VIDEO: If You've NEVER Wanted A DeLorean DMC-12, This Clip MAY Change Your Mind...

Personally, I have never found anything cool about a DeLorean DMC-12.

OK, I will admit when I was 12 I thought it was cool, though that only lasted for a short period of time.

The production team at Petrolicious recently released one of its videos though and I have to say, these fellows did a fantastic job telling a story. Not only does it go into the remarkable story of Geoff Ombao — a DMC-12 owner — it also goes into the history of John DeLorean.

Perhaps it's Geoff's story and his passion for this specific car, but it definitely made me think twice about the short-lived car that was produced only from 1981 to 1983.

As with just about every Petrolicious clip, it's definitely worth checking out this fine Sunday.



“There was a guy who lived up the street from me who had one,” Geoff Ombao remembers of his boyhood. “And every time he drove by, it was like watching Santa Claus driving the ice cream truck.”

Santa’s ice cream truck, in this instance, was a DeLorean DMC-12, a stainless steel, gullwinged car that–thanks to the Back to the Future film franchise–would be forever associated with time travel in the popular imagination. For Ombao, however, the car’s appeal lies in the marque’s short-lived, tumultuous history.

On pace to become the youngest head ever at General Motors after kickstarting the muscle car era, John DeLorean elected to leave behind the security of Detroit and strike out on his own. For years, he had nurtured dreams of building a new kind of car and, after finally settling on Northern Ireland as his base of manufacturing operations, he set about making this fantasy a reality.

The result was underwhelming, both in performance and in sales. In fact, the DMC-12 might have faded into history as a mere footnote had Robert Zemeckis not cast it as a time machine in "Back to the Future" (1985), a film which made an international superstar of Michael J. Fox and cemented the DeLorean’s place in popular culture. This celebrity also helped to overshadow John DeLorean’s legal troubles, which involved charges of drug running (he was eventually acquitted) in an attempt to finance his failing enterprise.

For Ombao, who is now enrolled as a automotive design student at Art Center in Pasadena, the DMC-12 is thus more than simply a piece of automotive trivia. It is proof that, often, it is the outliers who leave the most lasting legacy.

mre30 - 3/8/2015 5:47:24 PM

+2 Boost

Its an iconic, but really terrible, car. It has poor handling and econo-box power. John DeLorean was a morally bankrupt (and yes financially bankrupt) person and it shows once you own one of these turkeys - its a total piece of junk.

If you want to indulge 1980's nostalgia, go buy a Porsche 944 or 928 for the same, or less money. If you want a collector's car - buy an original Audi ur-Quattro for a little more money. Those are excellent cars that you can still enjoy today.

Unless you are just going to prop open the gullwing doors (the door struts are weak and fail quickly - so you will need a 2 x 4 to keep them open) to look at it and never drive it, you should get something else.

MDarringer - 3/8/2015 7:09:11 PM

0 Boost

The 944 is indeed a better choice.

jmettee - 3/15/2015 8:34:57 PM

+1 Boost

Mre30, the comments you make mean you must have owned & driven a DMC12. I wonder if you've ever even sat in one. Not every car needs to be a powerhouse. As an owner, I have my reasons for owning it & neither power nor handling are the reasons. The car has plenty of character in its design, both inside & out. It was designed to be a a safe car & economical touring car. That's right, touring car...not sports car. The car is fun to drive & starts plenty of conversations.

And the doors stay up fine, not need for 2x4s. That's actually the first time I've heard that bit of misinformation.

Justin

TheSteve - 3/9/2015 12:16:32 AM

+1 Boost

Never wanted one. Still don't want one. See mre30's post for a pile of reasons that reflect my thinking too.