The DeLorean Motor Company will begin production of a limited number of new DMC-12s at its plant at 15023 Eddie Dr. in Humble — the first new ones to be produced since 1982. Following recent changes to federal vehicle regulations impacting small-volume car manufacturers, DMC will assemble the iconic gull-winged sports cars mostly from long-stockpiled parts at its facility just southwest of the intersection of 59 with Beltway 8, though the engines will need to meet modern EPA emissions standards.
DMC CEO Steve Wynne tells KPRC that the company expects to roll out the first of the unpainted stainless steel machines in 2017, and hopes to eventually produce a DeLorean per week. The company currently services and supplies parts for the original early-1980s DeLoreans, as well as renting out replicas of the DeLorean-based time machine employed in the Back to the Future movie franchise.
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The vehicle was originally produced by former General Motors employee John DeLorean, who started his own car company in 1975. Roughly 9,000 of the famous DMC-12 model were released from a plant in Northern Ireland starting in 1981, until to the company’s 1982 bankruptcy — itself followed by John’s acquittal of charges in a $24-million cocaine smuggling case on grounds of entrapment by the FBI.
Wynne, a European car mechanic who began servicing DeLoreans in California in the early 1980s, formed an unrelated DeLorean Motor Company in 1995, which, in addition to servicing the cars, began selling DeLorean-branded clothing and accessories. Wynne settled an intellectual property lawsuit with DeLorean’s widow and estate just prior to Back to the Future Day last fall.
- DeLoreans to go back to the future and into production [Click2Houston]
- Q & A: Stephen Wynne, CEO of DeLorean Motor Company [NY Daily News]
- Lawyers Settle DeLorean Lawsuit Just in Time for ‘Back to the Future’ Day [WSJ]
Photo of the DeLorean Motor Company facility in Humble, TX: James E. via Yelp
Next Swamplot Halloween party, commonsense is rolling up in a brand new Delorean with a twin turbo V8.
Wow… wonder why they are just now producing? This location has been there at least 10 years. I remember interviewing there back in 2005 for a graphic design position. The warehouse where they keep the casts is spotless. I wonder why they waited so long to start production? (especially since now doesn’t seem like the best time)….
northsidegirl,
As the very first link says, they couldn’t do it before because it wasn’t legalized until last year: “The 2015 Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 rolled up a lot of different transportation-related bills, including one that now allows companies to build replica vehicles without having to satisfy modern safety regulations, as long as fewer than 325 are made each year.”
@Northsidegirl I had to look it up because that’s an interesting question. Apparently they have been tied up in litigation with DeLorean’s widow for the last 9 years or so, they just settled this September.
Wonder who is subcontracting the flux capacitors?
The Libyans Gisgo
Finally!…Dr. E. Brown Enterprises is the sub-contractor for the Flux Capacitors and the Libyans are providing the Plutonium.
More DeLoreans on the road is pretty cool – one weekend we saw one driving down White Oak on our way to the vintage record shop which had a flux capacitor on display – nice little bit of serendipity.