I love Cars. And this is the car that got me into cars. This car was such a black sheep but in a way it was ahead of it’s time. I wish I owned one of these but I’m only 17 so:(
Just shows the love and dedication that went into that car. Makes me wish I still had my '84 Trans Am. It resembled KITT as that was one of my favorites, so I know that feeling of sitting in a car for the first time that previously you always saw on film and fell head over heels for. Thanks for sharing with us man.
I've been an owner of a DeLorean for the last 14 years and it is the best driving car I've ever had and everything about the car is perfect! Of course my car wasn't always in perfect condition considering I found it abandoned 14 years ago in Malibu California where was left to rot since the early 90s and I sent completely restored the entire car myself. I put a lot of modern touches into my car like a two-tone interior and satellite radio with Pandora and Bluetooth hands-free calling along with two way heated seats and it gives this classic 80s car a bit of neewer conveniences but still holds That 80s feel! I made my car a bit faster along with better handling and better brakes and it literally is the ultimate driving machine for me and I am VIN number 11035 January built 82 and I really like this video and thanks for keeping it stock and not making it look like Back to the Future!
So cool Michael! I've wondered about the car forever! So glad to see you made a video about it. Keep up the amazing content! These videos only get better each time.
I can't believe he trusted a car in storage for 30 years to do that. Especially with a limited bank account. Don't get me wrong, it is an awesome story but I wold have been on pins and needles the whole time.
Nice car. I have a 1982 Pointac Firebird TA, the model of car used in the OG Knight Rider show. Unfortunately mine is red instead of black, but I might have it re-painted to black at some point.
Thanks for the great video. I had DeLorean #4497, bought new - like yours, grooved hood, rear power antenna, gray interior. I was one of the very few that got one at list price ($26,500); people were paying $8-10,000 over list when they first became available. (I had had a deposit on the car for two years which guaranteed the price.) Mine was an automatic - obviously a tactical error as it was even slower than the manuals; had a turbo installed which helped a lot at speed but it was still a pig off the line. I had it for about eight years, put about 26,000 miles on it. Great car - I had very few of the problems you hear about, and it was probably the most attention-getting of the 40+ vehicles I've owned so far. After John DeLorean got pinched with the cocaine, I got the vanity plate SNORT, and my license plate frame read "Things Go Better With Coke." It was so cool to see people pull up behind me at a light and watch their faces as they got close enough to read it. (I was careful to NEVER carry anything in the car that even remotely resembled coke.) Actually never got stopped but finally somebody complained and the D.O.T. tried to take it back; had to get a new plate but I never turned in SNORT - still have it.
I truly appreciate you taking the time to show us your car. I've read a lot about the DeLorean, but it's nice to see it on video like this. Great job explaining things. You're such a natural host, dude!
Doug Palumbo I've got a lottery list too! Filming models of the Enterprise from TOS to TUC, the General Lee, KITT, original BSG Cylon centurion, Batmobile '66, the Galactica 1980 Viper cycle, the dune buggy in ST Nemesis, and the Winchester's Impala from Supernatural (all show accurate) and one each of the 'hero' uniforms from all the ST series, Luke's ESB Bespin uniform, and his Jedi robes and oufit from RotJ, original BSG, Stargate, a working spinning Stargate, a Johnny Five from Short Circuit, an R2 unit, Dalek, Cyberman, TARDIS and a K-9. Hey, it's a lottery list lol we can dream!
I'm gonna tell you something that you already know: That is one badass car! And I love that you'll be doing a series on it -- as well as showing off all of the modifications you've done to it -- as I've only ever seen two or three legit DeLoreans in my life; and a couple of those were actual BTTF time machine replicas. So, this is awesomesauce!
DeLoreans are weird cars, wouldn't consider it badass. Looks interesting but it's basically a low-tech heavy plastic tub with stainless steel body panels snapped onto it and a wimpy motor in the back.
My 69 Corvette doesn't start if I don't depress the clutch. The key can't be pulled from the ignition, if it isn't in reverse. Yes, it's an American thing
Olly my 94 Honda requires clutch in to start. My first car a 89 Camry manual required it also. However 80’s Honda’s did not require clutch in to start. My 2000 Miata requires clutch in to start but I installed an override because apparently having the clutch disengaged when starting can cause issues with the crankshaft thrust bearings.
One of my neighbors has one or at least did a few years ago. I was walking past their house and their garage was open. There were some boxes piled on top of it but I could definitely recognize the back end of a DeLorean poking out.
As others have pointed out that they never have to put the clutch down to start it, I guess it is an American thing. Every single car I have owned that is a manual, all the way up to my 2019 car with a push button start, I still have to push the clutch down or no engine start. The reverse thrown all the way to the right and up or whatever that was would definately mess me up though. This is definately my "dream car". This one, and the 59 Cadillac from Ghostbusters, but those are hard to find in good shape that's affordable. But this car is definately doable, especially since there are 3 dealerships here that still build and sell them from new old stock. I'm glad those dealerships are still making these cars...I just want to at least drive one! I cant imagine taking it home for the first time saying to yourself "i cant believe this is actually mine!" I'd have to pinch myself. Great video!
I have watched this video over and over. And the more I watch it the more it fuels the love I already have for the Delorean. Started by Back to The Future. I’m currently searching for one to buy and I’m going to use the Retroblast as a template. Your Delorean is Straight 🔥 . Look forward to more videos on it.
I have a friend that had a DeLorean and he used to joke that it was the only car that could break down without being driven lol! I remember driving it and being amazed at how slow it was. But I loved them as a kid too. Guigiaro body design(same as the Lotus Esprit and VW Scirocco and others)
👍 Thank you for making this. It did answer the question of why some cars looked too high. Didn’t know about the full size wheel not fitting inside the car. That’s a head scratcher.
Where I worked in the UK (Winsford, industrial estate Cheshire), the building next door was a Plastic coating company, I remember hundreds of chassis for the DeLorean coming there to be coated, it must have been in the late 70's early 80's, The company that occupies the site now is Mitras on road one, the company I worked for was Nash Engineering at the time (an American that made liquid ring vacuum pumps & compressors, they were based in Connecticut, Wilson Bld.
The lower riding profile at the front looks SO much better. DeLoreans are such weird, quirky cars, but man... they look fantastic. I dunno if it it's just because we're of that generation that was the right age when Back to the Future came out, but whenever I see a Delorean, I get the same weird butterflies as when I see the 1989 Batmobile, the Millennium Falcon, or a Police Box. I love how you've kept the car as authentic as possible - that little stereo mod is beautiful though. Thanks for sharing, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the RetroBlasting DeLorean. N.B. - it's not that unusual for UK cars with manual transmission to have the reverse select by shifting the stick to the left, and then either down, or sometimes up. I can see how it would confuse or feel unnatural on a left-hand drive car, but on a right hand drive, it's actually fairly normal. Quite why DeLorean didn't go with a more stick shift that felt more natural to American drivers, I'm not sure. Just one of the quirks of the car, I suppose. Mind you, so far as I can tell, most US cars that use a manual transmission almost always seem to favour a column shift (are they manual?Could be automatic - I have no idea), and those just confuse the hell out of me. I think I'd be constantly getting it confused with my indicator and wiper controls. And if the DeLorean's stick shift is puzzling, be grateful you've never driven an old French Citroen - on some models, the headlights would turn with the wheels. Which, kind of makes sense, but is VERY disconcerting. My dad had a couple where the handbrake was a handle mounted IN the centre of the dash, which you'd have to pul toward you to engage, and then there was a little pedal on the floor to release it. French cars are their own special kind of weird. I suppose we should all be thankful Doc brown never built his Time Machine in a Deux Chevaux.
My 1981 Subaru GLF 2-door hardtop did not require pushing the clutch in to start the engine. It was actually listed as a feature in the owner's manual, to allow you to move the car short distances by just using the starter motor in either first or reverse. I utilized the feature a few times, and the engine would actually start in gear with the clutch out while the car was already moving.
I happen to live an hour's drive from DeLorean Motor Company (California) and see a great deal more of them than most people. (As well as living near some of the filming locations of BTTF) I absolutely love seeing these cars around. Yours is just outstanding. The condition is so good.
Michael, I really enjoyed that video, hearing the nitty gritty about the DeLorean's quirks. And that road trip sounded awesome. Looking forward to more videos about this car!
Randomly watching some of retroblasting back catalogue and found this. What a great video. I think only ecto 1 is more iconic that this car but this might be the coolest. Thanks for sharing this look. Very interesting to someone that’s only ever seen this on screen
I once started an older, manual Volvo that didn't require the clutch to be pushed in to start. I nearly launched myself down a steep hill. That would have been a somewhat unpleasant experience! When I first heard when and where you got your DeLorean, I thought I might have seen your car. The one DeLorean I recall seeing in the wild was around that time in 2009. I'm between Connecticut and Georgia -- much closer to CT -- so it seemed possible. However, the one I saw was on a flatbed. That would have been a cool coincidence. Your acquisition of the car makes for a great story. Thanks for the tour. The variations are interesting.
Thank you RetroBlasting! Always wondered why the front wheels had a ridiculous looking gap between tire and fender. Now I know why! Very educational video! Beautiful car! I agree, that version is the best looking DMC-12.
+1 RetroBlasting - Great info and fantastic car! My then brand new 1980 Corvette also had the crappy 85mph speedometer. I believe former President Jimmy Carter was responsible for that hated mandatory change. And it's interesting that the DeLorean's interior layout, especially the dash and console, looks quite similar to my beloved 1986 Fiero GT that I owned for many years. The difference is the Fiero was mid-engined so no room for anything behind the seats. At least there was somewhat of a trunk in the rear that could accommodate a full-size wheel/tire if need be. Cheers from Thailand! 😊
Michael, love that you are keeping it close to stock. I live in the Palm Beach area so I am lucky enough to attend the Barrett Jackson auction (wish I made enough money to buy more than a t shirt and a beer) and I hate it when I see a beautiful old car with too many mods. I think they were perfect the way the rolled off the line but I do LOVE the time circuit display. You gotta mod a DeLorian a little. Also, I'm not taking sides but your ride is cooler than Ernest Clines ;)
I’m not even a huge Back to the Future fan, I just genuinely like this car. The gull-wings are far more practical than people think and the stainless steel body looks great. I like how Tesla are bringing back both those concepts.
Awesome! As a child of the 80s myself I also seriously love that car. Side note: the maintenance guy at my appointment (back in the day... almost another lifetime ago) had a DeLorean. His had the ground FX and giant rear flags. Apparently. Hardest thing for him was the rapidly decreasing availability of replacement body panels. At least that was his situation back around 1998. Great upload. Looking forward to more future videos. Take care!
One of the 8 panels is hard to get, but there are tons of all the others still. Either way-- they can be repaired if need be. Panel replacement should be incredibly uncommon for an owner-- most should never have to do it.
So glad i watched this video. Amazing. Wondering if something happened to it since you commented years ago that someone crashed into it. Is this video before that happened? Thanks.
I have noticed your "DeLorean" in some videos, in particular the opening as well as a bit from your "M.A.S.K." review, but never really questioned it. But I gotta say, it's super rad you own one, great work on restoring most of the car, I can see you and Melinda have some more work to do on it. Look forward to more videos on this car. Great work on this video.
Nice -- that is truly a piece of history. Awhile back, I was watching the special features on my Back to Future DVD box set and evidently the original DeLorean used in shooting the movies simply sat for years in a Universal Studios storage backlot rusting and falling apart. There is an entire mini-documentary about its rescue and restoration with Bob Gale in it. Pretty cool, if you haven't seen it.
Nostalgia Vs common sense right here. How far would you go? Mike goes as far as humanly possible on the nostalgia right here. I bought a Beetle just because of Herbie so I can't say it's a bad car, it's love!
I'm currently in the market for a Delorean and I want the exact same model as yours. Not just because its in the movie but because they look the best. What you have done to it is awesome, keep it stock(almost) like John Z meant it to be, my absolute dream car. Would consider putting a Stage 1 exhaust on it though :)
cool stuff, Theres a few upgrades you should do though. Didnt see a pic of the engine bay but do run the stainless overflow bottle, and for the love of god get stainless braided fuel hoses. We have seen quite a few fires kill these cars past few years with people running original rubber hoses. j ket doesnt like that. Also the stage 1 exhaust really opens her up. Dave McKeen on the DMCTALK forum also sells solid state relays he makes( the solid state rpm relay is a must!) as well as LED's all around really help the cars electrical system and just last and look way better. But very nice car
Nice video! Man, the troubles you have to go through to obtain and maintain a movie car. My Jurassic Park Jeep had all kinds of mechanical issues, title problems, etc. Still worth it though.
Very nice stock example! As much as I like the cars that are tricked it into the time machines, I very early on in the late 80s became very appreciative of the original model. Also just recently saw the episode of Star Trek: TNG that references a flux capacitor (mentioned by Chief O'Brien). I knew they had it somewhere in the show but was just randomly watching the episode and there it was!
Outside of a convoy or a car show these are rare to see in the wild. I'm in my forties and I've only seen four: two were moving, two were parked and one of the two that were parked I was able to get a picture of. If you see one count yourself blessed.
Also to note..no production car in the U.S. in the early 80's was allowed to have a speedometer go past 85. The reason why was to not encourage the over consumption of fuel and energy due to the oil embargo years earlier
