DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
It might have been the butt of many jokes since its launch, but the decision to use the PRV (Peugeot, Renault, Volvo) V6 engine in the DMC-12 made perfect sense to John DeLorean. He never set out to make a record-breaking, top speed sports car; his vision was always for an ethical and economical sports car for the fuel-crisis era.
Just as Porsche had done with its 924, the DMC-12 was supposed to appeal to customers who didn’t want a hugely powerful gas-guzzler, especially in an era more attuned to economy and well aware of the fragility of crude oil supply. The problem was, it largely wasn’t marketed in this vein, with salesmen pretending that it was an exotic supercar. Unfortunately, 130bhp was nowhere near enough to make the DMC-12 exciting to drive.
In our modern age it’s perhaps easier to understand the DMC-12’s role as more of a kind of proto-Tesla than a failed supercar. If you’re a die-hard sports car driver however, you’re never going to be stirred by the way a DMC-12 drives. If childhood daydreams of inappropriate encounters with your teenage mum or flying skateboards are more your thing, then the DMC-12 certainly has you covered. It’s the main part of the appeal according to most DeLorean owners.
By contrast, the Lotus Esprit has always been one of the great driver’s cars. Some might see it as an awkward contradiction, largely against its creator’s famous mantra. If any exotic supercar can claim to have ‘added lightness’, however, it’s the Esprit; it’s a nocompromise driving machine to the core. It’s one of the lowest and widest classics out there and yet tips the scales at just 1067kg. While other exotics were locked in a constant battle between weight and horsepower, Lotus managed to embarrass many a Modena devotee with just four cylinders and a modest 160bhp.
Neither one of the cabins in these cars would even pass quality control at Dacia now, but they were pretty typical in their day. The Lotus cabin improved immeasurably in S3 guise with improved head room and lavish extras, including ruched leather on the dashboard, door cards and seats and a premium stereo… in the roof. Looking at a DMC-12 cabin next to an Esprit’s is a bit like playing a game of spot the difference. There are a number of unavoidable similarities to the dash and centre console lay-outs, but the DeLorean wins with better details, not least its set of bespoke clocks.
Getting comfortable in either of these machines involves adopting the traditional sports car laid-down orientation. The DMC12 wheel is set so low that you’ll struggle to get your thighs under it if you’re anything over five-foot tall. Taller drivers will also find that the gullwing door arrangment severely impedes headroom. The Esprit isn’t exactly limo comfy, either, but at least it will just about fit taller drivers. The DeLorean is higher off the ground at least, which makes entry and exit a bit easier, though its ergonomics are abysmal. In the Esprit, it might take a little fidgeting for you to find a suitable position, but once you’re in, the pedals, wheel and gearstick are right where any enthusiastic driver expects them to be.