The DeLorean DMC-12 is a phenomenon: hardly anyone knows the name, but almost everyone knows the car itself. The sports car with the matt silver bodywork became the secret star of the film trilogy "Back to the Future" in the 1980s. Now this time machine with Dr. Emmet Brown's flux compensator will be making a stopover at the Hamburg Motor Classics at the Hamburg exhibition grounds from October 19 to 21.
At the stand of DMC Nord from Hasloh, the real history of the DeLorean and its film career will be brought to life. DMC Nord operator Michael Wagner has dedicated himself to preserving the remaining classics and has faithfully transformed one of the cars into the time machine of the films. The result of this transformation can be seen alongside other DeLoreans at the Hamburg Motor Classics.
Even classic car enthusiasts who are not familiar with the 80s blockbuster will be fascinated by the DeLorean DMC-12 and its spectacular history. A story that is also about the unique rise and fall of a man called John Zachary DeLorean, who climbed the career ladder to the position of Vice President of Car and Truck Production at General Motors. Although he was later also considered for the position of president, DeLorean left the company in the 1970s and founded the DeLorean Motor Company DMC. From 1981, he built the DMC-12 two-seater sports car in Northern Ireland, which was characterized by its unpainted stainless steel body and upward-opening gullwing doors.
Initially, the car was intended to compete with sports cars such as the Porsche 911 or Chevrolet Corvette, but was far from it. It was clearly too heavy, and the 132 hp engine used struggled to cope with the 1.3 tons. In addition, production suffered from fluctuations in quality, which permanently damaged the car's reputation.
The entire project soon ran into financial difficulties and the company, and therefore the car project, could no longer be saved. In Ireland, 2,500 employees lost their jobs and many of the approximately 9,000 cars produced were sold off. This laid the foundation for the DeLorean's later Hollywood career. The production company of "Back to the Future" was just as impressed by the low prices for which these cars were available as it was by the futuristic look of the DMC-12.
Today, the remaining DeLorean sports cars are sought-after rarities. Only around 6,000 of them are thought to have survived worldwide, and in Germany the number is estimated to be little more than 60 to 70. If you want to buy one, you can no longer rely on bargain prices. No DMC-12 can be found on the relevant sales portals for less than 40,000 euros; the asking price is often in the region of 65,000 euros. But there is a legendary time machine that everyone knows, even if many people don't know its name.
The Hamburg Motor Classics takes place from October 19 to 21 on the grounds of the Hamburg Messe. It is open on Friday from 12 noon to 8 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Further information can be found on the Hamburg Motor Classics website.
