The electric vehicle revolution has brought a fleet of new brands into the market — Bollinger, Lordstown, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla.
Add DeLorean to the list.
Forty years after the gull-winged, stainless-steel, scandal-plagued car wowed the world, DeLorean Motor Company is going back to the future as an EV brand. Based in San Antonio under new ownership and a new name, DeLorean teased its new car on its website with gull-wing doors, electric power and styling by the same Italian design firm that penned the 1981 original.
"We are making an all-new, fully-electric, gull-winged, two-door sports car," said Stephen Wynne, CEO of DeLorean Motor Company, in an interview. "More details to come."
While the nascent electric vehicle market offers opportunities for fresh faces, it has also offered a fresh start for old brands like GMC's Hummer, Cadillac and Jaguar as they go all-EV. The idea of a cutting-edge EV would seem to fit DeLorean, whose original purpose in the '80s was the create a stylish American coupe that would never rust.
"The original DeLorean has stood the test of time," said Byron Cancelmo, president of the DeLorean Motor City Club, who owns two original DeLoreans and has been in touch with Wynne about the new car. "They are holding tight for now on details but it will definitely have gull-wing doors."
Launched by jet-setting GM executive John DeLorean, the brand was plagued by financing problems and ultimately was the focus of a government drug sting operation. The company only produced 9,000 units of its DMC-12 model from 1981 to 1983 before going bankrupt. Founder DeLorean was acquitted of drug trafficking charges in 1984 and died in 2005.
His car has lived on as an American icon, however, thanks largely to its co-starring role in the 1985 hit movie "Back to the Future" with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. DeLorean also captured public attention in 2019 with the release of the acclaimed documentary "Framing John DeLorean," with Alec Baldwin in the title role as the company's swashbuckling founder.
"Elon Musk hates being compared to DeLorean," Ardon, a DeLorean owner himself, said at the movie's 2019 Detroit premiere. "But he wants to make an ethical car just like John did. They both started with sports cars. Elon has exceeded what John accomplished."
Wynne, who originally hails from Liverpool, England, bought the rights to DeLorean Motor Company several years ago and moved it to Humble, Texas, as a service and restoration shop for the 6,500 DeLoreans still on the road. The company has a stock of original factory parts to maintain the cult classics, and has satellite locations in Florida, California and Illinois to service customers.
Under the provisions of the federal Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturers Act, which allows small outfits to make historic replica vehicles without having to meet costly safety regulations, DMC hoped to build replicas of the original DMC-12 but has been frustrated by government red tape.
"So we're going all in on an all-new electric chassis," chuckled Wynne.
To build the new electric vehicle, he has created a sister company called DeLorean Motors Reimagined and hired Joost de Vries as CEO. De Vries' automotive resume includes stints at Tesla and Karma Automotive.
The company will be headquartered in San Antonio with a manufacturing facility yet to be announced.
"We are grateful for the tremendous support we've received from the community," said de Vries in a statement about the new HQ. "San Antonio boasts a growing component and vehicle manufacturing sector as well as a wide array of global advanced manufacturing operations."
DeLorean's new marketing tagline is: "The Future Was Never Promised."
While the success of Tesla has inspired new ventures like the DeLorean EV, the original DeLorean has inspired Tesla. The much-anticipated Cybertruck pickup is also made from rust-free stainless steel. The Cybertruck will be built in Austin, Texas.
"I've had a love affair with the DeLorean since my father first bought one when I was 12 years old," said West Bloomfield owner Cancelmo, who fronts the Byron Legacy Show rock band when he's not driving around Metro Detroit in his DeLorean. "I can't wait for the new car."
