noted that the stainless steel skins weighed less than 100 pounds on the outside of the car.[9] A TopSpeed article described the DeLorean's overall length as 166 inches and its overall height as 45 inches with doors closed.[10] The same TopSpeed article stated that the DeLorean's top speed was 110 mph.[10] Stephen Wynne, CEO of the revived DeLorean Motor Company, described the DeLorean as "the Tesla of its day" in a CNN article.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Seventeenth Board Meeting of De Lorean Motor Cars Limited", DeLorean Museum, October 30, 1979, p. 2; Lander, "Managing Director's Report No.35", DeLorean Museum, April 22, 1981, p. 2; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; DMC DeLorean: The troubled past of the car that went back to the future . www.cnn.com. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Prisco, "Giorgetto Giugiaro, the 20th century's most influential car designer", CNN Style, August 23, 2019; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Prisco, "Giorgetto Giugiaro, the 20th century's most influential car designer", CNN Style, August 23, 2019. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
  6. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Chilton, Chris. "Back To 1985? This 569-Mile DeLorean Will Take You Back to '81". CarScoops.com, 21 July 2022. Retrieved Dec 10, 2023.; Lopez, "1981 DMC DeLorean", TopSpeed, 2 April 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Autos | Western Reserve Historical Society", June 8, 2015; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "DMC DeLorean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cummings, "DeLorean Motor Files Bankruptcy", The New York Times, October 26, 1982; "DeLorean, automobile executive, arrested in drug smuggling case", The New York Times, October 20, 1982; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Back in '77, we were amazed by the DeLorean prototype", Road & Track, December 11, 2014. facts only, no text reused. roadandtrack.com
  10. Lopez, "1981 DMC DeLorean", TopSpeed, 2 April 2019. facts only, no text reused. topspeed.com
  11. DMC DeLorean: The troubled past of the car that went back to the future . www.cnn.com.. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article DMC DeLorean (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Test yourself on TriviaCafe: Who designed "The DeLorean": Giorgetto Giugiaro, Sir Alec Issigonis, Yoshihiko Matsuo or Carrozzeria Touring… · More technology trivia

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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