Vehicle Description
1981 DeLorean DMC-12174ci Volvo-sourced Engine with 130 HP
Three-speed Automatic Made Famous by the Movie Back to the Future
History. The DeLorean DMC-12 was the brain-child of John Zachary
DeLorean an American automobile engineer and executive. This GT
type production car was designed and developed in the 1970sbut
production and funding issues delayed its introduction until1981
the year model of this car. DeLorean Motor Company was an United
States corporation headquartered in New York but DeLoreans were
build in Dunmurry Ireland with support of the British Government.
John DeLorean considered several build sites in the US and around
the world but the British Government wanted to resolve poverty and
religious strife in Ireland and offered him the best support
subsidies and tax breaks. Its not easy to design and build a car
from scratch but John DeLorean knew engineering and the automobile
business. This is not a kit car assembled from off the shelf parts.
Almost everything was designed specifically for the DeLorean. The
timeless good looks were from celebrated designer Giorgetto
Giugiaro of Ital Designs now famous for his design of such cars as
the Alfa Romero Brera Ferrari 250 GT Maserati Ghibli DeTomaso
Mangusta Lamborghini Cala and many more. The DeLorean is a unique
car with several distinguishing features. The doors are of the
gull-wing design opened by gas struts and cryso twist torsion bars
designed by Grumman Aerospace. Lotus designed the double Y frame.
The fuel tank is safely nestled in the front Y and the engine is
cradled in the rear Y. That engine is an aluminum alloy V6 jointly
developed by Peugeot Renault and Volvo and designated the PRV6. It
employed a very successful early use of mechanical fuel injection
by Bosch. It has a trans-axle setup rear wheel drive and fully
independent suspension. While the car appears to be of stamped
metal panels like conventional cars it is actually a composite car
with a FRP(Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) core covered by stainless
steel panels. The 304 stainless steel costs about four times that
of conventional steel. No factory cars were ever painted but about
4were gold plated for a special American Express promotion. Even
the Craig WS450 cassette/radio was state of the art at the time.
There was only one production model of DeLorean automobile
theDMC-12 by company designation. That was part of DeLoreans plan
for an ethical car that would be fun to drive safe to operate and
long lasting. Fewer than 10000 DeLoreans were built and sold from
1981 to 1983.This DeLorean. The car was purchased from one of the
original investors of DeLorean Motor Company. He was a beloved
local physician who mostly drove it from his home to a nearby golf
course. Exterior/Body. The original stainless steel is properly
grained and in excellent condition. The front and rear fascia's
were removed stripped and refinished in original color. The
windscreen was replaced due to a rock chip. Inner and outer door
seals were replaced. Window motors were replaced and switches
refurbished or replaced. Door and bonnet struts were replaced and
torsion bars adjusted. Doors open and close smoothly latch lock and
fit properly. Electric door locks work properly. Headlight and tail
light assemblies were removed and refurbished. The gull-wing door
hinges cryo-twist bars and T-panel assembly are all original rust
free and properly secured. Inner and outer door seals were changed
during renovation. Interior. The dash was removed and refinished in
original color. The instrument binnacle was recovered. All
instruments were removed and cleaned. All are in proper working
order. Dash and side panel radio speakers were replaced. The
automatic antenna was replaced. Carpets are original and show some
wear but still very presentable. Headliners were recovered. Door
panels are in great condition. Seats were recovered in leather. No
butchered electrical box on this DeLorean. Some weak components
were replaced fuse box and fan fuse wir
