1981 DeLorean DMC-12 - Manual

Whilst the term “iconic” is conferred frequently and often without merit, we are just and correct in bestowing the title on the DeLorean DMC-12. Instantly recognisable it 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 million of funding from the British Government under an agreement forged by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with the support of US President Ronald Regan in order 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 stainless-steel outer skin and innovative gull-wing doors. The underpinnings were engineered under the guidance of Lotus founder, Colin Chapman. Competing with Porsche and Ferrari, sales never approached projected levels and DeLorean's 1982 indictment on drugs charges (he was subsequently acquitted), 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, and manual examples are very sought after.

On offer here is a two-owner car with just over 17,500 miles and is a very interesting garage find, having not moved or been started in over 20 years. Bought by its first owner, who was a doctor based in Florida, some 11,000 miles were covered by him before he sold it to its second owner, our vendor, who shipped it to the UK in the early nineties. He enjoyed it for the following 10 years, covering around 6,000 miles in that time. The DeLorean was then put into his garage 20 years ago due to a house move and it has not moved or been started ever since.

The intention was always to recommission the car but the owner sadly never got round to it and, due to ill health, it's now being offered by the family to the market for the first time in over 30 years. It’s clear that there were intentions to recommission the car in recent years as it has had a new battery, new tyres, flexi-hoses fitted to the brakes and some hydraulic parts for the clutch had been sourced.

This left-hand drive, manual transmission example is showing just over 17,000 miles in the hands of its two owners. The Cherished Registration Number, ‘OUT 703’, pleasingly accompanies the car along with an owner’s handbook, V5C, spare wheel and a jack. Sold strictly as seen, this is a very rare opportunity to bring back to life a low ownership, low mileage example of a type of car that continues to gain momentum in the collector's car market on both sides of the Atlantic.