DeLoreans Back in Production

In another situation of those fiction over reality things – a company in Texas is again building DeLorean cars made famous by the movie “Back to the Future”.

Why…I have no idea. The original car had only a 2500cc engine producing 130 HP with manual fuel injection at 5500 RPM. This gave the car 0-60 times in the 8.5 to 9 second range, 1/4 mile times in 17.5 seconds and a advertised top speed of 130 MPH. As a comparison the Datsun (NIssan) ’83 350Zx car was capable of 0-60 times in 7 seconds and 15 seconds in the quarter, about the same as the bulked down ’83-85 L88 Corvette, which was a full 2-3 seconds slower than the 60’s models Corvettes. Which doesn’t mention the Jaguar XKE v12, the semi custom TVRs (which, due to a light fiberglass body were quick at the track), Toyota’s excellent Supra, and Mazda’s high revving RX7 which all competed in the same space. All of these cars were designed for the general market, instead of the decidedly better heeled market for Porsche, Maserati, and the other high end sports car manufacturers.

Ergo – you didn’t buy a DeLorean for performance.

Another very similar small car manufacturer which failed of the period was the Bricklin –

Delorean top, Bricklin on bottom

Look similar?

DeLoreans to go back to the future and into production

The DeLorean is going back to the future and into production.

We first saw the time machine three decades ago in the movie, “Back to the Future.” But the last time a DeLorean was built was about 35 years ago. Soon that will change at the DeLorean Motor Company in Humble.

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

Wynne brought the DeLorean Motor Company to the Houston area in 1987. For the first time, the DeLorean will be manufactured on American soil.

Dozens of DeLoreans are at the Humble facility. Some are owned by the company but many are shipped there from around the world to be refurbished.

Wynne said the company will build replica 1982 DeLoreans under a low-volume manufacturing bill approved by the federal government. He estimates he has enough supplies in stock to build about 300 cars. He hopes to go from building one a month to one a week.

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

You can buy a refurbished model for $45,000 to $55,000. Wynne hoped to sell the new ones for less than $100,000. The price will depend what modern engine he chooses.

“There’s no reason to change the appearance of the car. As we go into the program, we’ll decide what areas need to be freshened up,” Wynne said.

Wynne hoped to have the first car completed in early 2017.

 

Machete Wielding Man Attacks Cars in Oakland

Not sure whether this guy is naturally crazy or had chemical help…

And the driver of the red car is obviously going after the guy.

 

Greatest Auto Mechanics in the World? Havana, Cuba!

One of the strange leftovers from communism in Cuba was the prohibition on importing or owning any car which wasn’t in Cuba before 1959. There were literally thousands of 40’s and 50’s American cars in the country prior to that, which through Cuban determination and mechanical skill have been kept running, and fill the streets today. One of the tourist attractions, and local flavors is seeing (or getting the chance to ride in) some of these classics.

Of course the folks who “were more equal than others” had the (dubious) right to buy Soviet made cars that were newer.

Perhaps in 20 or 30 years, Cuba will become “Toyotized”… And with Cuban ingenuity – a few of these will still be running.

I believe this is a '58 Ford Fairlane, outfitted in Hot Pink as a Cab

All Cubans Can Now Buy Any Car

SALES HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN LIMITED TO CARS BUILT BEFORE THE 1959 REVOLUTION

Cuba legalized the sale and purchase of automobiles for all citizens today, another major step in the island’s economic transformation and one that the public has been requesting for decades. Unrestricted sales had previously been limited to cars built before the 1959 revolution, one of the reasons Cuba’s streets are about the only place on the planet one routinely finds a multitude of finned American classics from the 1950s, such as Chevrolets Bel Airs and Chrysler Imperials.

The new law will allow the sale of cars from all models and years, and it legalizes ownership of more than one car, although tax rates go up slightly. Also, Cubans who leave the island for good can transfer ownership of their car to a relative or sell it outright; previously, the state could seize the automobiles of those who emigrated. The government announced the move in April, but sales have been on hold until the measure was published into law in the Official Gazette; it takes effect on Saturday.