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101 Cars: De Lorean DMC-12
Written by: SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com   
06/28/2008 - 07:16 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina
 
The DeLorean DMC-12 was instantly recognized as a little-understood monument to one man's ego. (Photo: www.tech.plym.ac.uk) ยป More Photos

The history of the DeLorean DMC-12 is unfortunately as much about John DeLorean, ego, intrique, poor management, and scandal - most famously a drug and money laundering trial - as it is about the car. DeLorean was the youngest veep in GM history. Under his charge as general manager of Pontiac the GTO, Firebird, and "Widetrack" were created. But he thought he could build cars better than GM. With a loan from the British government, he built a factory in Northern Ireland to make a unique sports car with Giugiaro-styled stainless-steel body panels, gullwing doors, and a rear mounted engine, oritinally to be rotary but later switched to a too-heavy PRV V-6. Lotus founder Colin Chapman was brought in to help make the car handle properly. Although late to the market, the cars initially sold quickly - 3,500 in the first siz months - yet, when sales collapsed, DeLorean demanded production continue apace. The company fell apart financially, with scandal and trial to follow. In the end, the car was underpowered and tail-heavy, now more a monument to hubris than a true automotive classic. A pity. It could have been more.

Specifications
Engine: 2,850-cc SOHC V-6 (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo)
Horsepower: 130
0–60 mph: 10.0 seconds
Top Speed: 109 miles per hour
Price New: $25,000
Value Now: $13,000-$22,000
DeLorean DMC 12 Photos



Claim to Fame

Instantly recognized, a little-understood monument to one man's ego


Soundtrack

"My Way" by Frank Sinatra; in this film, Inspector Clouseau drives one dubbed the The Silver Hornet.


Perfect Passenger

Christopher Brown, as Dr. Emmet Brown, in Back to the Future


Behind the Wheel
Contact the DeLorean Owners Association (founded 1983)


Did You Know?
Two gold-plated DeLoreans were made at a cost of about $125,000 each. They sold for $85,000. John DeLorean had wanted to build 100.


The Perfect Drive
Tour the Emerald Isle



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