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‘Back To The Future’ Iconic DeLorean Cars Back In Production

By Val Powell
Published on: 21:01 PST, Jan 27, 2016

Back to the Future is among the best-loved sci-fi films of all time, one that shot Michael J. Fox’s career to new heights in the late 1980s.

The film trilogy was so huge among Americans and around the world that words such as the “hoverboard” became popular three decades before one was actually released into the market.

One of the most iconic Back to the Future pieces is the DeLorean, which is the vehicle that Marty McFly (M.J. Fox) drove to go back in time to fix things in order to save the life of Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd).

Check Out the Famous DeLorean Scene in ‘Back to the Future’

As things turned out in the first film, everything went back to normal until McFly needed to time travel once more, this time to the future.

Due to the film’s great story-telling elements and its consistency in the principles of time travel, it was well received by critics, fans, and film junkies all around the world.

The DeLoreans have been so cherished by car enthusiasts that about 6,500 units are still in working condition out of the 9,000 that the DeLorean company manufactured in the 1980s.

According to a recent report, that number could further increase.

The DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) will resume its production of DeLoreans that are replicas of the 1982 model – the model that appeared in the Back to the Future film trilogy.

Previously, the DMC was not allowed to manufacture DeLoreans because the designs belonged to John DeLorean’s estate, and not his auto business. Since the company went bankrupt in 1982, it has not manufactured a single vehicle in more than 30 years.

However, Stephen Wynne bought the company in 1987 and transferred it to Texas, specifically in the town of Humble. Since then, DMC has been able to help DeLorean owners in refurbishing and fixing their vehicles.

Some owners sell their damaged vehicles to DMC, and the company tries to restore the vehicles and then sell them to Back to the Future fans.

In 1997, DMC acquired the rights to reproduce parts of the DMC using the original designs by John DeLorean, which was probably needed at the time because most DMC vehicles had been damaged and were in need of restoration.

The biggest achievement in the legal battle between DMC and the widow of John DeLorean came last year when both parties agreed to a settlement. As a result, the company earned the rights to use the original DeLorean name, logos, and trademarks.

“It’s fantastic. It is a game-changer for us. We’ve been wanting this to happen. That was a green light to go back into production. That was prohibited. It was against the law to do it,” said Wynne in an interview with Click2Houston.

In addition, it will be the first time that upcoming DeLorean units will be manufactured in the United States. The first and only version of the DeLorean, the DMC-12, was made in Northern Ireland, although the target market was the United States.

DMC will reportedly begin producing the 1982-model DeLorean under a low-volume manufacturing bill that is approved by the federal government. Wynne, who is the CEO of DMC, estimates that the company has enough supplies and parts to build 300 DeLoreans.

“It’s huge for us. It means we’re back as a car company again,” Mr. Wynne said.

Reports said that the company would sell refurbished DeLoreans for about $45,000 to $55,000. Meanwhile, for newly manufactured replica DeLoreans, DMC would sell them for a little less than $100,000.

Wynne said that production would begin later this year, and Back to the Future fans are hopeful that the first manufactured model will be released in 2017.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]

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