DeLorean? WTF?!

[novicius]

Re: the frame, has anyone tried putting a C4 frame under a DeLorean? Or Mustang, whichevs? That would be one way to have an instant platform for performance brakes, suspension and power, I'd think.

(Or just a full-on tube-frame chassis, of course. )

[dodint]

This guy has a C5 LS1 making 425hp on the dyno: http://ls1delorean.blogspot.com/

I don't really care for the project (nothing against it, just not my thing, he did it as his graduate project for an engineering school) so I haven't read what he did to get everything to work.



I do know the motor hangs uncomfortably low, though.

[dodint]

I'm heading down to DCS in Springfield, IL this weekend. Really excited about it. Thanks to the financial plan I set up for myself last winter and getting into law school it looks like I'll be buying mine next spring. So this show should be about continuing to network and starting to decide exactly what I want in a DMC.

Speakers:

*Ronnie Arnold, one of the drivers of the 50K Endurance Testing (using pre-production DeLoreans)
**Stephen Arrington, Author: In DeLorean's Shadow, sole surviving defendant from the DeLorean trial
Colleen Booth, personal secretary for John Z. DeLorean (DMC years) from mid-70's to early 80's
*George Levy, auto journalist who attended the DeLorean Junket for the DeLorean's Initial Release
*Dr. Giancarlo Perini, Consultant to JZD in the 1970's, liaison between ItalDesign and DMC corporate
Michael Scheffe, Construction Coordinator for Back to the Future, Future Consultant for BTTF II
Chris Duvall, QAC Parts Manager and Parts POG (Keeper of the Troy QAC Parts Log)
Bob Gale, writer and producer of the Back to the Future Trilogy movies
**Nick Sutton, former DMC Executive, (Employee #16) author of The DeLorean Story
*Phyllis Sutton, former DMC Secretary, (Employee #21) wife of Nick Sutton
Jeff Synor, QAC Engineer and King POG (POG = Looks like a Pig, Works Like a Dog)

*Plan to attend their panel.
**Have read their book, plan to meet with/sign.

Also, I found out recently on a trip to an auto museum in Green Bay that I do indeed fit in them. JZD was 6'4" so I didn't think that would be an issue, and the car is actually exceptionally wide so there seems to be room that way too. I could use a little more hip space and my right leg is basically stuck straight with not much room to move around. We'll see how that works out. I'm in the middle of a weight loss effort so that 'fitting' was also done under a 'worst case scenario', by the time I'm ready to purchase I'll be about 50lbs lighter.



The seat wouldn't slide all the way back so it looks more cramped than it is. I was also wearing motorcycle boots so the tightness of the pedalbox was probably exaggerated.



Compared to a C7 Vette the DMC was wider but didn't have the depth in the footwell. The C7 I sat in was a 'vert so I don't know how well I'd fit in a coupe, still want to try.

[speedpimp]

[thesameguy]

I am completely jealous of your pursuit of DMC. It's a car I've always wanted to own, but just would never commit to. (I will admit, I'd have to do a motor swap. I have a deep, possible genetic dislike of the PRV V6.)

[dodint]

I was reading about a guy that switched from the 2.8L PRV6 that came with the car to a 3.0L PRV6. It looks identical except for the location of the dipstick. It's a real head scratcher because it is a de facto way to devalue the car and stands to gain the least amount of upgrade possible for that procedure. Just a really odd choice.

I'm not the engine swap type. I don't typically mind it but it just isn't for me. I'm okay with the Stage I/II/III turbo upgrade options offered by many of the vendors. The factory had developed a twin-turbo right before collapsing so it's not out of character. Getting the car up to 200hp seems like the proper sweet spot, to me. Any more than that and you start pushing into a range where the body tub starts to have structural integrity issues.

I'm looking more forward to other upgrades like fully converting the car to LED, refreshing the interior, lowering the suspension back down to euro spec, etc. It's weird. With the M6 I was all about restoring back to factory spec but oddly with the DMC I see it more as a platform open to tasteful customization.

As an aside, I was reading last night about the 'low volume automaker' legislation that DMC is waiting on and apparently it's hitting a snag.

Legislative Update

NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator and nominee for the Undersecretary for Policy at the Department of Transportation (DOT), Blair Anderson, was asked by Senator Dean Heller of Nevada if the agency was on track to list final regulations by the end of 2016, as outlined in the legislation. Mr. Anderson replied:

NHTSA is actively engaged in implementing the low-volume manufacturer provision of the FAST Act. While the agency may not be able to complete a final rule by the deadline, NHTSA is working to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking as quickly as possible.

Stuart Gosswein, SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs reports that EPA staff continue to work on a draft proposed rule for this program and that SEMA staff are working with both EPA and CARB to take actions necessary to implement the federal law.

All in all, while we at DMC find this encouraging, we are still concerned about the relatively slow pace of the progress to date.

If DMCH is concerned about the slow pace that's a horrible sign.

Remember, this is just to get them to the level where they can produce 1 car a month.
They've abandoned the aluminum frame and went back to steel.
They've narrowed it down to two engines, so that's something.
Still seeking bids on someone to machine the right-front fender.
They still claim they'll start taking reservations next month.

Best of luck to them.

[Sad, little man]

It's simple... BMW is a storied automotive brand with a rich history known for impeccable engineering. You felt the need to honor and preserve that.

DMC was a flawed yet unique and lovable company who's mistakes ultimately led to their untimely demise. There is no rich history to preserve, only a legacy of failure. In addition, because they met their end prematurely, the evolution of the brand and the vehicle was abruptly ended. You fancy yourself as someone who could, in your own way, continue the advancement of the vehicle's design in a way that John Delorean wanted to but never got the chance to.

[Kchrpm]

I think ol' crazy pants (/s) is onto something

[thesameguy]

That's the sentiment over in Fieroland as well - a car that by concept would have been great, hamstrung by corporate BS, and then killed off just as everything started to turn around for no good reason. Fixing what GM didn't originally or continuing the evolution as they might have is a strong cultural sentiment.

[dodint]

There are also 4x as many DMCs as there were E24 M6s in the US which is a factor.

Part of the DMC ethos was that the car was meant for 30 year ownership, it was intended to be purchased and then carried on. It's easy to see that they wouldn't mind you taking out the Craig radio from 1981 and putting in Bluetooth.

You fancy yourself as someone who could, in your own way, continue the advancement of the vehicle's design in a way that John Delorean wanted to but never got the chance to.

This is the exact mentality of most of the vendors out there now. The disagreement I'd have is that it's a "legacy of failure." 73% of the DMCs made are still on the road, a huge number for a 35 year old production car. And the factory was state of the art, they really spared no expense there. They essentially invented Simultaneous Engineering and Just-In-Time Inventory (out of necessity) whereas the Japanese actually did it later but in a methodically in a reproducible way. Any legacy of failure comes from JZD's poor decision making when trying to get the company to an IPO, and even he was acquitted since the state entrapped him by threatening to send his daughters head to him in a bag if he didn't buy the cocaine.

The sad thing is that they had already found a European investor that was going to supply the money they needed to get to the IPO, but JZD was already so far into the cartel sting that he couldn't back out. Had that not happened I'm 100% certain they would still be in business today. They had plans for a sedan, metro bus (DMC-24), and a bunch of other revenue producing product lines. Hell, JZD owned a company that made ski slope groomers.

This just showed up on Youtube this week and I watched it last night, it's actually a pretty good rundown of what happened and what could've been. A lot of the people interviewed there will be at DCS this weekend, looking forward to meeting them.