With such a popular following, it’s no surprise that many people often wonder ‘whatever happened to the DeLorean from ‘Back To The Future’?
The DeLorean became one of the most instantly recognizable cars on the planet after the release of ‘Back To The Future’ in 1985. While Marty and Doc were the stars of the trilogy, the time-traveling DeLorean became a star in its own right. Much like ‘Kit’ from the TV series Night Rider had in the years before.
The Creation of the DeLorean
In 1973, John DeLorean had just left his job as the youngest division head in General Motors history to establish his own business, DeLorean Motor Company, or DMC.
For the design of the car, DeLorean approached the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro had previously styled sports cars for Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and VW. Giugiaro based the DeLorean on a 1970 concept car he had created for Porsche. The “Tapiro” was similarly wedge-shaped and, most importantly, sported a stainless steel body with gull-wing doors.
John DeLorean with one of his cars.
By 1976 the first DeLorean prototype was created, however, engineering and budget issues meant the first car didn’t roll off the factory floor until 1981.
Unfortunately for John, things didn’t go his way, DMC went bankrupt in 1982 and John was arrested for drug-trafficking. He was later found not guilty, but for DMC it was too late. The plant, which was based in Northern Ireland, shut down, after producing just 9,000 cars.
However, despite his troubles, John’s car would go on to find its place in cinematic history just a few years later.
Whatever Happened To The DeLorean From The Movie?
While one official ‘Back To The Future’ DeLorean exists, six were actually used in the movies. A seventh car, made from fiberglass, was also used in the flying scenes.
A fiberglass Delorean was used in scenes where the car flys.
Out of the six cars, and the additional fiberglass model, only three still exist today. The fiberglass DeLorean was scrapped after the trilogy finished filming. A real DeLorean was destroyed at the end of Back To The Future Part III, while two others were abandoned.
Of the three remaining cars, two are owned by Universal Studios, who occasionally put them on display. While the ‘official’ Back To The Future DeLorean can be seen on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It can be found there alongside cars such as the Batmobile from Batman Returns (1992) and a De Tomaso Pantera once owned by Elvis Presley.
The official Back To The Future Delorean as seen at the Peterson Automotive Museum.
While 9,000 Deloreans were made in the 80s, it is believed that only 6,500 still exist today. While not ultra-rare, its quite unlikely you will pass one on the way to work in the morning.