The rumor that the renowned DeLorean DMC-12 will return to the market has finally been confirmed. The official website released a new preview today and announced that an electric sports car version DMC-12 will be officially released in 2022, taking car fans back to the future.
Taiwanese people may not have heard of the DeLorean DMC-12 but you must have seen it. In the "Back to the Future" movie series, the time machine built by the Doctor is based on this unique generation of extraordinary cars. Now this car is no longer relegated to memory and is ready to reveal itself once more in the future.
DeLorean announced today that it will launch a pure electric sports car in 2022, building a new luxury DeLorean EVolved model based on the DMC-12.
Compared to the car's classic reputation, DeLorean was actually quite short-lived. Founded in 1975, it went bankrupt in 1982. Their only product was the DMC-12 with gull-wing doors and a stainless-steel body. Before the "Back to the Future" movie premiered, the company was already bankrupt but it became famous because of the movie and, since production had been discontinued, this car is a rare treasure.
Even after nearly 40 years of suspended production, there are still many enthusiasts and repair shops that have invested in the maintenance and modification of this car. Although total production volume was less than 10,000, it is estimated that there may be more than 5,000 DMC-12s still in use on the market. On the used market, a DMC-12 in good condition, unmodified, still fetches upwards of $20,000, almost the same as when it hit the market in 1982.
Due to the demand for this car and its large number of fans, British engineer Stephen Wynne bought the company name and DeLorean brand in 1995, hoping to restart production but many factors such as engine availability and regulatory updates have delayed plans to reenter the market.
It was first reported last year that DeLorean would launch an electric car to pay tribute to the DMC-12. This caused a lot of discussion and now it has finally been officially confirmed.
Electrifying rebirth, classic futurism returns
Electrification not only solves the problem of power and regulations but also solves the original DMC-12’s insufficient horsepower and poor acceleration issues. DMC-12 was a relatively high-priced car, selling for more than $25,000 40 years ago. However, this “sports car’s” heavy stainless steel body required more than 10 seconds to accelerate from zero to sixty, which obviously did not meet expectations.
Another piece of good news is that the new DeLorean Evolved model will be built in collaboration with the Italdesign design team. Italdesign founder Giorgetto Giugiaro was the designer responsible for the original DMC-12 body. Therefore, the design of the electric version of DMC will definitely be loyal to the original aesthetic and retain all the classic elements.
Looking at the electrification of the DMC-12 today is meaningful because, Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla who led the wave of electric vehicles, is obviously a true Back to the Future fan. This can be seen in the Model X’s gull-wing doors and the Cybertruck’s body. At the Cybertruck press conference three years ago, a DMC-12 was also placed onsite as a tribute.
The are no details pertaining to the DeLorean Evolved at this time but we can expect that the car will definitely be expensive and performance will not be stellar but, in any case, zero to sixty will definitely be a lot faster than the original's 10.5 seconds.
（Image：DeLorean Motor）