Latest news with #JohnDeLorean
Sunday World
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Sunday World
DeLorean owner says fascination with famous car remains as figures reveal only 303 left on UK roads
The cars – immortalised by the Back To The Future film franchise four decades ago – are known for their gullwing doors and unpainted stainless steel bodywork and have become a collector's item. Robert Lamrock beside a DMC12 on the first floor of Selfridge's in London. A Northern Irish owner of the famous DeLorean car has said the public's love of the iconic vehicle still continues, despite new figures showing just over 300 remain on UK roads. The cars – immortalised by the Back To The Future film franchise four decades ago – are known for their gullwing doors and unpainted stainless steel bodywork and have become a collector's item. Around 9,000 DeLorean DMC-12s rolled off the DeLorean Motor Company assembly line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, in 1981. The company collapsed into insolvency the following year. John DeLorean was then charged with drug trafficking in October 1982, but a jury found him not guilty in 1984, although his reputation suffered badly. Currently, some 303 DeLoreans are taxed for use on public roads in the UK, according to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures obtained by online auction platform Collecting Cars. Robert Lamrock beside a DMC12 on the first floor of Selfridge's in London. However, Robert Lamrock, 71, of the DeLorean Owners Association, maintains that the car is still popular with the public in Northern Ireland. 'I take my car out and people are flashing their lights or tooting their horn at you,' he told the Belfast Telegraph. 'I've been to car shows where there's been Ferraris and Lamborghinis and the people all flock over to the the the DeLorean, because it's unique.' He said he still senses a local 'pride' in the DeLorean in Northern Ireland, and credits the controversial owner with having the vision build the car how and where he did. The iconic Delorean (Credit: Russell Pritchard / Presseye) 'John, despite all his errors, was a genius. The car was built around the needs and desires of the consumer, not the corporation. 'They were slightly too ambitious, in terms of trying to produce 20-30,000 when they were starting up. 'It was just unfortunate that there was a recession in 1981/82 and everything went pear-shaped.' Back To The Future – which opened in cinemas in the summer of 1985 – catapulted DeLoreans into the public consciousness. In the film, eccentric scientist Dr Emmett 'Doc' Brown creates a time machine from a modified DeLorean, using plutonium to power a fictional gadget called a flux capacitor which allows time travel once the car reaches 88mph. Mr Lamrock says that DeLorean owners have 'not a thing' that unites them other than being 'passionate about the car.' 'There's no common theme. There's doctors, dentists, engineers. As time has gone on, the car has become much more expensive, so you don't find too many young kids that can afford it.' DeLoreans at Stormont Thinking about the appeal of the DeLorean, he also says: 'If you've got the money, you can put a Flux Capacitor on it and pretend you're Doc Brown and Marty McFly.' According to the figures released, a further 114 of the cars have a statutory off road notification, meaning they are likely to be gathering dust in garages. Collecting Cars estimates a fully restored version could fetch more than £80,000 at auction. It has sold just two DeLoreans since it began trading in most recent sold for £56,000 in 2022. Collecting Cars chief executive Edward Lovett said: 'The DeLorean is an icon of pop culture which is still turning heads after all these years. 'A combination of their scarcity and the Back To The Future phenomenon has pushed prices higher than people might imagine. 'Back in 1981, the sticker price was around £18,000, making it more expensive than a Porsche 911. 'Today, a fully restored model treated to a film car replica conversion could attract bids in excess of £80,000.'
Belfast Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
NI DeLorean owner says fascination with famous car remains as figures reveal only 303 left on UK roads
The cars – immortalised by the Back To The Future film franchise four decades ago – are known for their gullwing doors and unpainted stainless steel bodywork and have become a collector's item. Around 9,000 DeLorean DMC-12s rolled off the DeLorean Motor Company assembly line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, in 1981. The company collapsed into insolvency the following year. John DeLorean was then charged with drug trafficking in October 1982, but a jury found him not guilty in 1984, although his reputation suffered badly. Currently, some 303 DeLoreans are taxed for use on public roads in the UK, according to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures obtained by online auction platform Collecting Cars. However, Robert Lamrock, 71, of the DeLorean Owners Association, maintains that the car is still popular with the public in Northern Ireland. 'I take my car out and people are flashing their lights or tooting their horn at you,' he told the Belfast Telegraph. 'I've been to car shows where there's been Ferraris and Lamborghinis and the people all flock over to the the the DeLorean, because it's unique.' He said he still senses a local 'pride' in the DeLorean in Northern Ireland, and credits the controversial owner with having the vision build the car how and where he did. 'John, despite all his errors, was a genius. The car was built around the needs and desires of the consumer, not the corporation. 'They were slightly too ambitious, in terms of trying to produce 20-30,000 when they were starting up. 'It was just unfortunate that there was a recession in 1981/82 and everything went pear-shaped.' Back To The Future – which opened in cinemas in the summer of 1985 – catapulted DeLoreans into the public consciousness. In the film, eccentric scientist Dr Emmett 'Doc' Brown creates a time machine from a modified DeLorean, using plutonium to power a fictional gadget called a flux capacitor which allows time travel once the car reaches 88mph. Mr Lamrock says that DeLorean owners have 'not a thing' that unites them other than being 'passionate about the car.' 'There's no common theme. There's doctors, dentists, engineers. As time has gone on, the car has become much more expensive, so you don't find too many young kids that can afford it.' Thinking about the appeal of the DeLorean, he also says: 'If you've got the money, you can put a Flux Capacitor on it and pretend you're Doc Brown and Marty McFly.' According to the figures released, a further 114 of the cars have a statutory off road notification, meaning they are likely to be gathering dust in garages. Collecting Cars estimates a fully restored version could fetch more than £80,000 at auction. It has sold just two DeLoreans since it began trading in most recent sold for £56,000 in 2022. Collecting Cars chief executive Edward Lovett said: 'The DeLorean is an icon of pop culture which is still turning heads after all these years. 'A combination of their scarcity and the Back To The Future phenomenon has pushed prices higher than people might imagine. 'Back in 1981, the sticker price was around £18,000, making it more expensive than a Porsche 911. 'Today, a fully restored model treated to a film car replica conversion could attract bids in excess of £80,000.'
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Back To The Future car on brink of extinction
Back To The Future's famed DeLorean is on the brink of extinction, figures reveal. Forty years on from the film's release, there are 303 DeLorean DMC-12's – known for their gull-wing doors and unpainted stainless steel bodywork – on Britain's roads. Around 9,000 rolled off the DeLorean Motor Company assembly line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, in 1981 before the company collapsed into insolvency the following year. A deal had been in place to save the firm until John DeLorean, the founder, was arrested on drug-trafficking charges. Some 303 DeLoreans are currently taxed for use on public roads in the UK, according to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures obtained by Collecting Cars, an online-auction platform. A further 114 have a statutory off road notification (Sorn), meaning they are likely to be gathering dust in garages or elsewhere away from public highways. Sorned vehicles are exempt from road tax. The declaration is commonly used for rare or valuable cars where the owner may only want to drive them for certain events, such as summer car shows. Collecting Cars estimated that a fully restored DMC-12 could fetch more than £80,000 at auction. It has sold just two DeLoreans since it began trading in 2019, with the most recent changing hands for £56,000 in 2022. Edward Lovett, the company's chief executive, said: 'The DeLorean is an icon of pop culture, which is still turning heads after all these years. A combination of their scarcity and the Back To The Future phenomenon has pushed prices higher than people might imagine. 'Back in 1981, the sticker price was around £18,000, making it more expensive than a Porsche 911. Today, a fully restored model treated to a film car replica conversion could attract bids in excess of £80,000.' Back To The Future – which opened in cinemas in the summer of 1985 – catapulted DeLoreans into the public consciousness. In the film, Dr Emmett 'Doc' Brown, an eccentric scientist, creates a time machine from a modified DeLorean, using plutonium to power a fictional gadget called a flux capacitor, which allows time travel once the car reaches 88mph. Other similarly famous cars have declined in number since the films they were featured in were released. Just 311 examples of James Bond's iconic Aston Martin DB5 had been registered with the DVLA last year. A further 73 had been Sorned, according to official figures compiled by the How Many Left website. Slightly more Lotus Esprits, driven by Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me, are on the road, with 330 registered with the authorities. In a surprising contrast, there are 950 classic Mini Coopers, made famous by The Italian Job, in drivable condition across the country – whereas the number of roadworthy Ford Anglias, used in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, stands at just over 2,400, even though Anglia production ended in 1967. Austin Mini Coopers were still being built until the year 2000. Fans of niche motoring films will be surprised to hear that there are just 76 BMW 735i models left on British roads, despite the German car playing a starring role alongside Jason Statham in 2002 gangster film The Transporter.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
1964 Pontiac GTO Being Sold by the Original Owner's Family on BaT
The '64 Pontiac GTO is the first of the muscle cars, and this one features a window-rattling V-8 and a four-speed manual transmission. The options on this example are extensive and include suspension and frame upgrades. Impressively, this car has been in the same family since new. For many a gearhead, automotive enthusiasm is a genetic trait, something passed down from your mom or dad. So just imagine being in grade school in the early 1970s and this black-on-black Pontiac GTO rumbling up on a Friday afternoon, just as the school bell rings. Hop in, kid, we're going for ice cream and Hot 1964 Pontiac GTO, up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), is just about the coolest dadmobile ever. Bought new by the current seller's father in New Jersey, it's a great spec, with a four-speed manual, a heavy-duty frame, and a limited-slip rear was the first year for the GTO, which technically was an option package you could order on the Pontiac LeMans coupe. The LeMans was an intermediate-size car that should have been restricted to a maximum engine size of 330 cubic inches, based on GM's internal regulations. The rule was, a car had to have 10 pounds of weight for every cube of displacement, as this would keep things from getting too gnarly. Pontiac was, at this time, establishing itself as a performance-oriented brand under the GM umbrella, and that image was not being helped by GM's 1963 ban on racing. So a young John DeLorean headed up an engineering team that aimed at squeezing out maximum street performance, hoping that would get buyers into showrooms. At the suggestion of Bill Collins, a member of the engineering team, the 389-cubic-inch engine from the larger Grand Prix was swapped creation is today considered the first of the muscle cars. DeLorean and his team got around GM's rulebook by offering the bigger engine as an option package, which included stiffer springs, an upgraded fan for better cooling, dual exhausts, and hood scoops that hinted that something fun was going on in the engine bay. This car has the triple two-barrel carburetors, which means it was good for a stout 340 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque when new. A three-speed manual was the base offering for the GTO, but this car has the aforementioned four-speed stick shift. There was an engine rebuild 25 years ago, and a tuneup done in 2019. The odometer shows 88K miles. The original owner of this GTO appears to have been a pilot with Pan Am, and the car comes with the kind of meticulous logbook you'd expect from that profession. The car itself also has an unusual specification in that it was ordered with the heavy-duty frame, quick-ratio power steering, and an additional handling package with stiffer shocks. Altogether, it's a true gearhead spec. You'd be hard pressed to find a better-optioned GTO, so it's little wonder that this one stayed with the original owner so long. The winning bidder on this Pontiac is getting a very original car with excellent specifications. Should that be you, you'd better roll up to your own kid's school on Friday. Ice cream and burnouts for everyone. The auction ends on March 18. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
