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DeLoreans To Go Back To Production (cnn.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The last time a DeLorean was built was about 35 years ago, but that is all about to change. Next year, you'll be able to buy a new 2017 DeLorean to satisfy all your deepest Back to the Future dreams. CNN reports: "The new production plan is itself something of a time warp. The cars will be built from an inventory of a million spare parts that have been in storage ever since the Belfast plant closed. Only the engine will be a creature of the 21st century."
"Great Scot!"
I'm not buying one unless it's powered by a Mr Fusion.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
The Studebaker Avanti? Or is it already being produced?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Not much plastic in a Delorean - the body of the car is sheet metal, unlike a lot of modern cars.
I don't read AC A human right
You don't have to worry about mileage because as soon as you drive one you'll understand why DMC went out of business.
One of the common mods is to replace the 4 cylinder with the 6 cylinder that DMC had wanted as an option for the car.
I don't read AC A human right
Clearly you failed to actually read the article:
Normally it would be impossible to make DeLoreans under current federal safety rules, according to Espey. But new regulations are going into effect later this year that will allow the production of replica cars without requiring them to meet safety guidelines involving air bags and crash tests.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
You could already get a good used one for $15,000-$30,000... http://www.hemmings.com/classi...
You don't have to worry about mileage because as soon as you drive one you'll understand why DMC went out of business. Also the added derp from all the people saying "OMG BACK TO THE FUTURE CAR" will wear off and you'll want to keep it locked away in your garage.
Trust me as someone who drove the the "Urkel Mobile" (BMW Isetta) for a few weeks.
Except that for a DeLorean, "good" is incredibly relative. The car's engine was an engineering disaster, and if one still runs it's on *very* borrowed time. There are a million kluges in the way they're built...for example, there was a problem where the throttle would stick in cold weather. It turned out that there was an issue with condensation forming, which would then run down into the throttle cable assembly...and freeze. Their solution? Put an l-shaped bracket above the assembly to make the water miss and land somewhere else.
In another example of how at-risk the engines are, an episode of "Comedians Getting Coffee" with Jerry Seinfeld and Patton Oswalt began...began...in a DeLorean. I say "began" because they didn't make it half a mile before the engine suffered a catastrophic failure, resulting in all kinds of fluids running freely and horrible sounds coming from inside. Chest-burster kind of engine failure.
And when you consider that a Mazda Miata genuinely has more horsepower than these cars ever had, the concept of having the look of a DeLorean, the body of a DeLorean, but NOT the original engine they came with...well, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I can see why they're giving it a shot, and it doesn't surprise me that the demand has been pretty high so far.
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The engine and transmission were underwhelming in the original, and modern engines with significantly higher power, and lower weight, are ubiquitous. If it had decent engineering -- as in, if they are using a modern differential and wheel bearings -- the stainless steel body could make for a car that lasts for decades. However, man, the dash design was seriously dated and would need a ton of updating to look even modern, much less futuristic.
In other words, I'm dubious about the commercial viability of that car's design with only a new engine. A new engine, drivetrain, interior, and electronics, would make an interesting car... but that's not quite the same as "only the engine [will be changed]".
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
And when you consider that a Mazda Miata genuinely has more horsepower than these cars ever had, the concept of having the look of a DeLorean, the body of a DeLorean, but NOT the original engine they came with...well, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
They also handle like dogshit by the standards of the day, let alone modern standards. Absolutely the only reason to buy one is if you saw BTTF too many times.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
In what timeline would anyone pay that much?
-- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
and on top of that
The original DeLorean engines only have 130 horsepower, while the new V6's will have between 350 to 400 horsepower
400 horsepower and they don't need to meet modern safety regulations... What could possibly go wrong?
they talked about a few years ago?
Delorean, snort started and would follow a white line anywhere.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
It was widely reported at the time that the government (who were very unhappy) had the body dies destroyed. None of the articles mention how they will build new cars after the legacy stock of body parts is depleted.
But there's evidence that they're at the bottom of Ards Bay, Connemara, being used as fish net anchors.
http://www.dmcnews.com/Resourc...
Kriston
It'd be no different than all those AC Cobras they sold way back when.
The cesspool just got a check and balance.
Doubtful, I've accidentally done a bit of research on the DeLorian a few late nights on the internet, and from all accounts, the molds for making the body panels and interior were dumped into the ocean back when DMC shut down, to 'protect trade secrets', which is why they use the warehoused parts, and why they cost so damn much.
I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
Horrid car. If it hadn't been picked randomly to be the centrepiece of a cultish film, no-one would remember them now except possibly as the reason for an infamous downfall. And being part of a cultish film might be a good enough reason to want to own an original one as a conversation piece, but who in their right minds would want to own a new one, to be used as an actual car?
Except I would actually want the Cobra.
Due to a change in the law, not due to the addition of otherwise required safety features...
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Jaguar v12 - usually replaced with a north american v8.
The big problem with that motor isn't the motor, it's all the stuff around it. The reliability went way up on the XJ12 for its last year of production, after it had been purchased by Ford. That's the only one you want. If I had an older one I'd want to throw away all the electrics and replace them completely. I'm starting to think that might be a good idea even in my Mercedes, which luckily has only a few wires going to the engine to monitor it and to run the glow system. The really fun stuff is everywhere else.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
They're talking about putting in an engine w/ 300-400 hp, which doesn't sound like a huge number, but the original car weighed 2700 lb. If they're close to that weight with a decent transmission it will be damn fast.
I can see a few problems though. The original frame/engine mount only had to deal w/ 130 hp, so probably some modifications needed there. The weight distribution was 35/65 front/rear. With a presumably heavier engine/transmission and anything else needed back there that ratio could get problematic.
... also, I can kill you with my brain.
The interior trim is sort of fake leather effect vinyl. The front of the seats is actual leather. The fake leather stuff has hard foam sprayed onto the back of it to keep its shape. There's very little hard molded plastic as such in there. Around the steering wheel where the ignition barrel goes is moulded plastic. I cant think of anywhere else in the interior that isnt more upholstered than moulded. The knobs and switches are all plastic. The dash is a sheet of metal set into the fibreglass underbody with one of these foam back fake leather panels bolted on to it.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Of course it was! Its unreliability was a plot point!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
They already do.
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
The more you drive them, the more reliable they become because you get forced to replace or service things as they start to fail. After a while the failiure rate drops off and the car gets pretty reliable. They do have a lot of quality control and design issues but you find yourself rectifying them as you go. It's a very good "hobbyist" car as you end up learning how every part of it works and every part of it seems to have been the product of some unorthodox design decision so it's quite interesting. I drove mine on a 200 mile road trip recently and was astonished and gratified to find that it just worked all the way there and back. I imagine these new ones come with all the uprated replacement parts that most old deloreans gradully get refitted with. 100k is crazy money though. I paid 7k for my project car ten years ago and now theyre going for 30k plus. I wouldnt pay that for one.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Dumped in the ocean? Quick! Get David Cameron on the phone!
Practically every current car has more horsepower than a DeLorean. My 2009 Scion xB has 158 hp, and that car only cost me $16k brand new. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything less. Hell, the Nissan Versa (cheapest current car in US market) has 109 hp, which is pretty darn close to 130. At the time, however, 130 hp was sort-of OK but still kind of shitty but it wasn't that shitty. There were new cars with less than half that power in the mid-80s.
Having said all that, I'd still like to get one of those new DeLoreans. I've always loved the look, ever since I was a little kid, and with the new engine and electrical (they certainly have to put a modern electrical system in to use the new engine), it'd be a great car. The price puts it well out of my league, but if $100k was in my league, I'd seriously consider it.
my Mk.II Burner has a 30 year old Skyway mag on the front. I still ride it.
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
Except I would actually want the Cobra.
Except you can actually get a kit car that's even better than the real Cobra, because it has numerous refinements and you can get the same output out of a lighter engine today.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
You have to replace these parts anyway when building an engine. Because US emissions were specifically designed to choke small cars, the US versions only made 130 HP, but the euro ones made close to 200. I've had a few PRVs apart, it's actually a good basic design -- free flowing heads, hemi comb chambers, decent bottom end. All they need is to use the euro cam, and modern high comp pistons and exhaust. The euro ones never had an issue with power, just use euro spec bits and you're good
Oh, and the replicas are much, MUCH cheaper too.
You can buy a fully completed one that will beat the pants off almost any modern sports car for ~50K. Granted it has no roof and only seats two ... but to some that's a feature not a problem :)
I've toyed with the idea of getting a Factory 5 kit for a few years now. The lack of garage/build space in brooklyn makes it a bit less practical though.
You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
OK, hold the bizarre anti-Euro conspiracies. While European countries were continuing to use leaded gas, the US switched to unleaded and implemented catalytic converters and EGR. It took some time for US automotive engineers to work this out (ultimately, computer control was the solution) so all cars sold in the US between about 1975 and 1990 were pretty well choked off to a degree. Engine computers were not sophisticated, so the only way to avoid knocks without cheap hi-test was to lower the compression. The same thing happened when you put controls on a foreign engine that hadn't been designed for it. GM had a 2.8L V6 that also got only 130 HP. They had a 5.0L V8 that got only 165 HP too. Premium unleaded cost 50% more than 87 octane and you couldn't put compression past about 8.5:1 without using it. You're looking at it through the rose-colored glasses of 21st century technology. Today we can run 9.5:1 on 87 octane without a significant performance drop-- and the computer retards the timing if needed, rather than damaging the engine. Incidentally, those mods you mention require rechipping that computer!
NOx is bad stuff, mmkay? It was definitely worth mitigating acid rain.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
I know a little about mold making, and making a new mold from existing parts is *possible* but probably not cost effective for them at this time. When making new masters from existing parts, there is a LOT of weird things you have to deal with. For example, if a part has to be bent to a 45 degree angle around a 1inch curve, your master mold is going to have to have special tolerances built in to compensate for the spring and stretch in the material you are making the part out of. (basically, you have to bend it some amount past its final position, and once the clamping force is released, it springs back to its final state) So you cant just take a finished part and make a negative of it and use that negative as a mold, the new parts made would not quite match the originals. Mold making for stamp formed parts is quite the art and science.
I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.