theRealFury said:
Since i was a kid and watched the back to the future series i have been fond of the Delorean, i would love to Electrify that car! im sure i could get it to 88MPH easier as well. What do you say Doc?
Back to the future: DeLorean Motor Company unveils surprise electric model
Posted: Monday, October 17, 2011 6:01 pm | Updated: 6:22 pm, Mon Oct 17, 2011.
By STEFANIE THOMAS | 0 comments
The Electric DeLorean: 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds; maximum speed 125 mph; horsepower 260 hp; range: 100+ miles city driving; battery life: 100,000 miles or seven years; cost: $90,000-$100,000
It was a revelation unlike any other in the history of the DeLorean Motor Company last Friday evening, when the company stunned the crowd by unexpectedly presenting a prototype that will catapult the iconic DeLorean cars into the future: the Electric DeLorean.
“What we [showed] tonight is major leaps forward,” said Stephen Wynne, owner of DMC. “We have had a few incremental updates over time, but as far as substantial updates go, it’s been 30 years.”
Wynne said the company worked on the design for the Electric DeLorean, which boasts a maximum speed of 125 mph and 260 hp, for about four years. DMC plans on bringing the car to market in 2013, at a retail price of $90,000 to $100,000. Meanwhile, DMC intends to further developing prototypes combining the existing DeLorean automobile with the Epic EV electric powertrain.
The Oct. 14 unveiling came as a surprise to the guests at the International DeLorean Owners Event at the company’s Humble headquarters.
“We’ve been talking about it for some time but we have stopped giving people completion dates because things weren’t going to plan,” Wynne said. “So we quieted down on what we’re doing.”
The introduction of the Electric DeLorean was not the only bombshell the company dropped on its visitors Friday evening as DMC also showed off with a super-charge DeLorean that features an improved engine and 260 hp, nearly doubling the horsepower of the stock model. Also introduced was a new underbody made of more lightweight yet sturdy materials, manufactured with the original tooling used in the making of the original DeLoreans decades ago.
Despite the numerous changes and improvements DMC presented, the basic exterior look of the DeLorean remains the same. The sport car’s easily recognizable gull-wing doors and rear-mounted engine are still in place.
“A lot of people consider the styling of the DeLorean timeless,” said Toby Peterson, who operates a DMC franchise in Seattle, Wa. and has personally owned a DeLorean for 20 years. “It was state of the art 30 years ago, and it looks state of the art now. It’s a style that has transcended the decades.”
Since the first DeLorean automobiles rolled off the production line in Northern Ireland in 1981, the car has acquired a cult following worldwide. Much of the DeLorean’s fame can be attributed to the “Back to the Future” movie trilogy, which featured a DeLorean time machine and enhanced the car’s futuristic image. Peterson says the DeLorean has also become a nostalgic symbol of the 80s.
“There are a lot of people who grew up and watched the series of ‘Back to the Future’ movies over and over again. I think a lot of people like DeLoreans because it takes them back to a simpler time when we weren’t connected to a smart phone on our hip and had stuff thrown at us 24/7,” he said. “My DeLorean brings a lot of enjoyment not only to me, but also to other people. It puts smiles on people’s faces anytime they see it because it reminds them of simpler times.”
Leif Montin has worked around DeLoreans for more than 30 years. He went to work for the original DMC in Northern Ireland in 1979 as a parts manager, and sat by sadly as John DeLorean ran the company into the ground by 1983, within only a few short years.
“It was a tragedy when they folded, and it wasn’t necessary,” Montin said. “John DeLorean made some disastrous decisions that made the company fail. Fortunately, Stephen Wynne picked it up and did a marvelous job.”
Montin was still responsible for the DMC’s auto parts when the company went bankrupt. He closed the plant in Ireland, he said, shipped the parts to Ohio and later, when Wynne purchased the inventory, arranged for their transport to Humble. Today, the DeLorean Motor Company in Humble, established in 1995, still has the largest inventory of original DeLorean parts in the world.
“With all the parts we have, we can rebuild the cars from scratch,” said Montin, who is officially retired but finds it difficult to stay away from his lifelong passion. “In the last couple of years we started building new cars from the original parts, and so far we have built [41] of them to order. We build better cars from scratch than what came from the factory back then.”
In addition to assembling cars to order, featuring parts or designs from the original DeLorean automobile combined with modern engine and suspension technology, DMC also services, restores and sells DeLorean automobiles, parts, accessories and merchandise to customers around the world.
“It’s amazing, really — a 30-year-old car that’s as popular today as it was then,” Montin said, “Thanks to the job they do here, the DeLorean will live forever.”
For full specs on the Electric DeLorean, please view this article at http://www.yourhumblenews.com.
For more information on the DeLorean Motor Company, visit http://www.delorean.com.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/rive...cle_af8f0a61-4f1c-53ab-85a5-edad27885571.html
... but a wonderful car to drive.
