We all know blockbuster heroes such as Daniel Craig, Bruce Willis or Margot Robbie, but sometime it’s a four-wheel star that outshines the entire cast and ultimately transcends time. Iconic vehicles like The Italian Job Minis, Ecto 1 from Ghostbusters or more recent automotive achievers like Baby Driver’s Subaru. However, one of the most iconic movie cars ever was nearly swapped out at the last moment. It turns out that the DeLorean of Back to the Future fame was nearly switched for a Ford Mustang.
Those of you that are real cinema-lovers might already know about the trials and tribulations of this now legendary film. It hit many a hurdle before making it to the big screen, with one of the biggest being Disney passing up on the opportunity to make the movie happen. Then there was the infamous reshoots where the original Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz, was erased for Michael J Fox. The production didn’t have buckets of money, and so movie execs looked for ways to feature some product placement.
You don’t have to look very hard to find brands like Nike and Pepsi in the movie, both providing amusing futuristic takes on their products while contributing to production costs. However, when it was decided that Doc Brown’s time machine should be a car, executives very nearly penned a deal with Ford worth $75,000 – a figure that would have been a big help.
The contract would have seen the DeLorean switched for a modified Ford Mustang, but this finically beneficial arrangement was quickly killed off by screenwriter Bob Gale. He famously exclaimed “Doc Brown doesn't drive a f••king Mustang!”
We all know that the DMC-12 made the cut, but not because it was the timeless design icon that it is today. In fact, back in period the DeLorean was a bit of a joke owing to not being all that fast, having questionable build quality and the drug scandal that ultimately served as the final nail in DMC’s coffin. The car was out of production by the time the movie launched, but there’s no doubt that the whole series of films cemented the model’s fame.
Would Back to the Future still be a hit if it starred a Mustang? If it did, would the DMC-12 be as coveted as it is today? You’d need a time machine to go back and tamper with event to find out.
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Keyword: How the Back to the Future DeLorean was nearly a Ford Mustang