Vehicle Description
This 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 is a nicely preserved gullwing coupe that
is ready to bring you Back to the Future! John DeLorean's namesake
automobile is, like the man himself, a true icon across all
generations. Younger folks might not be aware that Mr. DeLorean is
considered the godfather of the American muscle car, when he and
his team of engineers at the Pontiac Motor Division of General
Motors devised the Pontiac GTO. John Z. DeLorean's success at
General Motors led to him climbing up GM's corporate ladder through
the early 1970s where he wound up as the Vice President of the
Domestic Car and Truck group. Perhaps bored in corporate America or
feeling restricted, or maybe a little bit of both, DeLorean left
General Motors to start his own company, the John Z. DeLorean
Corporation and its subsidiary DeLorean Motor Company (DMC).
DeLorean's goal in the new venture was to "build a car with a
useful life of more than just a few years." By July 1975, DMC had a
non-running prototype and then got it running in October 1976,
which was an awfully quick turnaround for a new automotive startup.
However, these early successes would ultimately be hampered by
numerous production issues that likely doomed the company as it
moved into the future. The first production issue that plagued
DeLorean was the inability to locate an adequate production
facility to build the futuristic automobiles. To solve this,
DeLorean made with the British Government in 1978 where the British
Government gave the DeLorean Motor Company substantial tax breaks
and millions of dollars worth of loans in exchange for building the
DMC-12 in a Northern Ireland production factory in a move that was
intended to generate jobs and economic growth for the impoverished
residents of Belfast. The next major issue was sourcing an adequate
engine and running gear for the DeLorean DMC-12. Eventually,
DeLorean settled on a famously underpowered Peugeot-Renault-Volvo
2.85 Liter V6. Despite overcoming these early challenges and
despite falsely promising to deliver cars by 1979, DeLorean still
struggled to get his namesake car into production. Ultimately, the
first DMC-12 cars were sold in 1981 and deliver in 1981. However,
critics lamented the DMC-12 coupes' underpowered drivetrains and
idiosyncratic features and the cars were deemed a flop after merely
2 years of production. In the years that followed, the John Z.
DeLorean Corporation and the DeLorean Motor Company underwent an
incredibly spectacular downfall. The companies were placed in into
receivership by the British Government and Mr. DeLorean was faced
criminal charges for fraud and drug trafficking. While the charges
against DeLorean were eventually dropped, he was never able to
repeat his success at GM on his namesake ventures and elsewhere.
Nonetheless, the DeLorean DMC-12 with its futuristic design, and
with some help from American pop culture, would become an icon.
Likely, the stainless steel gullwing coupe is most famous for its
starring role in the Back to the Future movie franchise as the
futuristic time-machine activated when the car reached 88
miles-per-hour. This particular DMC-12 comes to us from an east
coast collector who owned the car for over 25 years. Powering this
'81 DeLorean is a rear mounted 2.85 Liter V6 engine fed by a Bosch
K-Jetronic Fuel Injection system that together were said to have
created 130 horsepower when new. The 2.85L V6 is mated to an
Automatic Transmission that makes this DMC-12 an easy car for just
about anybody to drive. Being that this DeLorean is a late model
collectible, it comes loaded with numerous creature comforts! With
power steering, manuvering this gullwing coupe in and out of a
tight parking space is a breeze, whether you're at the local car
show or just stopping at the local ice cream parlor. With power
disc brakes in all four wheels, bringing this 1981 DeLorean to a
complete stop is also simplified. This '81 DeLorean rides on a set
of raised letter radial tires mounted on a set of 4-lug cast
light-alloy finned wheels, which provides for a great looking and
smooth riding 80s classic car. Like all DeLoreans, this particular
DMC-12's body is finished in the iconic stainless steel panels that
completes the exterior look of the car. The interior of this 1981
DeLorean DMC-12 is loaded! The front bucket seats are upholstered
in Gray Leather and are power adjustable. The black leather wrapped
steering wheel appears to be in great shape as well. The padded
dash, gray carpeting, and door panels backing the gullwing doors
all retain a nice stock appearance and have been nicely preserved.
Both power windows are operated using center console mounted
switches and work great. You'll be able to stay cool even on the
hottest summer days since this Delorean is equipped with factory
air conditioning. The instrument cluster is outfitted with an 85MPH
speedometer, 8,000 RPM tachometer, temperature gauge, volt gauge,
oil pressure gauge, and fuel gauge, along with several indicator
lights. Whether you've always wanted the iconic car from Back to
the Future or you're buying your very first classic car, this 1981
DeLorean DMC-12 would make an excellent choice. Give Ellingson's a
call today at 763-482-7337!
*Rear-Mounted 2.85 Liter V6
*Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection
*AutomaticTransmission
*Gullwing Doors
*4 Wheel Power Disc Brakes
*Power Steering
*Air Conditioning
*Stainless Steel Exterior
*Gray Leather Bucket Seats
*Power Windows
*Stock Instrumentation
*Odometer Reads: 24,109 Miles
If an inaccurate automobile price is inadvertently listed on this
Website, Seller reserves the right to NOT honor the erroneous
price.
For more information and a current list of vehicles, call
763-428-7337.
