DeLorean’s comeback will be spearheaded by an electrified version of the iconic DMC-12 in August this year.
DeLorean is plotting a comeback and is readying a new electric sports car, which will be revealed at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on 21st August.
DeLorean previously released the below teaser video on Twitter and YouTube to announce the arrival of the new EV, which the firm is developing with Italdesign – the styling house that penned the original DMC-12.
Speaking on the Italdesign collaboration, DeLorean marketing boss Troy Beetz said: “We are very excited that the next evolution of the DeLorean brand will be represented by our storied partnership with Italdesign and a vehicle that will showcase our vision for the future”.
Whether it’ll be a completely new model or just a conversion kit to electrify the classic DMC-12 is yet to be confirmed. From the teaser video, the new model has the same windscreen shape, long bonnet and gullwing doors as the silver screen icon. This prototype also appears to share the same brushed stainless steel bodywork as its elderly relative.
DeLorean has switched a couple of things up, though – namely the car’s front end. It looks like there’s a slightly different grille and a new badge which runs the full width of the car. The headlights seem to have been swapped for narrower units to make space for the new grille.
The biggest change is set to be the powertrain. The original car was powered by a 2.8-litre V6 engine, which developed 97kW and 207Nm of torque. And, while the powertrain for this reborn model still hasn’t been confirmed, it’s all but certain to be electric – the company used the #ElectricVehicle hashtag in its Twitter announcement.
The original DeLorean DMC-12 found its fame in the 1980s sci-fi film franchise, Back to the Future. However, while the car became a big-screen legend, the company that built it faded into the annals of history, folding only a couple of years into the car’s production run after a spate of financial problems and production difficulties.
DeLorean (at least as a nameplate) recently found its feet again thanks to Stephen Wynne. Back in 1995, he bought up the rights, branding and remaining parts inventory for the firm and set up a new private company headquartered in Texas with the aim of supporting the existing network of owners with parts and servicing.
Yousuf Ashraf