Stainless Exterior/2.8 Liter EFI V6/Leather Interior/Gull Wing Doors

1981 DeLorean DMC-12

John Zachary DeLorean was indisputably a brilliant engineer. A flamboyant, aggressive business executive who burst out of the staid, yes-men culture of the 1950s, he would prove to be an early model of the modern American visionary-think Jobs, Bezos, Zuckerberg-who discarded convention in pursuit of a singular vision. In his case, that meant trying to create the greatest sports car the world had ever seen. He also was accused of being a thief, a fraud, an embezzler and a brazen con man who fooled everyone he ever did business with, from celebrities to superpowers, bilking them out of millions of dollars in the process. DeLorean's longtime attorney and staunch personal advocate Howard Weitzman told the Los Angeles Times after the carmaker's death in 2005 that "John DeLorean had one of the most warped views of right and wrong" he had ever come across.

For consignment a car from a visionary GM executive who attained rock star status, and failed to conform to the corporate norms, so he set out on his own, and created the DeLorean Motorcar Company, which operated in Belfast, Ireland, and produced his visionary stainless steel car with the gull wing doors. Here we have an example which is a rare find, as there were a mere 9000 produced, and even less (approximately 6,000) sold. Low mileage, and a piece of history even though some of the story is somewhat shady.

Exterior
This aero wedge-shaped car is fabricated out of all stainless steel. It will never rust, just dull a bit, but then you get out the Brillo pad. A rectangular snout with dual square headlights flanking a simple black grille, all within a neoprene crash bumper, and the fun starts. All fabricated and artfully shaped stainless-steel mixes with black trimmings around the windows rockers and side beltline trimmings. With Ferrari like lines it retains a low center of gravit, and with the 14 inch for the front and 15 inch for the rear turbine style wheels has a futuristic look (Or should I say back to the futuristic look!?). The gull wing doors are a very unique feature and actually create a very quiet interior ride due to their sealing mechanism in the down position. On back a wide stance is accentuated by a long sloping rear glass, covered with wide louvers for protection from the sun. The rear panel houses the running lights, brake lights, reverse lights, turn signals, and look like a 1980s computer grid one usually sees showing up in a campy Sci Fi movie. These high-tech grids are hovering just above a black embossed DELOREAN badged rear rubber bumper.

Interior
The futuristic gull winged doors inside are covered in black leather and offer up a very simplistic design. The subway styled stand up hangers are the door pulls aiding the seated driver to reach the actual door. Inside are "spacey" high back buckets, also in black leather. These flank a center console with a storage area, numerous toggles, and the manual shifter. This console rises to the dash where we see temp and airflow controls, and a Panasonic aftermarket AM/FM/CD player stereo. A rectangular "bump up" provides a clear view of the gauge cluster, and an original leather covered steering wheel is fronting the dash. Dark gray carpet covers the floors and is mostly clean and stain free. Pushing the seat backs forward, reveals a carpeted storage space which remains nicely preserved. Way back is the engine bay, yes, it's a rear engine car.

Drivetrain
2.8 Liters of V6 power which is a PRV engine (Peugeot, Renault, Volvo) with Bosch K-jetronic fuel injection. An original 5-speed manual transmission is attached, with a 3.44 axle configuration. All is looking good under the rear deck.

Undercarriage
Underneath we note a mix of fiberglass and stainless for the undercarriage, and plenty of ground effects to cover most of the undercarriage. All rust free, we see MacPherson Strut suspension in the back, and upfront independent coil springs. Power disc brakes are all around.

Drive-Ability
This car started right up and drove well on the test track. Not particularly known for its power, it had good acceleration, decent handling and was a pleasurable drive. All seemed to be functioning well at the time of this drive.

Bathed in stainless steel, and eventually cocaine, used as a scheme by DeLorean to try to help save his company, we now have a unique vision from an automotive visionary, who actually came up with the concept of the Pontiac Firebird. A sporty looker, gull wing doors and black sporty leather interior, you are ready to go back in time... Await the lightning!

VIN DECODE
SCEDT26T9BD001462
SCE-World Manufacturer
D-Delorean
T-DMC-12
2-2 Door Coupe
6-2.8L PRV V6
T-Manual Belts
9-Check Digit
B-1981
D-Dunmurry Assy Plant
001462-Sequential Unit Number

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.