DeLorean Time Machine – Research before modeling

Hello again, our dears! If you remember, last time we told you a sad story about DMC-12, the legendary DeLorean. This automobile had been designed as a challenge to the dull monotony of automotive design of the 80s and was intended for an elite audience. However, for various reasons, the project was a failure, and talented engineer John Zachary DeLorean, the creator of this extraordinary car, went broke.

As it often happens, the creation of DeLorean obtained recognition a little bit later, and as a result, it didn’t bring direct revenue to its creator. Cinematograph came to the rescue. Thanks to its futuristic design Hollywood director Robert Zemeckis took the car on the role of the Time Machine in his fantastic trilogy «Back to the Future», which was released in 1985. The movie became not just an advertisement for DMC-12, it sang the praises of this automobile.

By the way, this could have never happened, because the writers of the movie couldn’t have decided for a long time how a time machine should have looked. In the first version of the script it was a laser installation in Dr. Brown’s laboratory. There was even a thought of making it out of a refrigerator, but this idea was rejected because of the fear that after watching the movie children might try to check their refrigerators and accidentally close themselves in. Only in the third version of the script the time machine became an automobile.

Because of its unusual appearance, that suited best for time travel, DMC-12 had no competitors during the “casting”. «If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Besides, the stainless steel construction makes the flux dispersal», – says the «creator» of a time machine, Dr. Emmett Brown, in one of the episodes.

Cine version of the car was a little bit different from the original. It was created by one of the best special effects directors in Hollywood Kevin Pike and designer Ron Cobb. It was Pike who invented the famous Dr. Brown’s «flux capacitor», which allowed the heroes of the movie to travel in time.

Of course, the time machine needed something more serious than simple gasoline as a fuel, so DeLorean was equipped with nuclear reactor. According to Doc the machine ran on electricity but needed plutonium to generate 1.21 gigawatts. The designers didn’t think of anything better than to use a Dodge Polaris wheel center cap imitating the car’s nuclear reactor.

After travelling to the future, Doc decided to change this energy-intensive technology. Thus, another power source was installed on the car – Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor, which used garbage as fuel.

Handy, isn’t it? And no problems with gas extraction and oil price increase!

These also was a hover conversion installed, that made it possible to fly on the DeLorean.

During Marty’s and Doc’s first journey thirty years into the future – by the way, in 2015 – they saw a lot of interesting things. Among them hoverboards, self-tying shoelaces and 3D billboards

Well, 2015 has come but all these stuff still remains beyond the reach. We believe there is only one explanation – government conceals these technologies from us.

He knows, for sure.

During the shooting process three DeLorean cars were used. One of them was destroyed when filming the last part of the trilogy; the other two belong to the Universal Film Company and are still being used as one of the attractions of the studio.

The huge success of the film stirred up interest in DMC-12. The automobile has received worldwide fame in a flesh, together with a huge army of fans. 2000 unsold cars remaining on the factory were bought in no time; the price for the model on the secondary market soared.

However, it could no longer save the DeLorean Motor Company. The car maker could never return to the automotive industry. John DeLorean died in 2005 at the age of eighty. According to rumors, he was developing a second DMC model. Also from hearsay, a film company is planning to create a movie about the life of John DeLorean with George Clooney in the lead role.

For a long time after DeLorean Motor Company was shut down the automobile remained the subject of hunting for collectors. DMC-12 appeared in television series, music videos and even in computer games. On the whole, they were doing with DeLorean everything they like except one thing – it wasn’t produced. But then a British businessman and a big fan of the model, Stephen, decided to change the situation.

Stephen Wynne, the follower of John DeLorean

He managed to buy not only the trademark rights, but also all the drawings and specifications of the automobile, as well as the entire stock of unused parts and details from the Irish factory. Stephen took everything to a new headquarters of the DeLorean Motor Company in Texas.

Incredibly, the DeLorean Motor Company exists to this day. It is located in a remote rural area, in the small town of Humble, literally on a country road. Nevertheless, every day many fans of DeLorean and just curious tourists visit the factory.

The original DeLorean Motor Company stopped producing new cars in 1982. It is believed that some 9000 DMC-12 were produced in total, about 6,000 of them exist these days. But you can seldom see them on the road. Many are standing idle in backyards and, believe it or not, in barns. Guys from the modern DMC search for those cars and repair them using original details from the Irish factory. They also assemble «new» automobiles; that means they take them to pieces and then reassemble using new details. Besides, the company sets on the automobiles up-to-date equipment: iPods, Bluetooth, etc. DMC-12 admirers can order there models with black interior or with right-hand drive.

And what is more – good news for DMC-12 fans – the Texas company is going to start the production of new vehicles.

There is also a DeLorean museum opened in Humble, telling the story of the legendary car and its famous creator. Here one can learn a lot of interesting facts and curious things about DeLorean. For example, it is believed that DMC-12 because of its stainless steel body was only available in gray and had gray interior as well. In the museum you get to know that DeLorean had planned to produce colored cars and saloons with a wide variety of colors. There are even original painted parts and details that were left at the Irish factory.

One of the most beautiful stories here is a legend of the golden car. In 1981 DeLorean and American Express developed a joint marketing campaign. For $85,000 DeLorean Motor Company offered a gold-plated DMC-12, provided that it was purchased with American Express Gold Card. It was planned to sell about 100 cars, but eventually only two automobile found their owners. One of them spent some years gathering dust in a bank and after all was given to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The second one resides now in one of the hotels in Las Vegas. Its previous owner was unable to keep it – insurance on the golden car has finished him off (should think so!).

Nowadays the automobile remains popular. All new generations watch «Back to the Future» trilogy and become real fans of DMC-12. For example, Michael Marcondes and Daniel Wagner, who have participated in our recent competition for the most legendary car. They sent us such a great render:

The Arrival of DeLorean by Michael Marcondes and Daniel Wagner

Unfortunately, the work wasn’t chosen to the top three, but our team couldn’t have omitted mentioning it, so we have assigned it with “Humster3D team chose”.

We also decided to keep up and created a 3D model of the DeLorean time machine. We hope you’ll appreciate it.

Enjoy automobiles, enjoy our models and… Have a nice render!

See ready time machine 3D model