01
Origins
John DeLorean's DMC-12 of 1981 compressed an entire saga into one shape: brushed stainless panels over a Lotus-engineered backbone chassis, gullwing doors, a modest Renault-Peugeot-Volvo V6 in the tail, and a factory in Troubles-era Belfast built with British government money to create jobs where none existed. The car was slower than it looked and the company died fast — receivership in 1982, its founder acquitted after an infamous entrapment case — with around 9,000 built. Then, in 1985, Back to the Future bolted a flux capacitor to the parts bin of history and made the DeLorean the most famous failure ever filmed. Time has been kind: values climb, parts supply thrives, and the car now succeeds forever at the only job that mattered — being unforgettable.
1982 De Lorean DMC12 coupe · sv1ambo · CC BY 2.0
