Future from the Past, DeLorean's One and Only DMC-12
We're finally discussing another legend
DMC-12
Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the very first prototype of the DMC-12 were appeared in October 1976 by William T. Collins, former chief engineer of Pontiac carrying a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. At first, it was intended to use a Wankel rotary engine by Comotor but unfortunately, this NSU-Citroën joint venture company ended their Wankel engine production and left DeLorean in need of another powerplant alternative. The choice fall into Peugeot-Renault-Volvo's (PRV) Fuel-injected 2.8L V6 was chosen instead of Ford's "Cologne V6" engine first favored by the company. Not only that, the layout was changed from mid-engine to rear-engine layout, the same as those of old Volkswagen and Porsche's flagship product.
The chassis was initially planned to be produced from a new and untested manufacturing technology known as elastic reservoir moulding (ERM), which would lighten the car while presumably lowering its production costs. This new technology, for which DeLorean had purchased patent rights, was eventually found to be unsuitable. These and other changes to the original concept led to considerable schedule pressures. The entire car was deemed to require almost complete re-engineering, which was turned over to engineer Colin Chapman, founder and owner of Lotus Cars. Chapman replaced most of the unproven material and manufacturing techniques with those then employed by Lotus, like the steel backbone chassis the same as in the Lotus Esprit.
The initial production started in 21st January 1981 at DeLorean Motor Cars Limited factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. The initial cost for DeLorean to start the company from scratch is $175 Million where a Hollywood celebrities Johnny Carson and Sammy Davis Jr., Invest on the firm. Not only that, North Ireland Development Agency offered DeLorean £100 Million to build his factory in a suburb of Southwest Belfast instead of in Puerto Rico. English government also wanted to supress the riot between Christians and Protestants there by providing them a place to make money. Due to inexperience workers, the quality issues overcomed in 1982 and the cars were sold for 1 year warranty and five-year service contract.
DeLorean went into trouble just to keep his company running. He was accused of drug trafficking in October following by the company's bankruptcy in late 1982. To continue the rest of production, Consolidated International handled the assembling of 100 remaining of the car, giving the DMC-12 they build with a new VIN numbers unlike the styling used by DMCL. It was presumed that around 9200 DMC-12s ever produced from January 1981 to December 1982. The price of the car at that time was $25,000 instead of the initial price of $12,000 (That's where the 12 came from), far more expensive than a Chevy Corvette at that time with $16,000 price tag. The sale wasn't sweet not just because of that but also America's economy in poor shape, the unproven quality of the car, and of course the high price tag. This forced the DeLorean operation to set up several U.S. "Quality Assurance Centers." They did major reworking of the autos before delivery to dealers and ate heavily into company profits. At one point, it took 140 hours to make the DeLorean suitable for sale — at a cost of up to $2,000 per auto.
There was an attempt to resurrect this icon. In 2008, "New" DeLorean DMC-12 models are once again available for purchase by DMC Texas. More accurately, these DeLorean's are newly assembled, using a combination of original, replacement, and reproduction parts. The new cars look virtually identical to the originals, but the underpinnings and interior features are completely modern. Prices for a new DeLorean range from $57,500 to $72,000. On October 18, 2011, it was announced that an all-electric model would be available for sale by 2013. It was said to have a 200-horsepower (150 kW) motor, accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 8 seconds, and sell for US$90,000. Initial test drives revealed that the prototype had a range of 70 miles (110 km), approaching the 100 miles (160 km) that was announced, 2014 saw criticism from fans who tried to buy the electric DeLorean only to learn that it was still unavailable. Due to the passage of the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturing Act, DMC Texas announced that they would be producing replica DeLoreans with an expected release date in 2017. DMC anticipates to build approximately 50 vehicles per year over the next 6 years with an estimated retail price of $100,000. In October 2016, DMC announced that they are expecting to build 12 units in the first production year with as many as 50 in the second year of production.
Well there you have it, its not so bright knowing these stuff, yeah, like every other story, its not just happy element. Good reading? you decide, and make sure to leave a comment!
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