UPDATE 06/08/16: In a move that should make enthused nostalgists super stoked, the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC)'s VP, James Espy, spoke with MLive Wednesday and gave an update on his revival efforts. Production is expected to kick off in "April or May" of next year, pumping out just one car a month for the first year. "We never intend to build more than 50 per year," Espy said. The new DeLorean will also come with a new, "twice as powerful" engine. The only hold-up? The feds. DMC is sweating the "glacial pace" of new regulations that would make the DeLorean revival possible.
See original story from 01/31/16 below.
The DeLorean that takes Marty McFly back to 1955 in the first Back to the Future movie is a essentially a character in itself. The car, which serves as time machine in the film, and is famous for its snazzy doors, isn't something you see on the streets everyday. Sure, there are a couple replicas in circulation, but they are definitely not something you're look for. That is, until now.
In December there was a new addition to the Motor Vehicles Safety Act that will allow low volume manufactures—like the DeLorean Motor Company—that build fewer than 5,000 cars a year to sell 325 replicas, new ones. While nothing has been exactly finalized yet, this is good news for fans of the vintage car.
Forbes spoke to DeLorean Motor Company's VP James Espey, who said that the new versions of the DeLorean could be released as soon as 2017 and will be released over a two year period. Espey also mentioned the cars will cost anywhere between $80,000 and $100,00.
The main difference between this new model and the ones from the '80s is an updated dashboard. The new DeLorean will feature technology from today so you won't be stuck with all these useless nobs.
"Very few people that I know have an AM/FM cassette player in their car now,” Espey told Forbes. "Most people we talk to love the look of the DeLorean and want the creature comforts that the cars they are used to driving now have."
This could be a big step for the company, which has spent the last couple of years making money by tuning up older cars. I'm certain tons of people will line up to get the classic car, even if its just for nostalgia's sake.
