De Lorean DMC-12

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

De Lorean DMC-12
Manufacturer	De Lorean Motor Company
Production	1981–1983
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door coupe
Engine	2.8 L (2849 cc) PRV V6
Transmission	5-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	95 in (2413 mm)
Length	166 in (4216 mm)
Width	73.1 in (1857 mm)
Height	44.9 in (1140 mm) doors closed 77.2 in (1961 mm) doors open
Curb weight	2712 lb (1230 kg)
Similar	Alpine A310 Lotus Esprit Porsche 911 Bricklin SV-1
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro

The De Lorean DMC-12 is a Northern Irish sports car which was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 to 1983. It is most commonly known as the De Lorean, as it was the only model ever produced by the company. The DMC-12 featured gull-wing doors with a brushed stainless steel body. It was famously featured in the Back to the Future trilogy.

The first prototype appeared in March 1977, and production officially began in 1981 (with the first DMC-12 rolling off the production line on January 21) at the DMC factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. During its production, several aspects of the car were changed, such as the hood (bonnet) style, wheels and interior. About 9,000 DMC-12s were made before production stopped in late 1982. Today, about six thousand DeLorean Motor Cars are believed to still exist.

Despite being produced in Northern Ireland, DMC-12s were primarily intended for the American market. Therefore, all of the production models were left-hand drive (designed to be driven on the right side of the road), limiting its popularity in the British Isles, where traffic travels on the left. Only 23 right-hand drive De Loreans were ever produced, these cars were converted from left-hand drive models by a specialized company in the UK.

The De Lorean is considered a great work of art and it endures as a pop culture icon, with a dedicated worldwide fan base.

Contents 1 History 2 Construction 2.1 Body 2.2 Engine 2.3 Suspension 3 Performance 4 Pricing 5 Production changes 5.1 Hood styles 5.2 Other changes 6 Special DMC-12s 7 De Lorean today 7.1 Gatherings and communications 7.2 Repair shops 7.3 Magazines 8 De Lorean in popular culture 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

In October 1976, the first prototype De Lorean DMC-12 was completed by William T. Collins, chief engineer and designer (formerly chief engineer at Pontiac). Originally, the car's rear-mounted power plant was to be a Citroën Wankel rotary engine, but was replaced with a French-designed and produced PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) fuel injected V-6 because of the poor fuel economy of the rotary engine, an important issue at a time of world-wide fuel shortages. Collins and De Lorean envisioned a chassis produced from a new and untested manufacturing technology known as Elastic Reservoir Moulding (ERM), which would contribute to the light-weight characteristics of the car while presumably lowering its production costs. This new technology, for which De Lorean had purchased patent rights, would eventually be found to be unsuitable for mass production.

These and other changes to the original concept led to considerable schedule pressures. The entire car was deemed to require almost complete re-engineering, which was turned over to engineer Colin Chapman, founder and owner of Lotus. Chapman replaced most of the dubious material and manufacturing techniques with those currently being employed by Lotus. The original Giorgetto Giugiaro body design was left mostly intact, as were the distinctive stainless steel outer skin and gull-wing doors.

The DMC-12 would eventually be built in a factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, a neighbourhood only a few miles from Belfast city centre. Construction on the factory began in October 1978, and although production of the DMC-12 was scheduled to start in 1979, engineering issues and budget overruns delayed production until early 1981. By that time, the unemployment rate was high in Northern Ireland and local residents lined up to apply for jobs at the factory. The production personnel were largely inexperienced, but were paid premium wages and supplied with the best equipment available. Most quality issues were solved by 1982 and the cars were sold from dealers with a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty and an available five-year, 50,000-mile (80 000 km) service contract.

The De Lorean Motor Company went bankrupt in late 1982 following John De Lorean's arrest in October of that year. He was later found not guilty, but it was too late for the DMC-12. Approximately 100 partially assembled DMC's on the production line were completed by Consolidated International (now known as Big Lots).

A total of about 9,200 DMC-12s were produced between January 1981 and December 1982.^[1] Almost a fifth of these were produced in October 1981. About 1,000 1982 models were produced between February and May 1982, and all of these cars had the VIN's changed after purchase by Consolidated International to make them appear as 1983 models. There are the 15XXX, 16XXX, and 17XXX VINs which were originally 10XXX, 11XXX and 12XXX VINs.

[edit] Construction

The DMC-12 features a number of unusual construction details, including gull-wing doors, unpainted stainless-steel body panels, and a rear-mounted engine.

[edit] Body

The body of the DMC-12 was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and clad entirely in brushed SS304 stainless steel. Except for three cars plated in 24-karat gold, all DMCs left the factory uncovered by paint or clearcoat.^[2] Painted De Loreans do exist, although these were all painted after the cars were purchased from the factory. To train workers, several hundred DMCs were produced without stainless panels, and are referred to as "black cars" in reference to their black fiberglass underbodies, though these were never marketed. Small scratches in the stainless steel body panels can reportedly be removed with a scouring pad.^[3] The stainless steel panels are fixed to a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP, fiberglass) monocoque underbody. The underbody is affixed to a double-Y frame chassis, derived from the Lotus Esprit platform.

It must be noted that the unpainted stainless body creates challenges during restoration of the cars. In traditional automotive body repair, the panel is repaired to be as original ("straight") as possible and imperfections are sculpted back to form with body filler like Bondo or lead (body solder). This poses no problem (aside from originality) with most cars, as the filler will be hidden by the car's paint (for example, most new cars have filler hiding the seam where the roof meets the quarter panel). With an unpainted stainless body, the stainless steel must be reworked to exactly the original shape, contour and grain - which is a tremendously difficult job on regular steel (a dented or bent panel is stretched and a shrinking hammer or other techniques must be used to unstretch the metal), let alone stainless. Furthermore, it is exceedingly difficult to paint stainless steel due to adhesion issues. De Lorean envisioned that damaged panels would simply be replaced rather than repaired; each DeLorean service center today has at least one experienced body repair person on staff, and there are decades worth of new stainless panels still available in most instances.

Another novel feature of the DMC-12 is its gull-wing doors. The common problem of supporting the weight of gull-wing doors was solved by other manufacturers with lightweight doors in the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and an air pump in the Bricklin SV-1, although these designs had structural or convenience issues. The DMC-12 features heavy doors supported by cryogenically preset torsion bars and gas-charged struts.^[4] These torsion bars were developed by Grumman Aerospace (and built by Unbrako in the UK) to withstand the stresses of supporting the doors.^[5] These doors only extend 11 inches (264 mm) outside the line of the car, making opening and closing the doors in crowded parking lots relatively easy. Much like the doors fitted to the Lamborghini Countach, the DMC-12 doors featured small cutout windows, because full-sized windows would not be fully retractable within the short door panels.^[6][7]

[edit] Engine

The DMC-12 is powered by the PRV V6, developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. The engine is derived from the Volvo B28F, fitted with a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system and modified to be mounted in reverse. The PRV is a 90-degree layout, displaces 2.849 L (91 mm bore, 73 mm stroke), and has a compression ratio of 8.8:1. The engine block and heads are cast of light alloy and the engine features single overhead camshafts driving two valves per cylinder. When new, this engine was rated for 130 hp (97 kW) at 5,500 rpm and 153 ft lbf (208 N·m) at 2750 rpm. Fuel efficiency was said to be 19 mpg US (12 L/100 km, 22.8 mpg Imperial) and unofficial tests largely support this figure.^[8][9]

Two transmissions were available for the DMC-12: a three-speed automatic and a five-speed manual transmission, both with a final drive ratio of 3.44:1. The manual transmission is a Renault 30 gearbox. About 2/3 of the cars built were fitted with manual transmissions. The engine in the DMC-12 is mounted behind the rear axle, much like the VW Beetle and Porsche 911. The transaxle stretches forward between the axles.^[10][11]

[edit] Suspension

The underbody and suspension of the DMC-12 were based largely on the Lotus Esprit, with a four-wheel independent suspension, coil springs, and telescopic shock absorbers. The front suspension used double wishbones, while the rear was a multi-link setup. In its original development stages, the car is said to have handled quite well. Considering that Lotus's reputation was built largely on the handling prowess of the cars the company produced, the DMC-12's smooth ride wasn't a surprise. Unfortunately, changing U.S. government regulations required modifications to the suspension system and an increase in the vehicle's factory ride height, both of which had adverse effects on the car's handling capabilities.

Steering was rack and pinion, with an overall steering ratio of 14.9:1, giving 2.65 turns lock-to-lock and a 35 ft (10.67 m) turning circle. DMC-12s were originally fitted with cast alloy wheels, measuring 14 in (356 mm) in diameter by 6 in (152 mm) wide on the front and 15 in (381 mm) in diameter by 8 in (203 mm) wide on the rear. These were fitted with Goodyear NCT steel-belted radial tires; because the engine is mounted in the very rear of the vehicle, the DMC-12 has a 35%/65% front/rear weight distribution.^[12]

The DMC-12 features power-assisted disc brakes on all wheels, with 10 in (254 mm) rotors front and 10.5 in (267 mm) rear.

[edit] Performance

John De Lorean had originally envisioned that the car would produce somewhere around 200 horsepower, but eventually settled on a 170 horsepower output for the engine. However, stringent US emissions regulations required that parts such as catalytic converters be added to the vehicle before it could be sold in that country. Although the new parts qualified the vehicle for sale in the US, they caused serious reductions to power output, to 130 horsepower. The 40-horsepower loss seriously impeded the DMC-12's performance, and when combined with the forced changes to the vehicle's suspension system, the US versions were regarded as disappointing. De Lorean's comparison literature noted that the DMC-12 could achieve 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) in 8.8 s, which would have been good for the time, but Road & Track magazine clocked the car at 10.5 s. However, it's possible that the factory performance numbers were achieved using a European spec car with the 170 horsepower engine.^[13]

[edit] Pricing

New DMC-12s had a suggested retail price of $25,000 ($650 more when equipped with an automatic transmission); this is equivalent to approximately $52,200 in 2007 dollars. There were extensive waiting lists of people willing to pay up to $10,000 above the list price; however, after the collapse of the De Lorean Motor Company, unsold cars could be purchased for under the retail price.^[14]

The DMC-12 was only available with two factory options including a no-cost manual transmission or automatic transmission ($650) and the choice of a grey or black interior. Several dealer options were available, including a car cover ($117); floor mats ($84); black textured accent stripes ($87); grey scotch-cal accent stripes ($55); a luggage rack ($269) and a ski-rack adapter. The standard feature list included stainless steel body panels; gull-wing doors with cryogenically-treated torsion bars; leather seats/trim; air conditioning; an AM/FM cassette stereo system; power windows, locks and mirrors; a tilt and telescopic steering wheel; tinted glass; body side moldings; windshield wipers; and an electric rear window defogger.^[15][16]

Prices for DMC-12s vary widely and are dependent upon supply and demand. As of early 2007, a Delorean in good to excellent condition can be had for around $20,000 to $29,000. Mint-condition cars can fetch up to $50,000. There are an estimated 6,000 surviving DMC-12s today. Some of the larger parts carry a steep price tag, such as the fiberglass underbody. Most parts are reasonably priced and readily available.

[edit] Production changes

Although there were no typical "yearly" updates to the De Lorean, several changes were made to the De Lorean during production. John De Lorean believed that model years were primarily a gimmick used by automobile companies to sell more cars. Instead of making massive changes at the end of the model year, he implemented changes mid-production. This resulted in no clear distinction between the 1981, 1982, and 1983 model years, but with subtle changes taking place almost continuously throughout the life of the De Lorean. The most visible of these changes related to the hood style.

[edit] Hood styles

The original hood of the De Lorean had grooves running down both sides. It included a gas flap to simplify fuel filling. The gas flap was built so that the trunk could be added to the total cargo area of the De Lorean. These cars typically had a locking gas cap to prevent siphoning. In 1981, the hood flap was removed from the hood of the cars (although the hood creases stayed). This style was retained well into 1982. Based on production numbers for all three years, this hood style is probably the most common. After the supply of locking gas caps was exhausted, the company switched to a non-locking version (resulting in at least 500 cars with no gas flap, but with locking gas caps). The final styling for the hood included the addition of a De Lorean logo and the removal of the grooves, resulting in a completely flat hood. All changes to the hood were made not to alter the look of the car, but for a much more practical reason: production was faster with the non-grooved design. DMC also had problems creating the hoods with the grooves, as the stainless steel would often crack in the process.

[edit] Other changes

John DeLorean was 6'4" (193 cm) tall, and he designed the car to comfortably fit someone of his stature. For shorter people, the addition of a pull strap made closing the doors much easier from the inside. Pull straps were manufactured as an add-on for earlier vehicles in November 1981. These attach to the existing door handle. Late-model 1981 cars, and all cars from 1982 and 1983, have doors with integrated pull straps.

The side bolstering in the De Lorean was originally separate from the main interior pieces. There is a tendency to place pressure on this piece when entering and exiting the car. This will eventually cause the bolstering to become separated from the trim panel. To help fix this problem; cars built in and after late 1981 have one solid trim piece with the bolster permanently attached.

As an addition to later cars, a foot rest or "dead" pedal — in the form of an unusable pedal — was added to the cars to help prevent fatigue while driving. This is one of the few changes that is directly tied to a model year. These were not built in to any 1981 vehicles, and were added to all cars starting with 1982 production.

Although the styling of the De Lorean's wheels remained unchanged, the wheels of early-model 1981 vehicles were painted grey. These wheels sported matching grey centre caps with an embossed DMC logo. Early into the 1981 production run, these were changed to a polished silver look, with a contrasting black centre cap. The embossed logo on the centre caps was painted silver to add contrast.

In 1981, the De Lorean came stocked with a Craig radio; this was a standard 1980s tape radio with dual knob controls. Since the Craig did not have a built-in clock, one was installed in front of the gear shift. De Lorean switched to an ASI stereo in the middle of the 1982 production run. Since the ASI radio featured an on-board clock, the standard De Lorean clock was removed at the same time.

The first 2,200 cars produced used a windshield-embedded antenna. This type of antenna proved to be inadequate for most motoring needs, so a standard whip antenna was added to the outside of the front right quarter panel. While improving radio reception, this resulted in a hole in the stainless steel, and an unsightly antenna. As a result, the antenna was again moved, this time to the rear of the car. Automatic antennas were installed under the grills behind the rear driver's-side window. While giving the reception quality of a whip antenna, these completely disappear from view when not in use.

The small sun visors on the De Lorean have vinyl on one side, and headline fabric on the other side. Originally these were installed such that the headliner side would be on the bottom when not in use. Later on in 1981, they were reversed so that the vinyl side would be on the bottom.

The original Ducellieralternator supplied with the early production DMC-12s could not provide enough current to supply the car when all lights and electrical options were on; as a result, the battery would gradually discharge, leaving the driver stranded on the road. This happened to De Lorean owner Johnny Carson shortly after he was presented with the vehicle. Later cars were fitted from the factory with higher output Motorola alternator which solved this problem.

[edit] Special DMC-12s

Several special-edition DMC-12 cars have been produced over the years, including several that were used in the films of the Back to the Future trilogy. Seven DeLoreans were used and modified with props after purchase to make them look like time travel machines throughout the trilogy.

One of several DeLorean prototypes is still in existence, and is currently undergoing a complete restoration at De Lorean Motor Company of Florida (DMCFL). There have also been major finds in the last few years of "pilot cars". These cars, used for testing of the De Lorean, had been thought destroyed. The test car featured on the front cover of Autocar in 1981 announcing the De Lorean to the world was found in 2003 in a barn in Northern Ireland; it is currently undergoing restoration. Production of the De Lorean started at VIN 500. VINs 502 and 530 were used by Legend Industries as a proof of concept for a twin-turbo version of the standard De Lorean PRV-V6 engine. VIN 530 is undergoing a restoration at PJ Grady's in New York. Vin 502 is owned by DMCFL and is going through a full Concours restoration at that location.Only one other twin-turbo engine is known to exist: it was purchased in the late 1990s by an individual owner. There is also another Delorean that in its own right will soon join the ranks of becoming a Legend Car, VIN 570, which is now being converted to a full Legend(reproduction) Car by Chris Nicholson, the present owner of vin 00570.

VIN 500, notable for being the first production De Lorean to roll off the line in 1981, is on display in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.^[17]

Only 23 right-hand drive models were made for use in the United Kingdom, and as of 2002 these are valued at £25,000 each.^[18]

For Christmas 1981, A De Lorean/American Express promotion planned to sell one hundred 24k gold-plated DMC-12s for $85,000 each to its gold card members, but only two were sold. One of these was purchased by Roger Mize, president of Snyder National Bank in Snyder, Texas. VIN #4301 sat in the bank lobby for over 20 years before being loaned to the Petersen Automotive Museum of Los Angeles. It has a black interior, and an automatic transmission.^[19]

The second gold-plated American Express DMC-12 is located at the William F. Harrah Foundation/National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. This car, VIN #4300, is the only one of the three existing gold-plated examples to be equipped with a manual transmission. This car has a tan interior. Like its golden siblings, it is a low-mileage vehicle with only 1,442 miles (2,307 km) on the odometer.^[20]

A third gold-plated car exists with 636 miles (1,018 km) clocked up; it carries the VIN plate for the last De Lorean, #20105, though final assembly was actually completed in Columbus, Ohio in 1983.^[21] This car was assembled with spare parts that were required by American Express in case one of the other two that were built were damaged. All necessary gold-plated parts were on hand, with the exception of one door. The car was assembled after another door was gold-plated, though the added door does not precisely match the rest of the car in color and grain. The car was first acquired by the winner of a department store raffle. Consolidated International, which owned the department store, had purchased 1,374 DMC-12s during the De Lorean Company's financial troubles, acquiring the remaining stock after the company went into receivership. Now held by a private owner in La Vale, Maryland, the third and last gold-plated De Lorean is currently for sale at the price of $250,000. This car and the example in Reno have saddle-brown leather interiors, a color scheme which was intended to become an option on later production cars. However, these two cars were the only DeLoreans to be thus equipped from factory parts.

[edit] De Lorean today

De Lorean culture lives on through the existing owners and their passion for the car. Children of the '80s are now able to afford the car that captured their imagination in Back to the Future. A surge in De Lorean interest is evidenced by the cars' eBay availability, and pop-culture references abound.

[edit] Gatherings and communications

The DeLorean Owners Association, (or DOA)founded in 1983, is the largest international DeLorean group. At one time boasting over 2,000 members, membership has declined significantly as DeLorean owners and enthusiasts embrace other options for news, information exchange and technical support including local owner's groups, online forums, two independent DeLorean magazines, national owner conventions, and a number of DeLorean-specific service facilities.

Most notably in the United States, owners have gathered bi-annually (in even numbered years) for the De Lorean Car Show which draws people from all over the world to a different location each time. Back to the Future cast and crew including Bob Gale, James Tolkan, Jeffrey Weissman, and Claudia Wells have made appearances, and even John De Lorean was known to attend before he died.

On years opposite this event (odd numbered years), the DeLorean Motor Company of Texas holds an Open House at their suburban Houston location. The next event will be June 8-10, 2007.

Besides these events, local clubs hold events throughout the year featuring driving tours, road rally scavenger hunts, tech sessions and more. Online, the De Lorean owner base keeps in contact using a mailing list called the [http://www.dmcnews.com/ De Lorean Mailing List (or DML).

[edit] Repair shops

Keeping the cars on the road are the specialties of the three remaining De Lorean repair shops: DeLorean Motor Company, PJ Grady DeLorean, and DeLorean One. These specialty shops service the De Loreans still on the road. The DeLorean Motor Company bought the largest remaining stock of original parts from the Kapac company in 1997. The new DMC (commonly known as "DMC Houston" or "DMC Texas") which has locations in Houston, Florida, The Netherlands, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles, is the only place to find some rare parts, though they also sell through the other full service DeLorean Shops. All parts are available via mail order. Their resources have also allowed some unavailable parts to be produced again, so that replacements for minor parts (such as switches) can now be had for a reasonable price. Overall, obtaining parts is neither difficult nor expensive.

[edit] Magazines

Published once a year, the slickly designed magazine of the DeLorean Owners Association caled DeLorean World Magazine]. Published by the DeLorean Owners Association once a year, DeLorean World Magazine promotes the image and lifestyle of DeLoreans and their owners. Inside you will find technical information, event listings, products, history and exclusive feature stories. This magazine is widely regarded as the only benefit to members, and at $72 per year, is deemed exorbitant by many in the DeLorean community.

Dissatisfaction with DeLorean World magazine resulted in two new magazine publications about the DeLorean car. DeLorean Car Show Magazine (known just as DCS) is published twice a year by Ken Koncelik, and two year subscriptions are $50. There is deloreans, which is published quarterly by DMC (Texas) at $36 per year. Both feature well-written, usable technical articles, news and updates about the DeLorean community, and a host of other features not found in DeLorean World.

[edit] De Lorean in popular culture

When founding his company, John De Lorean negotiated with many celebrities to persuade them to back the new De Lorean car and the company. Johnny Carson, talk show host/comedian, was given a De Lorean and also invested in DMC; other famous owners included Matthew Reilly, Patrick Swayze, Jim Varney, James Bourne, Howard Johnson, and Chevy Chase.

The DMC-12 was featured and mentioned in many films and on television, most notably as the time machine designed by Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy. Brown's rationale for choosing the De Lorean was stated in the first film: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?" He also indicates that the stainless steel construction of the automobile is advantageous for the "flux dispersal" of a time machine. In addition to elaborate enhancements for time travel, the fictional car was later modified with flying capabilities and a "Mr. Fusion" (a fictional fusion reactor, which came from the year 2015 and was very small - about the size of a coffee maker).

Six DMC-12s were co-opted for use in the making of the films. For the second and third films, producers replaced the underpowered stock engines in their production cars with Porsche engines. The Back to the Future Part II De Lorean was seen as a prop that Amanda Bynes rested on in the movie Big Fat Liar.

In large part due to the popularity of Back to the Future, the DeLorean has been seen in many other contexts as well, including The Simpsons, The Wedding Singer, The Fairly Oddparents, Monster Garage, Rocky 3, Malibu Express, Drawn Together, Family Guy, Haker, Get a Life, Matlock, Stargate Atlantis, Eerie Indiana, Donnie Darko, Harvey Birdman, Designing Women and also Minoriteam. In most of these films and television shows, actors are seen driving a DMC-12 or mentioning the De Lorean in dialogue. As well, the DeLorean is referenced during a television spot on The Learning Channel as part of their life lesson ad campaign. It can also been seen in Stuntaman's Fly, where the car is used as a time machine. The theme of the video is easily recognized as Back to the Future.

The DMC-12 has also been featured in many computer games, most notably in the Back to the Future games; but also in Carmageddon: Splat Pack (1997), Duke Nukem: Time to Kill (1998), South Park Rally (1998), Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now (1998), M25 Racer (1999), Interstate '82 (1999), Vigilante 8: Second Offense (1999), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (2002), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (lookalike, sans gull-wing doors, named "Deluxo"), R Racing Revolution (2004), Gran Turismo 4 (2005), Enthusia Professional Racing (2005), FlatOut 2 (2006), Redline (2006), and Scarface: The World is Yours (2006) (with scissor doors instead of gull-wing doors, named "Delphine"). It is also downloadable as an add-on car for Midtown Madness 2 in both the original DMC design and the Back to the Future design. Two versions of the DMC-12 from the second "Back to the Future" movies (flying mode and ground mode), (and other back to the future props) are also downloadable for "The Sims" from a popular fan site. In most of these video games, the cars are lookalikes or clones of the De Lorean, though not actually named "De Loreans" or featuring the De Lorean logo, to avoid copyright issues.

[edit] See also

• De Lorean Motor Company
• John De Lorean

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• John Z. De Lorean, Ted Schwarz, Delorean, Zondervan (September, 1985), ISBN 0-310-37940-7
• J Lamm, DeLorean Stainless Steel Illusion, 2nd edition (2003), ISBN 0-9744141-0-7
• R. M. Clarke, Delorean 1977–1995 Gold Portfolio (December 28, 1995), ISBN 1-85520-331-6

[edit] External links

• DeLorean Motor Company Official site of DeLorean Motor Company, with facilities located in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, California and The Netherlands.
• The DeLorean Connection describes the history of the DMC-12 with respect to the Lotus Esprit.
• Gold DeLorean Car of Texas describes the history of one of the 24k gold-plated DMC-12s.

• DeLorean DMC-12 Donation Site