This rear engine 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 is reported to have traveled only 12,900 miles since new. It is located in Riverbank, California, and appears to be a rust-free, well-maintained car. There are two days remaining in the auction here on eBay. The bidding has reached $43,300 and the seller states they are looking for north of $70,000. The number of pictures online is limited and the seller states that they are having trouble uploading the low-resolution pictures required by eBay for the listing. The few pictures that are in the listing look like a low-mileage, original car.
The interior indicates that the car is equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission. With all the soft parts and plastic, you would expect there to be some fading and some parts that need to be replaced. However, the one picture of the interior indicates that the car was probably stored for a long time. While that saves the condition of the car, mechanically that can cause problems if the car is not prepped for storage. The seller says that everything works, even the air conditioning.
Above is a picture of the undercarriage of the car. DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) built all their cars with a 2.85 liter SOHC V6 engine that produced 130 horsepower and 153 lb-ft of torque. The engines were produced by Peugeot-Renault-Volvo and sold to DMC. Most reviews of the car agreed that the DeLorean was underpowered from the factory and a stock engine is not too exhilarating to drive today. One saving grace is that this DeLorean is a 5-speed which is more fun than an automatic. With John DeLorean’s background and experience at Pontiac, it is hard to believe that he would produce a car with such an unexciting drivetrain. The fact that it had only 130 horsepower and the problematic manufacturing quality helped in its demise after only a couple of years.
All DMC DeLoreans came paneled in SS304 austenitic stainless steel from the factory except for three gold-plated cars. It is probably exceedingly expensive to have the body panels repaired or replaced in today’s world. The seller states that Michael J. Fox drove this car and it has an amazing stereo. I don’t know if that is enough to get it to the seller’s expectation but the car is listed at no reserve so it should sell in the next two days.
The PRV V-6 wasn’t Delorean’s first choice, or even second, just a case of having to make do with what was readily available and feasible to implement as a last-ditch option to get production underway at all with dwindling funds or give up on the entire project.
Original plans were for a mid-engine Wankel rotary powertrain; at least one has been retrofitted with a 2.0L 3-rotor from a Mazda Eunos Cosmo, albeit still in rear-engine configuration mated to a Porsche 911 transaxle as the production Delorean backbone chassis can’t be easily adapted to mid-engine mounting.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, and watching my cars literally rust out from under me, I thought that a stainless steel car would be the greatest thing ever. Then the “Back to the Future” movies came out and ruined the whole thing. Who wants to drive something where every idiot in town is asking about your “flux capacitor” and how it handles at “88 miles an hour”?
Johnny Carson owned one. He had invested $500k in DeLorean’s company and was driving his DMC-12 when he was arrested for DUI in 1982 (he blew a .16 on the breath test). That car sold last year for $115k including the buyer’s premium.
Generally, these are not good cars. So many defects when shipped from the Irish factory. A receiving location set up in Southern California had to go over each car shipped in and repair or correct manufacturing problems on most of the cars received . The car is also hard to enter and exit , just like the Mercedes Gull Wing coupes .
You’re not wrong… show me a car manufacturer though who started up and produced a defect-free car immediately. Had Delorean been able to stick around, I imagine they would have resolved those issues. And as they gained more capital, I imagine they would have offered some more powerful engine choices. Gotta look at them through the lense of the times in which they were produced.
What… No Patina?
why would a stainless steel body have rust AMEN
I almost bought one of the “left overs” when the company went out of business. We just couldn’t agree on a price. I would love to drive one just once. This is one of the finest examples that I have seen in many years.
I test drove one, as a used car, and wasn’t impressed at all with the mechanics of it, but it did get a lot of looks in the grocery store parking lot with the doors raised. I ended up buying a 5.0 Mercury Capri, off the showroom floor.
$56,100 now, and looks like the reserve has been met.
We were buying these at the auctions in 86 and 87 paying 7 to 8 thousand, putting them on the used car lot (chev dealer in so calif) selling for 11 to 14 K, , car was (is) a real slug, windowa that don’t go down, a Renault motor a real pipe dream exotic car
Sold $64,250!!!! Wow!!!!