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Car and Driver's Review of the 1981 De Lorean (1981)
- philwelch 11y ago> We hereby hand the onus back to the kind folks at DMC who laid their progress and problems out for all the world to see. Clearly, their future pivots on a single unresolved issue: will the Dunmurry plant rise to the cause and start building the silver bullets John Z. intended? Or will the De Lorean become another Concorde—a technological marvel that turns out to be an economic disaster? Find out for sure in our next installment. Well, we saw how that went, albeit for reasons other than the difficulty of producing a reliable gull-wing door.
- DigitalJack 11y ago130 HP? Has the definition changed?
- jfoutz 11y agoNo. Cars are amazing now. 35 years of tech, like compound interest, it adds up. Also, i think the time machine was widely regarded as being a bit underpowered. 9 second 0-60 wasn't all that great, even for then.
- hugh4 11y agoOn the other hand: 1953 Corvette: 150 horsepower 1963 Corvette: 250 horsepower 1970 Corvette: 300 horsepower 1971 Corvette: 270 horsepower 1973 Corvette: 190 horsepower 1975 Corvette: 150 horsepower The 1970s were dark, crummy times, due to emissions regulations and the oil crisis. By 1981 when the Delorean came out, the Corvette was still stuck at 190 horsepower. So, building a powerful engine isn't hard, but building a powerful engine that fits within post-1970s emissions standards is.
- jfoutz 11y agoYeah, that's fair. And not much computation available for design work. Still, cars now are amazing. I mean, you could pick up a $60k 700hp mass produced monster this year. I can't think of the last time i've heard of a tire failing. Stuff is made by machines, they're unbelievably reliable. You should easily get 100k out of any new car.
- rcurry 11y agoModern sports cars are truly amazing. I have a C6 corvette and it's both a monster on the track and comfortable enough to run coast-to-coast with ease (something I've done twice now). The technology just keeps getting better and better. Throw in 28 mpg on the highway, and it's just silly.
- arethuza 11y agoWhat I find interesting is that some of the most amazing engines are actually produced by tiny companies e.g. the 500hp 3L V8 designed by Atom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom#Ariel_Atom_500 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom#Ariel_Atom_500
- rcurry 11y agoI just saw an Atom drive by the other day - the driver looked happy, ha ha.
- maxerickson 11y agoFord/Firestone did a massive tire recall just a few years ago, Ford reduced their recommended inflation pressure instead of softening the suspension and the tire tread would separate, often resulting in the vehicle flipping.
- HeyLaughingBoy 11y agoYour definition of a few does not jibe with mine: that was almost 20 years ago.
- rogeryu 11y agoNow see how that VW worked that out with their diesel trick.
- VLM 11y agoIts also important to note that pre -72 horsepower standard legal SAE testing was bare engine no accessories no exhaust and post -72 standard legal SAE testing was "more or less wheel dyno". So it was not unusual at all for something like a caddy to go from 400 gross HP with no exhaust no water pump no cooling system nothing to 250 HP pushed out the wheels. Now a caddy has a ridiculous exhaust and addons, but even a vette has some. Its highly likely that the 270 HP bare engine and the 190 HP car are the same. Another complication is HP = torque * RPM I had a commuter car in the 80s with a 2.2L engine that on paper only output 100 HP because its redline was something ridiculous to modern standards like 4000 rpm however the torque (acceleration) was huge compared to my current 100 HP commuter car that winds up like a motorcycle to 8000 RPM or whatever it is. My current car has the acceleration of a 50 HP car but the redline has doubled, so...
- modoc 11y agoIt's not wheel HP. But it's crank HP with a more realistic engine setup than pre-72's dyno testing.
- qbrass 11y ago1972 marked the change from Gross HP to Net HP ratings. Before the change, they would test the engines with no accessory drive, not even a water pump, use headers instead of a full exhaust, and adjust the carburetor/ignition to provide the best numbers per RPM on the dyno instead of reflecting what the engine actually did in the car.
- dingaling 11y agoAlso bear in mind that the De Lorean coupé started life as the De Lorean Safety Vehicle ( DSV ) , which was meant to combine perceived sportiness and safety in one package; it wasn't primarily about performance. Mr D L successfully persuaded the Allstate Insurance Company to part-fund the two DSV prototypes on account of the safety emphasis.
- cfarre 11y agoHP = Hyper Power
- hluska 11y agoI did a double take at that too - a 130 horsepower V6 seems like a typo when read with our modern eyes!! The last thirty years have been very good for engines...
- S_A_P 11y agoAlso keep in mind the Peugeot sourced 2.8 V-6 was not the first choice or the choice of aspiration DeLorean had intended to either turbo charge the Peugeot engine or use another engine type that would also have forced induction. From what I understand, either the other supplier found out his plans and pulled out, or Peugeot threatened to pull out if their engine was turbocharged. I am looking for the reference, and will update when I find it.
- Animats 11y agoNow here's the modernized De Lorean.[1] Stanford's auto shop (yes, they have one) upgraded a DeLorean. They pulled the engine and power train, and put in an electric drive from Renovo, which makes supercars. Then they put in the controls for autonomous operation. Then they programmed it to drift. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNIDcT0Zdj4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNIDcT0Zdj4
- jdonaldson 11y agoThere's something about De Loreans that make them seem like blank slates, ready to hack. I guess because there's a lot of flat(-ish) surfaces all over the car that makes things easier to mount. I still think those cars look great, even compared to the modern cars you see in the pictures directly above it there. There's a place for De Lorean style, and I bet it makes a comeback. Not everything needs to be flowy and curved.
- ableal 11y agoText and a couple pics (one gif animation): http://www.wired.com/2015/10/heres-a-self-driving-delorean-that-only-does-donuts/ http://www.wired.com/2015/10/heres-a-self-driving-delorean-t... '"The DeLorean’s a really great car," Gerdes says, "unless you want it to accelerate, brake, or turn. It’s a horrendously understeering vehicle, so it’s hard to hold a drift because the front end just keep losing grip."' (Tires aren't the only thing getting burnt there ...)
- DiabloD3 11y ago... and they named it Marty.
- agumonkey 11y agoDriff Tanen would have been in order.
- agumonkey 11y agoDrivers ? Where we're going, we don't need drivers.
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- pcl 11y agothe rattles had squeaks That's a great bit of writing right there.
- TheOtherHobbes 11y agoMuch enjoyment from the rest of it too here.
- partisan 11y agoThe writing definitely struck me as well. I wonder whether this was just par for the times or if this a particular writer's take on fine writing for car reviews. It's almost inaccessible, but it is definitely interesting.
- rogeryu 11y ago> "every one of us is rushing back to the typewriter with more questions than answers" Those were the times...
- pmiller2 11y agoI considered buying a Delorean once to drive around. I was at a point in my life where I didn't really need a car for transportation, yet, being a single guy, it was socially easier to have a car. So, I figured, why not make a statement? Besides the obvious visual "wow" factor associated with the car and the Back to the Future franchise, they're surprisingly inexpensive for such an iconic car. The main problem with them is that Delorean Motor Company didn't really follow the concept of "model years," instead changing things as they went along, so restoring one to original condition is practically impossible. I was also not a fan of the aluminum engine block, since, if it ever got just slightly too hot, there's a good chance it would be ruined forever. My second choice vehicle, BTW, would have been some kind of van painted up like the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. :)
- johnm1019 11y ago> The main problem with them is that Delorean Motor Company didn't really follow the concept of "model years," instead changing things as they went along, so restoring one to original condition is practically impossible. I've heard there is a new car company that does something similar (not having precise model years) and also offers a car with gullwing doors.... I think it starts with a "T".... I wonder if they'll be hard to restore when collectors look back in 20 years.
- easytiger 11y agoTeslas will be effectively impossible to maintain. On the upside there are way fewer moving parts to go awry.
- tonyedgecombe 11y agoThere will be some forum on the internet where a bunch of guys are reverse engineering them, much as they do for 6502 based systems now.
- marincounty 11y agoThat's when I will probally buy one. I was just thing about this the other day. I was thinking when they get to the used market, and guys start modifying them; that's the day I'll put on my dielectric gloves and put that charging station in my garage. Right now, a vechicle I can't modify, and work on is just not my style. If I had disposable income, it would probally be a different story.
- gopowerranger 11y agoA few years before that, I went to the FedEx office at the St. Louis airport to pick up a package. While waiting in line, I overheard a guy talking about how he was a driver for a new car company and was taking it around the country to show potential dealers to get them to sign up to sell it. I struck up a conversation with him and he invited me to come out and see this new, different type of car and, there it was, one of the first minted DeLoreans.
- adultSwim 11y agoI wouldn't mind seeing more cars with brushed metal exteriors. The doors I can skip.