Great Scott! (This is heavy.)
04-15-2009, 05:57 PM
#1
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Great Scott! (This is heavy.)
A friend of mine is the network admin for a small company that does medical transcription. They're moving into a new office in Fort Myers, and today I went down there with him to do some network wiring.
On the way down, he was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We passed by a small shop and my eyes just about fell out of my head. We turned around so I could snap a couple of pictures:
Yeah.
Apparently they have a couple of different locations with their HQ in Texas. In addition to selling service parts and doing restorations, they're also building and selling complete new cars, using a mixture of NOS parts from the original production as well as newly-made stuff. Apparently they've acquired not only the name and all the old inventory but a lot of the tooling as well, and they've made jigs to produce new frames and underbodies, interior parts, etc.
The official website:
DeLorean Motor Company Home
(note regional websites at top)
Photos from the various regional websites:
To be fair, the DMC-12, despite its Lotus underpinning, was never really much of a performance car. But despite this, I still think it's pretty damn cool what they're doing here. Imagine buying a rebuilt chassis, sans drivetrain, and dropping in something like an LS7 mated to a Getrag 448 (or even better, a Mendeola S5D), with some proper attention paid to the springs and dampers. Could be a hell of a car, and you might get it down into the ~2,500 lb range with a bit of due diligence.
On the way down, he was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We passed by a small shop and my eyes just about fell out of my head. We turned around so I could snap a couple of pictures:
Yeah.
Apparently they have a couple of different locations with their HQ in Texas. In addition to selling service parts and doing restorations, they're also building and selling complete new cars, using a mixture of NOS parts from the original production as well as newly-made stuff. Apparently they've acquired not only the name and all the old inventory but a lot of the tooling as well, and they've made jigs to produce new frames and underbodies, interior parts, etc.
The official website:
DeLorean Motor Company Home
(note regional websites at top)
Photos from the various regional websites:
To be fair, the DMC-12, despite its Lotus underpinning, was never really much of a performance car. But despite this, I still think it's pretty damn cool what they're doing here. Imagine buying a rebuilt chassis, sans drivetrain, and dropping in something like an LS7 mated to a Getrag 448 (or even better, a Mendeola S5D), with some proper attention paid to the springs and dampers. Could be a hell of a car, and you might get it down into the ~2,500 lb range with a bit of due diligence.
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04-15-2009, 06:07 PM
#3
That really brings back memories. When I was an entry level IT programmer in '81 there was a shop that sold DeLoreans next to our office. We went over and looked at them. The doors on the cars were were locked and the dealer wouldn't even let us sit in them.
Of course the car was out of my price range at the price of $25,000 since I was making about 18k a year the time.
They were really quite the car in its day (cars really sucked in the early 80's), but if you look at the performance numbers it's amazing how poor they are compared to cars today.
Of course the car was out of my price range at the price of $25,000 since I was making about 18k a year the time.
They were really quite the car in its day (cars really sucked in the early 80's), but if you look at the performance numbers it's amazing how poor they are compared to cars today.
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04-15-2009, 06:23 PM
#4
Performance wasn't that bad when you consider it's competion. The Ferrari 308 and the Porsche 911 were both mid 6 second 0-60 cars then. Even the outlandish early 80's Countach ran over 5.5 seconds. A 200hp turbo'd Miata would kill nearly any of the early 80's "supercars".
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04-15-2009, 06:34 PM
#5
I got to tour their facility in the Houston area a few years ago. Crazy stuff. They were having an issue regarding the stamping equipment for the driver's doors, seeing as the original equipment is sitting at the bottom of the English Channel. Quite a good story behind there 
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04-15-2009, 07:22 PM
#7
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Like I said (and Stave / Cueball reinforced) the originals may not have been much for performance, but visually, they're sex on a stick. Drop in an LS-series motor with a proper gearbox, maybe an MP112 supercharger if you're feeling itchy, install a proper set of adjustable coilovers with some good shocks, get the vehicle back down to its original (pre-DOT) ride height, add grippy tires (might need to go with aftermarket wheels, as the stock fronts were 14x6) and you will have yourself one hell of a looker that just so happens to be quick. Real quick.
The thought is tempting...
The thought is tempting...
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04-15-2009, 07:28 PM
#9
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Worse. Rear engine. But crazier things have been done. With a welder, a grinder, and a devil-may-care attitude, many things are possible. The original PRV V6 was neither compact nor lightweight however, so I'm guessing there would not be as severe a penalty here as one might expect. They were also 90° (whereas V6 engines are typically 60°) so you've got the space you need on the sides. Total vehicle weight might even be reduced.
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04-15-2009, 08:13 PM
#12
Holy ****! You guys are making this sound like some big epic discovery!
I've been to this place a few times and it is totally kick ***.
I would recommend a trip atleast once before you die.
p.s. there is also one of these places in texas.
I've been to this place a few times and it is totally kick ***.
I would recommend a trip atleast once before you die.
p.s. there is also one of these places in texas.
Last edited by viperormiata; 04-15-2009 at 08:46 PM.
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04-16-2009, 07:25 AM
#18
If I was going to the trouble of putting an LSX into something, it would be a car that didn't suck.
Joe's post in a nutshell:
Replace the drivetrain, suspension, wheels, interior, exterior, electronics and you have an awesome car.
Frank
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04-16-2009, 08:26 AM
#20
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The exterior and the interior can stay. Honestly, I love the look of the car. It evokes what might have happened if an alien civilization had made a copy of the Lamborghini Miura out of surplus flying saucer parts, and then been busted for cocaine trafficking on their first visit to Earth.
I mean, how many cars built in the '80s still turn heads like that? The Countach, the Berlinetta, the DMC-12, and... And I can't think of any others.
But yeah- drivetrain, suspension, wheels and electronics would all have to go. Which is pretty much what I've done with my Miata.
And yeah, $58,000 is excessive. But you gotta figure a big chunk of that is the drivetrain. I mean, they want close to $6k just to "tune up" the engine to 197 HP. Of course, there are plenty of used cars in the $20s, I'm just not sure how I'd feel about defiling an original...
197 HP? Pathetic.
Grab the transaxle out of a 911, mate it to an LS engine out of any wrecked Corvette / Camaro / Firebird / etc, top it with a blower, and Profit.
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