1981 DeLorean DMC-12 “Time Machine”
Quick Specs
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Ron Cobb and Andrew Probert
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Universal Studios
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Driven in Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future II (1989) and Back to the Future III (1990)
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Originally the script called for the time machine to be built out of an old refrigerator, but Bob Gale liked the look of the all steel DeLorean with its gullwing doors that looked like a UFO.
Back to the Future!
The Back to the Future trilogy follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Dr. Emmett L. Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as they travel through 130 years of history. According to “Doc” Brown, inventor of the flux capacitor, the DeLorean provides a perfect base for a time machine since its stainless steel construction allows for greater “flux dispersal.” The DeLorean underwent a Wilson Hover Conversion in 2015 and is propelled through time and space by a combination of gasoline, plutonium, lightning, garbage and 19th century steam locomotive.
When director Robert Zemeckis and Robert Gale conceived of the first film, the DeLorean was cast, in part, because the car’s gullwing doors made it look like an alien spaceship. Over the course of the two sequels, the Time Machine eventually emerged as a character of its own, undergoing progressive transformation due to its time travel experiences. Three visually distinct DeLoreans were created for the trilogy, however, this is the only example to appear in all three films.
Courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood
This Vehicle featured in ‘Hollywood Customs’ Exhibit
1981 DeLorean “Time Machine” Gallery
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