Back to Back to the Future, Again
The Detroit Free Press (and everyone else) reports that the new DeLorean Motor Company (yes, they can legally use that name) in Humble, Texas will begin limited production of a brand new batch of Back to the Future-mobiles. The DeLorean redux will be re-made using about 80 percent original parts, squirreled away and placed in a time capsule for just such an eventuality (strange that). Thankfully, the new manufacturer's planning a few improvements (not shown here): structural upgrade (those bendy gullwing doors were just sad), electronic upgrades (replacing the car's notorious Lucas-aid) and more power (it was supposed to be a sports car). DeLorean redux hopes to sell the cars for around $57.5k– about the same as an '81 model adjusted for inflation or two ounces of cocaine (street price).
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$57K is a little steep, but I still want one. I don't know why, they're not terribly fast, nor handle terribly well, but on style alone, I think it'd be great. I'd even take a new-old Bricklin. I guess I like driving odd cars.
Prius can do 0-60 in 9.5 seconds, guys. Some testers have come up with 10 seconds. Just for a little review, this was once considered high performance (when our dads had mid-sized sedans with small block V8's in the 1960's). A 1974 police spec AMC Matador (think LAPD) with 401 cubic inch (that's 6.6 litres for the conversion challenged) V8 could do 0-60 in just under 15 seconds. About what mid-1960's six cylinder cars could do. So 1981 Deloreans were not as "fast" as V8 Corvettes, but they weren't slugs in comparison, either.
Hey, don't underrate those little outfits down in Humble, Texas. Many years ago an uncle was a young lawyer in Houston. He was approached by a small, new oil company to become its corporate counsel. He went out to talk to them and found they were in an unimpressive wood building. "We may be little now," he was reassured, "but someday we're going to be big." He decided to pass on their offer. It was Humble Oil, which is better known now as Exxon.
I think their marketing plan is based on the first crop of owners being passed on by now so nobody can point out what an awful piece of crap these things were. Sure, they had "style" - but it's implemented using just about the worst possible components and corners were cut in unexpected places. If you'd ever driven or even ridden in one of these things, you wouldn't be glad to see them come back. Even with all the promised improvements, it still won't reach the level of "substandard."