DeLoreans standing test of time

Back to the Future anniversary revs up replica-car sales

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — It may not time-travel, but the DeLorean sports car is finding its way into the future even without a flux capacitor.

People are spending thousands of dollars to have DeLoreans outfitted to resemble the one that starred in the 1985 movie Back to the Future.

About 9,000 DeLorean DMC-12 cars were produced from 1981-82 before the original company went bust. About 6,500 are believed to still exist, easily recognizable with their boxy, stainless-steel bodies and gullwing doors.

The current brand owner, DeLorean Motor Co. of Huntington Beach, handles everything from oil changes to full reconstructions. But as the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future approaches in 2015, there’s been an increase in requests to re-create the movie’s iconic car, according to the Orange County Register.

“I’ve grown up around DeLoreans my entire life. I was dropped off to kindergarten in the actual Back to the Future car. A DeLorean was my first car at age 16,” said Cameron Wynne, DeLorean Motor Co. general manager. “Back to the Future has been a huge part of the business. The car is so well known from a 90-year-old person to a 4-year-old because of that movie. That shows how timeless the car and the brand is.”

Some replicas have been ordered for movie cameos, corporate appearances and even as the ride for a newlywed couple.

DeLorean Motor Co. mechanic Danny Botkin has built six movie replica cars, relying on photos he took when he helped restored the original Back to the Future car.“

Back to the Future is getting bigger and bigger, especially among kids who watched the movie in 1985 and now have enough money to own a piece of it,” Botkin said.

Each replica costs about $45,000. Passengers can punch in a “destination time” on the control panel and pull a lever to activate the pulsing lights of the time circuit. The parts are re-created using military surplus and other equipment, such as a jet engine oil cooler.

But the DeLorean isn’t resting on its laurels. The company is working on an all-electric version. The company wants it to travel 100 miles on a charge and accelerate from zero to 60 in under 5 seconds.

However, it won’t need the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity required by the movie version.