DeLorean - DMC-12 - 1981

Background: De. Lorean owes its fame to the film series 'Back to the Future' that dates back to 1985. An interesting detail here is that the De. Lorean Motor Company had already been declared bankrupt at the time. John De. Lorean's brainchild had a turbulent past. The first prototype was presented in October of 1976. John De. Lorean finally realised his dream by making an agreement with the British government to build the factory in Dunmurry, Ireland. For this he received £100m of taxpayers' money to reduce unemployment in the north, a region stricken by religious riots. Construction of the factory started in October 1978 and it wasn’t until January 1981 that the first cars rolled off the assembly line. Eventually the factory was closed in October 1982 and De. Lorean Motor Company was declared bankrupt. The rest is history. The vehicle: The De. Lorean DMC-12 that is offered here dates from June 1981 and was originally delivered in America (just like the majority of De. Loreans that were supplied to the USA at the time) . The exact history of the vehicle is not fully known but the car was imported by us from Pico Rivera (Los Angeles, California) and it therefore comes from a dry climate. The import took place in February 2017 and all European import duties have been met. The vehicle has American documents (US title) and which can be used for a new registration (in the Netherlands) . Exterior: What immediately stands out is that the car is painted red. Connoisseurs know that the DMC-12 has never been produced in any colour. There are many stories circulating about original sprayed De. Loreans, which are often incorrect. Only 3 units of the DMC-12 were sprayed by the De. Lorean Motor Company upon arrival in the USA in the colours Red, Black and Yellow. This vehicle is not one of them. What is often regarded as off-putting in the case of a sprayed De. Lorean is the chance that it has 'subcutaneous' damage. For this we kindly refer to the pictures that concern the lacquer thickness meter. The lacquer thickness of each stainless steel panel on the vehicle has been measured down to the steel. Only the right door shows potential use of primer. This means that the exterior of the DMC-12 can be reduced to the bare stainless steel, if one would wish to do so. Of course, the colour can also be kept as is. The current paintwork shows some imperfections in a number of places, which are clearly depicted. Interior: When opening the driver's door, you will immediately notice that the car is fitted with black upholstery. The seat covers are still in good condition and the carpet seems to have been replaced once in the past and is also in good condition. Upon entry, the odometer reads: 30,943 miles. When you turn the key in the ignition, all functionalities on the dashboard are activated except for the hand of the fuel tank gauge. We discovered a defective tank float (see pictures, replacement available) . What is also noticeable is a tear in the dashboard and the cracked windshield. For which replacement is also available. The headlining still shows good condition. Technically: The chassis/frame has benefited from the dry climate. The pictures of the bottom of te vehicle show no noteworthy signs of corrosion. Which is something that can lead to unpleasant surprises on a De. Lorean. The vehicle has four good Michelin tyres. The 2,849cc 'PRV' V6 engine is in demonstrably healthy condition. The pictures show that all cylinders have a compression pressure of 150-160 PSI (10. 4 - 11. 0 bars) . The Bosch K-jetronic mechanical injection system has been completely disassembled and overhauled. Also new Bosch injectors have been mounted. Distributor cap & rotor, fuel filter and spark plugs have been replaced. As a result, the car now starts and runs again after the long period of inactivity. A potential buyer will still have to replace the manifold gasket of the left cylinder bank. The engine needs to be adjusted. It is also important that the brakes undergo a technical check and a drive shaft cover needs to be replaced (see picture) . The automatic gearbox functions properly. Buyer information: The car can be viewed and picked up in Wateringen, the Netherlands. Global transport is possible. Additional costs regarding transport, possible export documents and/or change of ownership will be for the buyer.