DeLorean Is Building Hype for the Upcoming Alpha 5 Electric Sports Car
John DeLorean created an automotive cultural force with the shockingly futuristic stainless steel car that wore his last name. The company’s tenure was short, spanning just three years in the early 1980s, but its legacy has lived on, thanks mostly to the significant role it played in the massively popular Back to the Future movies. Though DeLorean has been out of business for 40 years, the brand is getting a rebirth, and its return will include a brand-new car.
The “new” automaker, now owned by mechanic Stephen Wynne, has hired a PR firm to help it build hype for the car, which is expected to hit the streets within the next year. It's a notable move, as it's the first time DeLorean has worked with a flagship agency in almost 30 years. It also means that the wait for the new EV is likely almost over
DeLorean’s name is on the company and the car, but he’s no longer part of the business. The current owner bought the naming rights, intellectual property, and all trademarks.
DeLorean’s new car, the Alpha 5, will debut as a strikingly sleek electric car. The company has displayed the concept version a few times, showing a vehicle with some nostalgic design elements but wildly futuristic styling that is worlds away from the stainless steel model that so famously reached 88 mph to send Marty McFly and Doc Brown haphazardly through time.
[Image: DeLorean]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Based on who the company is (a restorer of all things Delorean), I doubt that the volume levels have to be very high for the company to remain viable. It's a great-looking car, and, hopefully, as more options like become available, maybe the mix of crossover-to-cars will not be so skewed in favor of the box on wheels.
John DeLorean was not a great innovator, but a great self-promoter. Not a great guy to be keeping his name alive long after he's passed.
The original, LUDICROUS DeLorean was the textbook definition of the saying "all hat, no cattle".
It is foolish to use such a disgraced, discredited name to sell a good BEV.
ANd at that price, few will bother to buy it.
Internet tells me that the DMC-12 stainless steel body panels were made of 0.8mm thick ( 21 gauge) grade 304 stainless, later changed (?) to 316 stainless for improved corrosion resistance. Stamped.
(Curb weight something like 2,800 lbs, for the record.)
The chassis was a mishmash and not what was originally planned; here is a picture. The powertrain on the DMC-12 fell short of the original intention. (As did a lot of things.)
The main frame rails on my GMT400 C1500 are ~10 gauge steel; the one inch square tubing portions of the the custom stair rail I am installing today are 14 gauge mild steel.
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is clad in 304 stainless 1/4" thick (!) but is supported by even thicker A-7 carbon steel.
Looks nicer than any Tesla Golf Cart...