Strip the DeLorean DMC-12 back to its specification sheet and the character is already there: 2849 cc PRV ZMJ-159 V6, 130 hp and 153 lbft of torque. DeLorean Motor Company built from 1981 to 1982, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign drew it.
The background
The DMC DeLorean is a rear-engine, two-seat sports car manufactured and marketed by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) for the American market from 1981 until 1983—ultimately the only car brought to market by the fledgling company. The DeLorean is sometimes referred to by its internal pre-production designation, DMC-12, although this was not used in sales or marketing materials for the production model. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the DeLorean is noted for its gull-wing doors and brushed stainless-steel outer body panels, as well as its relatively modest performance. It uses the V6 PRV engine used in Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo Cars.
With the first production car announced on January 21, 1981, the design incorporated numerous minor revisions to the hood, wheels and interior before production ended in late December 1982, shortly after DMC filed for bankruptcy. Total production reached an estimated 9,000 units. Though its production was short-lived, the DeLorean became widely known after it was featured as the time machine in the Back to the Future films. Despite acquiring a reputation for poor build quality and an unsatisfactory driving experience, the DeLorean continues to have a strong following. 6,500 DeLoreans were estimated to still be on the road as of 2015.
The engineering
Power comes from 2849 cc PRV ZMJ-159 V6; 130 hp and 153 lbft of torque is the published figure. It weighs 1233 kg. Work it out per tonne and you get about 105 horsepower — brisk everyday performance. It shifts through a 5-speed manual / 3-speed automatic. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. The wheelbase is 2413 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Its family tree is legible: assembly was at Dunmurry (DeLorean Motor Cars, Ltd.), Northern Ireland. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Toyota 4Runner, the Toyota AE85 — show what else the money bought that year.
What it costs now
There is no federal ownership record for the DeLorean DMC-12 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.