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DeLorean to Come Back (Sorta)
Alcibaides writes "DeLorean Motor Company, a suburban Houston company that rebuilds DeLoreans, is laying plans to bring the car back into limited production. The last DeLorean rolled off the assembly line in Northern Ireland in 1982. But like Duran Duran, the Rubik's Cube and other Reagan-era icons, the car retains a following. Of the 9,000 built in 1981 and 1982, about 6,500 are still on the road, according to James Espey, vice president of DeLorean Motor."
Don't forget the DeLorean Car Show next summer. I'm not a DeLorean owner (or even a fan, really), but I think it'll be fun to see so many DeLoreans gathered in one place.
you mean, flux capacitor, right?
I think the last half dozen or so that were produced were factory painted. If you saw one of those, then you saw something truly rare. If it was an aftermarket thing, too bad. keytohwy
They do quite well for themselves. Not really news though.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
Must have been a German. (Local translation of it is Fluxkompensator. IMO they could have just picked Fluxkondensator (=capacitor), sounds the same... argh.)
Being someone that drives a collector DMC-12 a few times a month, I have to pipe in and state that it actually doesn't handle quite as bad as most people are led to believe. It's nothing stellar, but for 1981 it's not half bad. Better than average, actually.
The engine is underpowered for the car, but it is a nice driver.
Remember that the car started out lower and meaner--with better handling. Last minute changes due to federal crash regulations at the time changed the ride height and thus the handling characteristics.
-brain
I'm pretty sure they didn't have any engine under the hood...
(Rear engine, folks.)
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
"The prefix giga- is from the Greek gigas, meaning "giant." In English, it's a scientific prefix meaning "billion." And its pronunciation is acceptable beginning with either a G sound or a J sound. Check a nice, thick dictionary if you don't believe me. In fact, many individuals who have worked with computers and electronics for the last several decades will confirm that they used to pronounce gigabyte as "jigabyte." A few still do." http://www.bigwaste.com/bttf/twin_pines_mall.shtml Towards the end of the page.
If Mr. Fusion could provide drive power to the car, BTTF III would have been a mighty short movie.
When Marty goes back to 1885 he's got Mr. Fusion, but they can't return to 1985 right away because he ripped a fuel line when he arrived-- so all the gasoline leaks out of the car and there's no way to replace it in 1885 Hill Valley.
Hence the whole 'stealing the train' bit.
~Philly
On a mid- or rear-engine car the hood is in back, and the trunk is in front. The engine is still under the hood, it's just that the hood isn't where you're used to it being.
Actually when they rebuild it, they replace the crap gearbox and the driveshaft (which is prone to snap because the torque is all wrong). I grew up 4 blocks from this place, housed in a small warehouse business park. We'd ride our bikes there on saturdays to find at least four parked outside on a good day. These guys are totally for real and fully intend to keep DeLoreans running as long as people are willing to pay them to do so.
It's a heavy car but lots of guys are swapping in the 3800SC engine out of the bonnevilles and Grand AM GTP's and making the delorean into the car it was supposed to be. Even though they are heavy when you dump in 260hp stock you get quite a kick in the pants on that car.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
My next-door neighbor's pal had one of these cars, roughly 20 years ago. I was too young to drive but I did get to see it up close.
The OUTSIDE of the car looked awesome.
The inside of the car looked rather like it was home-made. Instead of the contoured flush-fitting panels that even cheap cars had back then, it was all square-cut panels. Granted they were covered in fair-quality leather, but the interior did look rather clunky.
And as others have mentioned, the US version had a lower-end engine. The guy told me that it would only go about 120 mph tops, which was surprising because (for what they cost new) I'd thought they were much faster than that.
~