Fans of Back to the Future, rejoice: the DeLorean is going back into production.
It’s the first time since 1982 that new versions of the retro vehicle, made famous by the Michael J. Fox-led franchise, will be available.
“It’s fantastic. It is a game-changer for us. We’ve been wanting this to happen,” DeLorean CEO Stephen Wynne told KPRC2 in Houston. The car will be manufactured in Texas.
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For the past few years, Wynne’s company has been fixing up old vehicles for owners and resellers. According to reports, top-notch used DeLoreans can set a purchaser back between US$45,000 and US$55,000. The new ones, which will be replicas of the original ’80s version, are expected to cost US$100,000. He adds, “There’s no reason to change the appearance of the car.”
Interest in the auto surged last year thanks to Back to the Future Day (Oct. 21, 2015), otherwise known as the day Doc Brown punched time coordinates into the DeLorean in the famed film, sending Marty McFly back to the future.
Anticipation over the cars’ arrival back in 1981 was high. According to TIME, ads at the time touted the vehicle as being a unique invention. The steel version was the most popular, retailing for Us$20,000.
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Several folks ended up purchasing the luxury copy of the car.
“Shaped like a flying wedge, the DeLorean appears to exceed the 55-m.p.h. speed limit while standing still,” TIME noted. “It is expected to get 22 m.p.g., about the same as a diesel-powered 1981 Cadillac Brougham. Entry to its luxuriously appointed interior is through gull-wing doors that tilt up instead of swinging out. The 24-karat car will pose some special maintenance problems. Owners wishing to get any dents knocked out will probably have to return the damaged part to the factory, where the bumps will be pounded out and the piece refinished in gold.”
Wynne hopes his manufacturing company will be able to build at least one car a week starting in 2017; their current rate of production is one a month.
“This is huge for us,” he adds.
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