Retro-futurism is an art movement that seeks to imitate depictions of the future from the perspective of the past.
Retro is nostalgia. Retro-futurism is nostalgia for a time you never knew. And that’s the reason why nine times out of 10, cars that attempt to draw inspiration from Retro-futurism don’t catch on — because they are designed for a time period that doesn’t exist.
This was certainly the case with the DeLorean DMC-12. Upon its conception, it wanted to rethink every aspect of the car. Radical stainless steel construction. Gullwing doors. A complete rethink of chassis engineering. And, as originally intended, a Wankel rotary engine.
After the prototype debuted in 1976, people couldn’t wait to get their DeLorean. There was a waiting list of eager buyers willing to pay over the asking price. The hype was real.
The final product, however, failed to deliver on many promises. That chassis technology was found unsuitable for production. The revolutionary (no pun intended) rotary engine was ditched for a humdrum Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6. The interior was changed significantly, and many of the promised features were absent.
A stainless steel panelled future-mobile that over-promised revolutionary tech while seeking to reinvent its segment, but ultimately fails to deliver anything other than a fashion statement — does any of this sound familiar?
While sales were strong for the first month, they swiftly fell off a cliff. DeLorean produced 7,500 cars in 1981, but by the end of the year, had sold less than half. By the end of 1982, the company filed for bankruptcy. Sales were so bad that many dealers refused to buy new inventory for the 1982 model year, still sitting on unsold 1981 models.
Despite the sales dip, this absolutely pristine DeLorean DMC-12 listed privately for sale in Edmonton, Alta., through AutoTrader is one example that was sold in 1982. It has since undergone a restoration so comprehensive that you could swear it was unsold inventory sitting in an old warehouse.
Not the case. This car was originally purchased in Minnesota before being imported to Ontario in 2003. If you’re wondering, “Who in Minnesota would ever buy a DeLorean?” you should know that DeLorean had four dealerships in that state alone. They really thought they were going to have a hit on their hands.
It's believed that around 2,000 cars were produced by DeLorean in 1982 and about 9,000 in total from 1981 to 1983. However, leftover inventory and various factory shutdowns make it difficult to estimate exactly how many actual ‘82 models there are and how rare this particular DeLorean is.
Even without the cocaine scandal, DeLorean was a sketchy company. The 1983 models are believed to have mostly started life as partially assembled 1982 models. But since no records have been recovered from the factory, we may never know.
What’s probably more impressive is that no current or former owner did the obvious, boring thing by turning this DMC-12 into a Back to the Future clone. They left it purely original — a glimpse at what people thought the future might look like in the ‘80s.
While it may have looked out of place back then, it actually feels like it fits in today. That’s because real car designers worked on this car. Its looks were conceived by famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus, redesigned the chassis. And John DeLorean, for all his quirks, had a track record for bringing genuinely brilliant cars to market.
The DMC-12 may have been ambitious, but it wasn’t totally a man-child’s fever dream scribbled on the back of a napkin because they thought it would be cool. It took a real shot at advancing the automotive conversation, even if it was a little gimmicky.
This buyer wants $125,000 for their DeLorean. That sounds pretty steep for a car they couldn’t give away in 1982 and considering that its rarity can’t be confirmed.
But we don’t usually see more than one listed on AutoTrader at a time and almost never in pristine condition. And somehow, unlike the latest stainless steel flop, this one just keeps improving with age.
