Latest news with #MiniCoopers
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
28-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Does this look like a BMW neighborhood?'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Residents of a low-income senior housing complex say dozens of luxury cars crowd their block in the Kerns neighborhood. While it's a frustration for neighbors, KOIN 6 News discovered this issue also violates local and federal law. KOIN 6 News is working to find solutions for these seniors in Northeast Portland, after investigating a social media post about BMWs and Mini Coopers blocking sidewalks and streets in the area. These cars are being serviced by Boyd Motor Werks at NE 18th and Everett. This shop specializes in fixing those European-manufactured cars. Elizabeth Fischer lives in a 75-unit senior apartment complex right next door to Boyd Motor Werks. When KOIN 6 News spoke with her, there were two dozen BMWs and Mini Coopers taking up about 25% of the street parking in a one-block radius around the auto repair shop and apartment. 'I mean, does this look like a BMW neighborhood?' Fischer said. In addition to taking up a significant portion of the immediate street parking in the area around the auto shop, the business' parking lot is also packed. 'I saw this Mini Cooper that was actually blocking people's access to the sidewalk. I just couldn't believe it,' she said. 'It made me furious because there are people in my building who use walkers and some people who use wheelchairs.' Cars parked like this in the business' driveway also take over the sidewalk – violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because it obstructs access for people with disabilities. The Portland Bureau of Transportation told KOIN 6 News reports of parked vehicles blocking sidewalks are a top priority for PBOT Parking Enforcement. 'We can generally respond on the same day – often within a few hours. Our officers have discretion to speak with the vehicle owner (if they're available) to move the car, or our officers can have the vehicle towed immediately,' said Dylan Rivera, a PBOT spokesperson. Shop owner Eric Edwards told KOIN 6 News neighbors 'complain all the time' about his parking situation, but that he will move the cars if he's asked. Fischer said that's not always possible if she comes home after the auto shop closes at 5PM. 'I actually wound up parking on the other side of Burnside one day because I couldn't find a parking spot,' Fischer said. 'It seems like the repair shop is taking up a lot more spaces than they're entitled to.' A Portland parking ordinance makes it unlawful for any vehicle repair business to park vehicles on a street, alley, lane or other public right-of-way while the car is in the business' possession. When KOIN 6 News asked Edwards to comment about the illegal parking, he declined. But he did later email a statement: 'Thank you for stopping by today and bring [sic] to my attention that it is illegal for us or my client to park on the street. The city has never said anything about that to us. We try really hard to be courteous to our neighbors and help them out. Every chance I get when I see one of them is to let them know if I have a car parked where they need to be please come and ask me, and I will move it right away. We are working extra hard to move these cars as fast as we can, we don't want to be a burden on anyone or put anyone out. We care about our neighbors and our community.' Ken Ray with said his code enforcement team will work with parking enforcement to look into this issue. 'We have a complaint-based system, so if we don't receive a complaint, we don't know about it. So it's important for the public if they see something to report it to us and we'll take a look,' Ray told KOIN 6 News. 'I'm sure we'll be talking with the Portland Bureau of Transportation based on whatever our inspector sees at the site and we'll be in contact with them to address whether there are any code violations and what the appropriate steps would be to follow up.' Anyone who is concerned about this body shop or a similar right-of-way parking issue can file a confidential code complaint with Portland Permitting and Development online, by email—codec@ by phone, 503.823.2633 'We'll open a case and investigate,' Ray said. Fischer didn't realize it is illegal for the repair shop to utilize public street parking. She has now filed a complaint with the city. KOIN 6 News is not aware of any other complaints against the business. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
