One of the most commonly criticized aspects of the DeLorean was the fact that for a sports car, it lacked performance. That may not be an issue with this particular example, as a dealer-fitted turbocharger installation holds the promise of some much-needed performance improvements. If the lack of performance is the thing that has held you back, then perhaps this is the DeLorean that you’ve been looking for. It is located in Lowville, New York, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has now reached $19,600 in a No Reserve auction. The DeLorean has certainly sparked some interest since being listed for sale because there are currently 153 watching the listing.

With a brushed stainless steel body, visible rust is never going to be an issue with a DeLorean. The rust that you have to worry about is under the vehicle, and the owner provides a number of clear photos of the floors and frame. The frame of this particular DeLorean does exhibit some surface corrosion, and it looks like the original epoxy coating is starting to really peel away. I’d be inclined to address this pretty quickly before the frame has a chance to deteriorate badly. The finish of the stainless steel exterior is looking a bit patchy, but this might respond okay to a good clean. As is pretty normal with a DeLorean, the urethane front and rear sections have discolored quite noticeably. This could quite easily be addressed, but it is also worth remembering that the color match between these sections and the stainless steel were never that great, even when the cars were new.

With a 2,849cc V6 engine producing 130hp trying to push along a vehicle weighing 2,743lbs, the performance of the DeLorean is, at best, quite disappointing. While it could wind out to an ultimate top speed of 130mph, it was a car that was in no real hurry to get there. With a 0-60mph time of 9.6 seconds and a ¼ mile time of 17.2 seconds, the standard DeLorean was really up against it. It’s worth remembering that these are the times set by a car equipped with the 5-speed manual transaxle. The automatic version was painfully slow. This particular vehicle is fitted with the 5-speed transaxle, and it’s also fitted with something of a performance upgrade. The engine is now turbocharged, although it does look like it is a single unit. This is halfway towards what was in the pipeline for the DeLorean when the whole company turned up its toes. A prototype fitted with a twin-turbocharged V6 had been built, and it was said to be showing some real promise. It isn’t clear what sort of power increase this installation has provided, but the owner does say that the car runs and drives really well. As an aside, the badges that have been fitted to both front fenders which announce the car’s forced-induction status look suspiciously like they may have previously called the flanks of a Saab home.

The interior of the DeLorean generally presents quite well and has aged better than some examples that we’ve seen. There are no pressing presentation or upholstery issues that will need to be addressed, and the only non-original item that I can spot is what I believe to be a boost gauge just to the right of the steering column. With a DeLorean, you received a reasonable level of standard equipment, including power windows, air conditioning, an AM/FM radio/cassette player, a tilt and reach wheel, power exterior mirrors, and a rear defogger.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the DeLorean, but this is one that I wouldn’t mind having a drive of. That turbo installation promises to release some additional horsepower, and it would be interesting to see just what sort of difference this would make to the driving experience. The car wasn’t a success when it was new, but perhaps this car will give someone an idea of just how good it really could have been.