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I think you're catching downvotes cause most people now think the DeLorean was cool because of the movies.
They don't realize it flopped due to being insanely heavy, overheating, and other mechanical problems. Really expensive, as well. Also, the whole thing with the owner being busted for a massive amount of cocaine.
The parallels are actually pretty funny and you're not wrong.
Except it does still look cool. It's just that the drivetrain sucked. If I even got one, I'd replace it with an EV drivetrain. There's pretty good options now. You don't even have to pull parts from a totaled Tesla anymore.
John DeLorean also got acquitted on the drug trafficking charges when it was found he was entrapped.
If only weighs 2800lbs and most of the mechanical problems were sorted out quickly in production. The financial crash, high interest rates, negative publicity from the drug trial, and the election of Margaret Thatcher as British PM killed the company. It was a “death by 1000 cuts” situation.
To be fair I'm pretty sure the delorean was supposed to have a Ford V8, but supplier bailed last minute and left them scrambling. Thus the anemic puegot v6 it wound up with ..
At one point, it was suppose to have had a rotary engine, but I'm not sure when that was changed. There's one out there with a Mazda swapped in.
I remember watching the director commentary on the first movie and they made a joke about the 88 mph thing because the car could barely do it. If I recall the later car in the films was a Volvo underneath.
I didn't know that about the Volvo, that's pretty funny. Means it was cheaper and easier to do a body swap than try and keep one properly running. Maybe it was just that hard to get parts.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/so-where-are-all-the-remaining-back-to-the-future-deloreans/
A bit more info.
I had to look up a sand rail chasis. I'm more of a machine guy than a car guy. Totally a dune buggy pipe frame with integral roll cage.
I guess they did body swaps when doing offroad. Which totally makes sense. Not sure if the DeLorean is a sports car or a sedan, but the frame wasn't built for Hollywood stunts.
Marty even comments on the Doc's choice in the movie.
"You made a time machine... out of a DeLorean?!"
It was in the same weight range as what Ferrari was putting out at the time. Those stainless steel panels are very thin sheets over fiberglass. They don't add as much weight as you'd think.
Most of the other issues were fixed by VIN 3000, but their reputation was set by then. Getting framed by the FBI in a drug sting didn't help, either. It has a lot of very thoughtful features, like a gull wing door design that only comes out 11" and won't hit the car parked next to you.
It got caught up in a bunch of regulatory changes that were happening the late 70s/early 80s. Just a bad time to start a new car company, or to make a sports car at all. There aren't many memorable cars from the time period for anything other than looks.