Posted on 01/27/2016 7:32:46 PM PST by Utilizer
DeLorean Motor Company CEO Stephen Wynne recently told KPRC in Houston that the iconic car made famous by the 1985 classic sci-fi film "Back to the Future" will go back into production for the first time in more than three decades.
About 300 replica 1982 DeLoreans will be produced under a manufacturing bill approved by the federal government.
"It's fantastic," Wynne told the TV station. "It's a game-changer for us. We've been wanting this to happen. ... It means we're back as a car company again."
Since the company moved to Humble, Texas, in 1987, it has been refurbishing dozens of DeLoreans shipped from around the world. The new DeLoreans will be the first manufactured on American soil.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Never mind the anemic engine, the fit/finish was just awful, and it wasn’t an inexpensive car. If they really have “a million parts in a warehouse”, I wonder what 30+ years did to questionable-when-new, low-grade plastic.
The only things the car had that were decent were the shape and the stainless. And, of course, the time-machine option...
Maybe they will put an engine in it that makes some hp! That thing that was in it was a gutless wonder, just awful.
El Chapo must have been doing some investing while he was on the run.
Given that it was stainless, how was body panel repaired when you can’t paint over the bondo?
Lots of dolly hammering and panel replacement?
“...DeLoreans will be produced under a manufacturing bill approved by the federal government.”
Why do the Feds need to approve the manufacture of 300 DeLoreans?
Because Teddy Rosevelt went on TV in 1929 and approved the original. - Joe Biden
Probably to get an exception on safety and emission standards.
Doubtful that the original design can jump through all the new federal hoops.
That’s why they only produced restored deloreans using original chassis until now. Building a new car with new chassis and VIN is a whole other ballgame
So fun to drive!
Nimble like a VW Rabbit diesel with a few bags of sand in the back, except neither fuel efficient nor reliable.
...But fun to struggle to get into and despite the ridiculous cargo capacity lousy visibility and lousy layout oh that Renault je ne sais quoi!
Watching Barrett-Jackson and an ‘81 model just came across the block and sold for $58,000.
“Given that it was stainless, how was body panel repaired when you can’t paint over the bondo?”
Answer: New sheetmetal. At least with stainless, theoretically you could hammer a small dent back into shape although stainless might be more brittle than ordinary sheetmetal. With the brushed finish of the DeLorean, I suspect that there was a specific wire/fiber brush used to create that finish.
Now with aluminum body panels, things get worse: aluminum will stretch, not really crease or dent. So, you can’t really bang aluminum back into shape, it has to be “shrunk”. Only incredibly skilled and patient (= VERY expensive) craftsmen can do this. Generally, new sheetmetal is cheaper, and generally, it’s WAY more expensive than steel sheetmetal. For example, the (rather small) hood for my 1980’s Mercedes is well over 4K list.
The “new” car will have a modern engine. And I don’t think it has to pass very rigorous crash tests because there is a new federal law that will permit very low volume “kit” manufacturers to avoid the most expensive tests and requirements. This is the most pro-business, pro-automobile law I’ve seen in this entire miserable century.
Pollution requirements stay, but this is not as big of a deal as it seems, because you can get crate drivetrains from GM and Ford with computer controls that are incredibly clean (and powerful if you want), just drop in the drivetrain and go - if you have the money.
Because they will be on roads with the rest of us. You can actually manufacture your own car, but you cant sell them to the public unless they pass emissions and crash test. Or you pay some NHTSA guys.
“About 300 replica 1982 DeLoreans will be produced under a manufacturing bill approved by the federal government. “
Why does Delorean need permission? Special bill?
No, that wasn't fun. Getting out was fun, because it meant I would soon stop feeling that I was trapped in a very confining high-tech coffin.
I live just down the street from DMC in Garden Grove. I made a knock sensor ignition for the “Two Dons” that ran the place. That was 1995-ish. J&S Electronics.
The stainless was good?? Have you ever seen one that got a dent in it? What do you do? Cant fix it and paint it like a regular car.
The stainless in my estimation was the worst mistake on the car.
Nope, they get an exemption.
http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/small-volume-carmakers-get-big-break-motor-vehicle-safety-act
Most likely they just got cleared to produce based on that law.
The wheels of Big Brother turn slowly unless you owe them money...
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