Sold 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 2146373359 Tweet

This 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 is a smooth running, well-preserved and well-maintained stainless steel gullwing coupe! John DeLoreans first major contribution to the automotive world was the Pontiac GTO, widely considered to be Americas first muscle car. Riding on the success of the GTO, DeLorean rose through the corporate ranks at General Motors achieving the position of VP of Domestic Car and Truck group by the early 1970s, despite his reputation as a renegade in the buttoned-up corporate world. Shortly thereafter, DeLorean left the Big Three automaker to found his own company, the John Z. DeLorean Corporation and its subsidiary DeLorean Motor Company (DMC). At the outset, the DeLorean Motor Companys goal was to build a car with a useful life of more than just a few years. A few short years later, in July of 1975, DMC had its first non-running prototype and a little over a year later, in October of 1976, a running prototype. However, that apparent momentum would begin to come grinding to halt when DMC faced production issues that would end up dooming the startup company from its impressive start. The first production issue DeLorean faced was finding a location for his namesake company to produce its vehicle. Ultimately, the maverick DeLorean struck a deal in 1978 with the British Government to begin production at a Northern Ireland production plant. The idea was the DMC production facility would generate jobs and economic growth for impoverished Belfast residents and, in exchange, DeLoreans company would receive substantial tax breaks and British Government loans worth millions of dollars. The other major challenge faced by DMC in the late 70s was sourcing an engine and running gear for the eventual DMC-12. DeLoreans namesake company would end up sourcing a 2.85 Liter V6 from Peugeot-Renault-Volvo that critics would subsequently lament as being underpowered, especially for a namesake vehicle designed and built by the muscle car luminary. While DeLorean had promised that the first DMC vehicles would be delivered in 1979, the first DMC-12s were sold in 1981. Despite their futuristic looks, the DMC-12 was a critical and commercial flop after a mere 2 years of production and eventually led to a spectacular downfall for John DeLorean. DeLoreans companies would ultimately be placed into receivership by the British Government and John DeLorean would end up being charged for criminal fraud and drug trafficking. While the charges were eventually dropped, John DeLorean was never able to repeat his success at GM but his namesake car, with its futuristic design, would become an icon thanks to the release (and popularity) of the Back to the Future movie franchise that debuted in 1985. DeLoreans DMC-12 would play a starring role alongside Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, as the duos eye-catching time-machine that was activated when the car famously reached 88 miles-per-hour. This particular example comes to us from an astute east coast collector who purchased the car from a California collector. Powering this 81 DeLorean is a rear-mounted 2.85 Liter V6 engine fed by a Bosch K-Jetronic Mechanical Fuel Injection system that together were said to have created 130 horsepower when new. The 2.85L V6 is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission that gives this rad DeLorean a performance car feel. Exhaust exits the FI 2.85L via an exhaust system that generates a nice smooth sound out the rear. Being that this DMC-12 is a later model classic, it comes loaded with numerous creature comforts! With power disc brakes in all four corners, bringing this DeLorean to complete stop feels almost effortless. Power steering is another wonderful feature of this 81 DMC-12 since it makes turning into a tight parking space much easier. Outfitted with air conditioning, youll be able to stay cool while cruising even on the hottest summer days. Riding on a set of 4-lug cast light-alloy finned wheels with 195/60R14 radial tires up fro