Seven years after Marty McFly and Doc Brown leapfrogged a few decades in Robert Zemeckisโ Back To The Future II, the DeLorean Motor Company has confirmed its iconic coupe is making a return in 2022. And weโve just received our first proper look at the gull-winged whip of tomorrow (now dubbed the Alpha5 EV).
Back in February, it was heavily suggested the retro ride would be revived with a zero-emission powertrain. Initially, many were uncertain itโd ever actually see the light of day. After all, talk is cheap, and if you ainโt showing us whateverโs cooking in the kitchen, itโs safe to assume nothing is actually on the stove. Since then, however, DMC themselves have confirmed a thing or two on Twitter.
The marqueโs official account kicked things off by posting a shadowy video that apparently made a cheeky appearance during Super Bowl LVI. Showcasing the silhouette of what appears to be a modern DMC-12 โ complete with the unmistakable presence of top-mounted gull-wing doors and revised logo splashed across the grill โ the caption read: โThe Future was never promised. Reimagine today.โ โฆ along with a signup link and some very telling hashtags.
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Around the same time, a fresh batch of intellectual property filings had been registered for copyright protection over in the US and are โcurrently awaiting examination.โ A brand new website owned by the marqueโs custodians was also being constructed; which now features a countdown clock.
In April, DeLorean Motor Company offered yet another partially obscured preview of its reimagined/reborn/resurrected DMC-12 to announce the flagship electric concept car would debut at Pebble Beach Concours dโElegance on August 18th of 2022.
The bigger news, however, wasnโt what the new electrified DeLorean sportscar would resemble or even when weโd see it in the flesh lightweight carbon. It was the fact the Alpha5 EV will represent just one of four models rolling out of the San Antonio factory this year.
โWe need a sports car to relaunch the brand, but the ambition of the brand is to be a full-line manufacturer,โ explained DMC CEO Joost de Vries.
โWe cannot survive on a coupe. I donโt care how cool it is, but the volumes donโt justify the investment or the long-term perspective of what the investment requires. You are going to see other products from us.โ
So what exactly do we know about DeLoreanโs Alpha5 EV?
Aside from the fact itโs a sexy-looking four-seater housing an all-electric powertrain, itโs based on the โMedusaโ concept the OG DeLorean company was working on before going bankrupt circa 1982.
The Alpha5 EV is reportedly capable of hitting 0-60 MPH in just 2.99 seconds โ or 0-88 MPH in 4.35 seconds โ with a top speed of 188 MPH. According to DeLorean, itโs targeting a drag coefficient of 0.24Cd along with an impressive 300-mile range from a 110kWh battery.
โItaldesign โ the storied design house founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who penned the original โ is responsible for the updated shape,โ writes Greg Potts of Top Gear.
โWith the giant gull-wing doors and rear window louvres providing the all-important link to John DeLoreanโs Belfast-built original.โ
โThough, temper some of your excitement, because stainless steel isnโt an exterior option, and weโre still waiting to hear whether flux capacitors and hoverboards are on the options list.โ
Keep in mind, these specs are listed for the โBase Performance Model.โ Meaning far more technical grunt is on the cards. We assume.
As for pricing, the Alpha5 EV is expected to hover around the US$175,000 / AU$243,600 benchmark.
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Designed by legendary Italian automotive genius Giorgetto Giugiaro โ who also penned several cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, and more โ the original DeLorean was produced in Northern Ireland between 1981 and 1983.
It featured a rear-mounted 2.85-litre V6 engine capable of generating 97kW/207Nm via a five-speed manual transmission or three-speed automatic, accomplishing the 0-100 dash in a causal 8.6 seconds, with a top speed of 175km/h. Just 9,000 examples were built before the company went bankrupt in the mid-80s.
The branding was eventually acquired by its current Texas-based owners in the 1990s. Think of it as a different kind of reboot. And although thereโs still a long and perilous road ahead before we can file this one into the โmission successโ cabinet, 2022 certainly feels like an exciting new chapter for DeLorean.
August 18th couldnโt come any sooner.
Check out the Alpha5 EV renderings below.
