Cocaine trafficking. Blackmail. An FBI sting operation. Terrorism. Political promises. Boardroom bust-ups. A handsome hero. A supermodel wife. Oh, and a supporting cast of cool cars. The DeLorean DMC-12 is recognisable to almost everyone because of that movie. But the true story of the DeLorean Motor Company, its charismatic founder and its catastrophic downfall, seems almost as far-fetched. Sadly, nobody can go back in time to change this one.
The DMC-12 itself can be changed, though, which is where Electrogenic comes in. The Oxfordshire company has transformed the petrol-powered coupe into an EV, finally providing the performance to match its space-age styling. If electric cars are the future, this DeLorean is a way of going back to… well, you get the idea.
A state of flux
Before we fire up the flux capacitor (spoiler alert: there isn’t one) let’s briefly tell the story of John Z. DeLorean. Born in the Motor City of Detroit, DeLorean graduated in industrial engineering, then spent the bulk of his career at General Motors, where he launched the Pontiac GTO – America’s first muscle car.
Talented and charismatic, DeLorean rose swiftly through the ranks at GM, becoming vice president by 1972. Despite being tipped for the top job, however, he left the company within a year to pursue his dream. In 1981, it hit the streets in the angular, avant-garde shape of the DMC-12. But DeLorean’s dream would soon become a nightmare.
Made from stainless steel, with styling by Giugiaro and scene-stealing gullwing doors, the DMC-12 was an ambitious attempt to reinvent the sports car. Yet it also suffered from many cost-related compromises. John DeLorean envisioned a mid-mounted rotary engine, for example, while the production reality was a lacklustre PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 installed aft of the back axle.
The DMC-12 was also a victim of circumstances. A hefty grant from the British government brought the DeLorean Motor Company to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where it could provide much-needed jobs. Unfortunately, many of the workers were inexperienced at building cars and the sectarian violence of the time led to part of the factory being firebombed.
Back To The Future
All this added up to enormous quality control problems and, as the early 1980s recession began to bite, spiralling debts for DMC. To make matters worse, the car’s US target price of $12,000 (hence the ‘DMC-12’ name) had doubled, making it more expensive than a Porsche 911.
In 1982, an embattled John DeLorean was targeted by the FBI and arrested for his alleged part in a multi-million cocaine deal. Although later acquitted on all charges, it was the end of his career – and of his car company.
The credits might have rolled there, but for Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox and a popular movie called Back To The Future. You may have heard of it. The film and its two sequels catapulted the DMC-12 back into the public consciousness, transforming it into an instant cult car.
Creating an electric dream
Today, more than 70 percent of the 8,500-or-so DeLoreans made remain on the road. Yet while their stainless steel panels haven’t corroded, a stock DMC-12 is now slower than most superminis. Even reaching 88mph – the speed at which time travel becomes possible – is an effort.
Electrogenic’s answer is a fully reversible EV conversion that swaps the woeful 130hp V6 for a 215hp electric motor pulling power from a 42kWh battery. With a kerb weight only 30kg heavier than the petrol car, the 0-62mph time is halved to 5.0 seconds, with a top speed of 130mph.
Charging at up to 60kW using a CCS connector, the battery can be filled from 10-80 percent in about 45 minutes, and offers a range of 150 miles. Most of the new electric hardware resides in the former engine compartment, meaning the ‘frunk’ is still usable. Unlike a 911, though, the DeLorean doesn’t have rear seats.
Inside the DeLorean DMC-12
I lift the huge and hefty door and drop down into a flat, American-sized seat. DeLoreans weren’t particularly well-built when new (many cars needed hours of costly remedial work before reaching showrooms), and they are now approaching middle-age. The leather looks like plastic and plastic looks like it came from Playmobil.
Maybe it’s just Hollywood stardust, but despite all that, being inside a DMC-12 still feels special. The driving position is so laid-back you’re almost lying down, cocooned by a tall centre console and peering through a letterbox windscreen. It seems wide even by modern standards, while those oh-so-80s louvres mean rearward vision is nearly non-existent. Electrogenic engineer Alex Bavage recommends raising a door to reverse, like in a classic Lamborghini Countach.
In place of the usual gear lever (for a five-speed manual or three-speed auto ’box) Electrogenic has fitted two rotary controllers. One selects Neutral, Drive or Reverse, while the other flicks between Eco, Normal and Sport modes. There’s also a small digital display alongside the original speedo dial, which only reads to 85mph (a mandated feature in all American-market cars of the time).
With a fully charged battery and an empty Bicester Airfield at my disposal, I’m hoping to exceed that maximum by, ooh… at least 3mph.
California love
Driving the DMC-12 is as straightforward as any EV. Acceleration is smooth and progressive, rather than brutal and stomach-churning, but it certainly feels fast – particularly in Sport mode. On the main straight at Bicester, the speedo needle whipped around to 85mph with ease, then stayed there quivering as the car continued to accelerate.
Electrogenic is a powertrain specialist, rather than a restomod builder, so other aspects of this DMC-12, including its suspension and brakes, have not been upgraded. The latter, in particular, soon become overwhelmed by the extra 85 horses and my lead-footed driving, so I switch to Normal and make use of regen to bolster the braking.
At lower speeds around town, it also allows for one-pedal driving, although you’ll have to grapple with the bicep-building, unassisted steering and that guesswork rear visibility.
For all its added speed, the DeLorean still feels like a car built for California cruising, not hustling along country lanes. It pitches and leans a lot, then scrubs into unsatisfying understeer if you ask too much of its soft springs and dampers. Near the limit, you sense just a hint of Lotus magic – engineers from Hethel helped develop the chassis – but it’s certainly no Esprit. Nor indeed a 911.
Electrogenic DeLorean DMC-12: Verdict
Does that matter? Not really. The DeLorean provides so much sense of theatre that you can’t help but enjoy it. It turns more heads than any supercar and sparks a conversation every time you stop.
For better or worse, Electrogenic’s example still drives like a DMC-12, but the addition of batteries and an electric motor mean you’ll no longer be left behind at the traffic lights. It gives the car the performance it always deserved – and makes sense because the factory-fitted engine was so underwhelming.
All of this comes at a price, of course: upwards of £80,000 for the conversion, plus around £40,000 for a decent DeLorean donor car. But perhaps that’s a fair price for a starring role in your own movie.
As for John Z. (say it ‘zee’) DeLorean, he died in 2005, having seen his car embraced by a new generation of enthusiasts. With hindsight, would he have taken the promotion to CEO at General Motors, rather than dreaming up the DMC-12? Without resorting to time travel, we will never know. But I’d like to think DeLorean had no regrets.
• Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Electrogenic DeLorean DMC-12
PRICE: From £80,000 + donor car
POWER: 215hp
0-62MPH: 5.0sec
TOP SPEED: 130mph
BATTERY SIZE: 42kWh
ELECTRIC RANGE: 150 miles