DeLorean. From the past to the electric future
The legendary DeLorean DMC-12, which appeared in the Back to the Future sci-fi comedy as a time machine, returns almost 40 years later in the form of an electric car. The company from Texas, which owns the rights to the brand, has officially announced plans to begin production of an electric version of the famous sports car as early as 2022. The official premiere will take place on August 18 at the Pebble Beach Contest of Elegance. Let’s return from the past to the electric future.
The original DeLorean appeared in 1981. A total of about 9 thousand cars have been produced for all the time. The model became incredibly popular in 1985, when the first part of the Back to the Future came out. “If you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?”, says one of the movie characters, Dr. Brown. The car looked a lot like a spacecraft with its futuristic design, silver panels, four rectangular headlights and gull-wing doors.
The new DeLorean Alpha5 will be a 4-seater fastback powered by an electric motor. It is expected to accelerate to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 3.4 seconds, while the maximum speed will be 241 km/h. The sports car will be produced in Italy. The company plans to release the first production model in 2024. A total of 88 units will be released, which is a reference to the Back to the Future. Next, the manufacturer will release a coupe with a V8 gasoline engine, an electric sedan and a large electric SUV. In addition, a restomod based on the original DMC-12 from the 1980s is planned.
Past
The DeLorean Motor Company was founded in 1975 by John DeLorean. Brand cars were produced in Northern Ireland from 1981 to 1983. But, due to the low quality of the cars, numerous production problems and overestimated demand, the company went bankrupt. In 1995, it was replaced by another company with the same name. British engineer and Texan entrepreneur Steve Wine acquired the rights to the DeLorean name and restored the remaining DMC-12s. Today, his company is considered the world’s largest supplier of parts for the DMC-12.
From the very beginning, Steve lived with a dream of reviving the legendary brand and even almost started developing the closest replica of the DMC-12 using original parts. And so, a year ago, he finally made up his mind and launched the Alpha5 project, an electric fastback with a 2+2 layout. So, decades later, the legend returns with a modern vision of the car of the future. DeLorean Motor Company is now run by Joost de Vries, an electric vehicle industry veteran who has worked for Tesla and Karma.
Future
**What will the new electric car be like? **
The 4-seater fastback has the following dimensions: 4,995 × 2,044 × 1,370 mm. Its wheelbase reaches 2.3 meters. The car owes its resemblance to the original DMC-12 to Italdesign. It has retained huge gull-wing doors, multi-spoke wheels and ‘blinds’ on the rear window. However, the resemblance ends here. The doors are much larger, as they open access to both rows at the same time, which is a clear structural difference from the 2-seater DMC-12. The DeLorean Alpha5 has no B-pillars. Its body is aerodynamic, unlike the angular DMC-12. The electric car features a modern sporty silhouette, narrow optics and laconic aerodynamic elements. The drag coefficient is 0.23, which is not much worse than that of the record holder Mercedes-Benz EQS.
Interior
The car has four separate seats with advanced lateral support. It comes with a steering wheel of unusual shape, a large digital dashboard display and another more compact screen, located on the center console separating the seats. There are almost no physical buttons inside the DeLorean Alpha5. To the right of the driver is a niche, apparently for a smartphone wireless charger.
According to insider information, the model is based on the EVX OEM platform developed by Italdesign and Williams Advanced Engineering. It will take the car 3.4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), while the maximum speed is 241 km/h. The motor works in tandem with a 100 kWh battery. The driving range is about 483 kilometers (according to the EPA cycle). The announced characteristics refer to the entry-level sports model. In the future, the Alpha5 will have more dynamic modifications. Most likely, the new DeLorean will compete with the Porsche Taycan.
