Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at Race Retro 2026 - Collectors' Cars on Saturday the 21st of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. Instantly recognisable, the DeLorean DMC-12 was the brainchild of ex-General Motors executive, John DeLorean, perhaps one of the most controversial motor industry figures of all time. The Belfast-based factory was established with £100, 000, 000 of funding from the British Government under an agreement forged by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with the support of US President Ronald Regan to help the Northern Irish economy suffering from decades of sectarian violence. The DeLorean Motor Company story is a unique entry in the annals of the motor car industry, and the DMC-12 is one of the most recognisable cars of the 20th century.
Launched in 1981, the DMC-12’s stylish coupé bodywork attracted international attention by virtue of its method of construction, a combination of fibreglass inner panels, a brushed stainless-steel outer skin and innovative gull-wing doors. It was designed by the talented Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design and built on a chassis engineered by Lotus with a 2. 9-litre V6 engine sourced from Peugeot-Renault-Volvo.
Competing with Porsche and Ferrari, sales never approached projected levels and DeLorean's 1982 indictment on, subsequently acquitted, drugs charges brought the project to its knees. The DeLorean is now seen as highly-collectable, thanks in no small part to the Back to the Future movie series immortalising the car in the history books, and manual examples are particularly sought-after.
These unique cars are relatively rare, with only 8, 583 examples leaving the Belfast factory and approx. 6, 500 surviving today.
The car presented here is a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, making it an early production model (one of first 500 examples produced, with fuel filler flap on the bonnet – a feature that was later discontinued as it was deemed too expensive to manufacture) and with the more desirable manual gearbox.
Back in 2000 and looking to treat is son to perhaps the best-ever 18th birthday present, our vendor’s father began searching the finest DMC-12 he could find. The search took him to Detroit, Michigan and to a dealership, Classic Auto Showplace Ltd. in Madison Heights. He purchased this car, with the sales invoice in the accompanying history file, then with 7, 585 miles in October 2000, and had it shipped back to the family home (UK registered December 2000); it's been cherished ever since, for some 26 years, now having covered just 19, 000 miles (ably supported by its MOT history). Accompanied by some rare and original items, including a full workshop manual, book-pack, sales brochure, wheel jack (still in its factory bag) and an original (still in the box) factory side stripe kit (see image attached) - this is quite the DMC-12 package.
Although coming from long ownership, but owing to other commitments, the car is today in a well-used, but wholesome enough, condition; it offers much potential for an enthusiast to ‘bring-on’, hence the guide price. Our vendor has invested in it though, over the years, with the car treated to a recent 2. 5-year full recommissioning process (a plethora of invoices are in the accompanying history file) with a full engine overhaul (including its injection system serviced by KMI), a full stainless steel sports exhaust, an Ultradrive speedometer cable, newly covered leather seats (spec’d as per original in black leather, not the more common grey, using genuine OEM material from the US), a new headlining (genuine OEM again), an alloy-wheel refurbishment, and a full refinishing/ re-brushing of the bodywork by the only company with the correct equipment to do so in the UK.
As one of the most recognisable cars from the 20th century, this car, from long-term ownership, has an inherent quality to build upon and could be very special indeed.
(N. B. the registration 914 EDH will be retained by the vendor)
