, the DeLorean Motor Company was named after a real person—John Z. DeLorean. DeLorean was a General Motors executive who decided to quit his job and take on the automotive world on his own.
In 1977, John DeLorean announced he wanted to create his very own luxury
. After years of trials and tribulations, it appeared DeLorean was close to his dream. Advertisers showed custom-gold DeLorean plates available for purchase.
On Jan. 21, 1981, the first DeLorean DMC-12 was produced and sold by John DeLorean. DeLorean then closed down in 1983.
About 15 years after the original DeLorean was produced and long after the company closed, the DeLorean Motor Company was founded by Brit Stephen Wynne in 1995. According to
, the DeLorean Motor Company has only offered redesigns and rebuilds of existing DeLoreans since 1995. It tried to bring back the car in 2011 and 2016, but was unsuccessful—until now.
What was the original DeLorean car?
The original DeLorean—and the one seen in the Back to the Future trilogy—is a DeLorean DMC-12. According to Time, the car was shaped like a flying wedge, had an overall gas mileage 22 mpg, and of course, gold plated design accents. At the time of production, a DeLorean DMC-12 was selling for about $85,000.
Its futuristic design as a two-door coupe featuring doors that swing up instead of out made it a perfect candidate to be featured in Back to the Future. Interestingly enough, according to
Clearly, DeLorean has taken a long hiatus from the car manufacturing world. But, they’re ready to rejoin it with one of the hottest car trends today—electric vehicles. DeLorean recently announced they are bringing back the DeLorean DMC-12 as an electric vehicle.
The news was teased in a commercial during the Super Bowl pregame.
To make this happen, DeLorean Motor Company is partnering with the city of San Antonio, where it will have its headquarters. According to
, the headquarters will bring 450 new jobs to San Antonio.
“We are grateful for the tremendous support we’ve received from the community. San Antonio boasts a growing component and vehicle manufacturing sector as well as a wide array of global advanced manufacturing operations.
“This allows us countless synergies between established companies and suppliers in the broader region. A deep talent pool and a strong local academic ecosystem will foster further innovation,” said Joost de Vries, CEO of DeLorean Motor Company, as reported by Fox San Antonio.