For years you’ve heard and read the many rumors suggesting a potential return for the iconic 1980s DeLorean gullwing, stainless-steel-bodied sports-car, and 2022 looks like the year it may finally show face. That is, according to the Delorean Motor Company’s website offering breaking updates to fans who sign up for notifications, and their recent video teaser that supposedly aired during the Superbowl pre-game show in select markets.
Of course, the original DeLorean Motor Company actually fell apart many years ago, but the brand’s name was purchased by Stephen Wynne, an English and French car mechanic. Having moved to the U.S. to open his own shop in 1981, the same year that DeLorean’s began hitting the streets, Wynne found that owners were having issues finding mechanics willing to wrench on the limited production vehicles. With multiple owners approaching Wynne for his mechanical expertise and being that Renault components were used throughout; it was a natural fit. He began servicing DeLoreans in addition to his regular vehicle clientele and found great success.
In 1995, after servicing these cars for a decade and having formed and later dissolved a partnership with a DeLorean owner that forged the creation of a mail order parts service and repair brand, Wynne established his DeLorean Motor Company. Purchasing what was left of the manufacturer’s inventory, tooling, and engineering drawings, Wynn would assume the rights to reproduce and sell replacement parts and would later go on to gain control of the brand’s intellectual property. That business still exists and restoration services and parts continue to keep things rolling with eager owners willing to fork over the dough to keep their stainless steel history pieces roadworthy.
Who’s Going To Run DMC
The updated website, which is frustratingly sparse in terms of actual information ($125 DeLorean sweatpants and hoodies are at least readily available) is the product of DeLorean Motors Reimagined LLC—a new name for this EV effort headed by Joost de Vries, former VP for global sales at Karma Automotive, and backed by CMO and former Karma employee, Troy Beetz. News teams in San Antonio, Texas, report that DeLorean Motor Company (not Reimagined, interestingly) intends to set up its corporate headquarters in the region pending the approval of incentive packages, a move that promises hundreds of new jobs.
The name and structure change places founder Stephen Wynn at the helm of the Classic DMC branch of the company, which has a tab on the main DeLorean website, and encourages those swirling rumors of a DeLorean comeback that may equate to a gas-fed offering, while DMR focuses on an electrified modern version. In addition, Italdesign shared the DeLorean teaser when it went live so there’s a possibility they could be involved with the EV model as well, making things even more interesting.
It should be noted that likely none of these developments over the years would ever have gotten off the ground if it not been for the global obsession with that 1985 Robert Zemeckis classic, Back to the Future. The movie starred a 17-year-old Michael J. Fox accidentally thrown 30 years into his past (so, 1955) via a heavily modified, time-traveling DeLorean. As the years have stacked up, nostalgia has only increased and, as with many ’80s- and ’90s-era cars and trucks, perceived value has skyrocketed. A reemergence of the one and only DeLorean will no doubt steal the spotlight once again.
Keyword: This Is Heavy Duty, Doc! Electrified DeLorean Teased, Expected This Year