If you fell in love with the De Lorean in the Back to the Future movie series, the good news is that in 2013, you'll be able to buy a real one again. It won't have a flux capacitor, won't time-travel and it'll still be a thirty year-old design, albeit styled by Giugiaro himself, and structurally redesigned by Colin Chapman of Lotus fame after De Lorean himself screwed up the first design.
One thing it will have is the same horsepower De Lorean originally envisaged for the car - from a 200+ bhp electric motor, not the original wankel engine. Sadly, the wankel (rotary) engine was way too thirsty, and the V6 that replaced it produced just 130 bhp.
The DMC-12 was designed by Giugiaro, built in Ireland and sold in America in 1981-82 before the company went bankrupt. Though only 9000 cars were ever sold, the De Lorean achieved cult status globally due to the success of the Back-to-the-future Trilogy of films when it became the basis for a time-machine built by Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and used by student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox).
Texas entrepreneur Stephen Wynne started the current "De Lorean Motor Company" in 1995 after acquiring the name and remaining parts inventory and since 2007, around 40 whole De Lorean cars have been produced from the spare parts cars. Now the company is to go another step, and at an International De Lorean Owners Event in Houston a few days back, the new electric De Lorean was announced.
"Now we are working with electric-car startup Epic EV to put an all-electric DMC-12 into production by 2013" was the announcement on the De Lorean web site. The three-wheeled Epic EV just happens to use a 200 bhp+ electric motor too.
One of the original De Lorean machines used in the shooting of the "Back to the future" film franchise is to go under the hammer at an auction in December. The car is expected to fetch in the ballpark of $400,000-$600,000.
Check out the video of the new Epic EV below.
