Every once in a while we get an opportunity to work on really cool, unique and fascinating cars. Recently we got a 1981 Delorean. This particular vehicle is special in many ways. Of course the most common claim to fame is that it is the quintessential time machine from Back to the Future.

You remember Doc Brown and Marty Mcfly? That’s right……we’re going, back to the future!!!!!! As a young child that car was iconic for many. I also noticed that even the younger generations are familiar with the Delorean. Kids that have never heard of the Keebler Elves know what a flux capacitor is! Also, there was a good-sized group of people who recognized the Delorean because of its notorious founder John Delorean. Well, I remember the media covering this story when I was young, but I don’t recall the details. It did however, sound fishy to me because I thought the car was the coolest looking spaceship that ran on leaded fuel. Then I had the opportunity to work on one in the shop.

We changed the oil, replaced fuel system components, replaced the brakes, and read umpteen manuals and researched the vehicle. What I learned was that the big three had nothing to be worried about. DMC ( Deloren Manufacturing Company) had a weird and odd way of putting cars together. I also learned that they pieced their cars together. So, they got their engines from Peugeot in some cases, transmissions from Fiat in some cases and seats from God knows who. What I really think happened is that John Delorean could not buy conventional parts from any of the big three so he went overseas. And we all know he was on a budget since starting your own car company is super expensive. Which leads me to believe that he bought from the cheapest manufacturers on earth. And judging from the way these cars drove and ran, they sold him parts from the defective stock. I mean don’t get me wrong, they drove just fine, but the quality was lacking. If Marty McFly would have time traveled in a Pinto, we would not be talking about the Delorean. However, in retrospect the Delorean is an awesome time machine. Steven Spielberg could not have picked a better time machine. They are a big part of Americana. Yea they are mechanically “lacking” and i wouldn’t want to change the spark plugs, flush the radiator or replace the brakes, but visually they are a masterpiece. They are truly ahead of their time. Even by today’s standards they look futuristic.
They look like a rocket ship. And who wouldn’t want to ride in that?