1981 DMC DeLorean

This manual DeLorean was built in April 1981 and is believed to have been first registered later the same year in California, although next to nothing is known about its history Stateside we understand it has had just one US owner from new.

All factory DeLorean’s were left-hand-drive like this one, although a small number were converted officially to RHD in period. Transmissions were roughly half manual, half automatic.

Like many of its type in recent years this one has been brought back across the Atlantic. It was purchased in California in 2018 - a couple of years after it had a $20k overhaul. It was then imported to the UK and re-registered in May of that year by the current owner.

Our vendor has kept the car in storage since, carrying out maintenance and a service as required but has only driven it short distances to keep the mechanicals running smoothly.

The brushed stainless steel bodywork of a DeLorean is both a part of its charm and its Achilles heel. Dents can’t just be filled and painted over and the preparation and finishing of the metal is a specialist task. Happily, there are no obvious ‘biffs’ but there are several marks in the surface, particularly down the sides, and areas where the brushing perhaps hasn’t been done to its best - especially on the right rear quarter.

The fibreglass front nose cone and rear fibreglass panel look to have been recently repainted and the rear louvre panel appears sound. Overall, the panel fit is largely very good.

The rear bumper has a large area of scuffing to the right of the embossed DeLorean script. We don’t know whether this is damage repair or just where a bumper sticker has been removed. The other oddity on the rear bumper is the 3.0 badge, which is neither original nor technically accurate. We note that the classic black and silver registration plates are not UK-legal on cars built after 1 January 1980.

The car sits on its original cast-alloy wheels - as specially designed for the car by Giugiaro - 14-inch at the front and 15-inch at the back and all appear in a good condition. They are fitted with matching Fuzion Touring tyres dated 2015-17, which all show a good tread depth.

The grey-black interior faux leather upholstery and trim appears to be largely in good condition. The seats were either replaced or reupholstered a few years ago, and they look in very good order with next to no creasing and no obvious wear. The gear shift gaiter, though, is a little tired.

The dash is all in order and the speedometer dial goes up to just over 140kmh (around 88 mph) - although most owners don’t dare push their cars to that kind of speed in case something unexplained happens. It looks as though someone who drove the car a few years back has left his driver’s licence on the dash top - just some kid wearing a life preserver.

The keypad for the eighties-fitted Clifford alarm-immobiliser is attached to the dash - at least that’s what we think it is. You could probably choose a favourite year to use as the PIN - 1955 maybe?

The car has a period cassette radio with additional speakers in the rear, perfect for any era of music from Chuck Berry to Huey Lewis & The News or even more up to date stuff like McFly. All electricals and interior equipment (e.g. electric mirrors and half-windows) are reported to be working well.

There are a couple of anomalies, such as the Alpina steering wheel badge sitting in what looks like a replacement horn pad and a piece of wooden trim in the centre console that must have been picked up in a different period of time.

The battery compartment is behind the passenger seat and there is a small locker behind the driver’s seat as well as additional stowage for larger items such as hoverboards or video cameras on a shelf behind, which comes complete with its cargo net.

Inside the net, a previous owner has left what looks like a metal lunch box containing a Y-shaped light display that will come with the car. If we had more time we’d probably figure out how it works but he’s left a copy of his driver’s licence inside if you wanted to track him down and ask him about it. He looks like a cross between Albert Einstein and Uncle Fester from the 1991 Addams Family film, and apparently he gets about from time to time.

Inside the front boot there is space for quite a few fairly flat items of luggage and under the newish-looking carpet liner is a 15-inch spare wheel with a temporary use Goodyear tyre fitted. To the front of the compartment is a panel revealing a brand new jack and tool rolls.

The undersides of the car present reasonably well and it looks undamaged. The chassis and support structures around the engine look to have been renewed or repainted recently. There is a bloom of surface rust across the front suspension components and on the steering linkages but nothing that looks untoward.

In the rear engine compartment - accessed by lifting the louvre panel and then releasing the engine cover from inside the car - all looks very clean and reasonably tidy compared with others you see. There are no signs of corrosion or plutonium contamination anywhere.

The DeLorean’s last MOT expired in November 2020 but as an historic vehicle it is exempt from testing. We’d still encourage owners of classics to get an independent assessment that your car is roadworthy - unless where you’re going, you don’t need roads.

The car doesn’t have a great deal of history but it comes with a small file containing a copy of the US title document, bill of sale and a handful of DMC California invoices for parts for the recommissioning work done there - interior, engine, brakes, seals etc.

Since arriving in the UK, the current owner has kept it maintained although little more than clutch master and slave cylinders and a service has been required. It has been kept in storage and regularly started and driven a short distance to keep it running nicely.

Asking prices of DeLoreans have been creeping up over recent years and there have been a few outstanding prices paid for really well sorted examples. There are only one or two DeLoreans for sale in the UK at any given time continuum, so you’ll need to be looking over Hill and Valley to find one.

We think this usable and very presentable DeLorean will sell for between £30,000 and £40,000 and still give the new owner some headroom for improvement. Even if it finishes at the top end of that range, what else can you buy for the money that you can park alongside the best Italian supercars and still get more attention?

We don’t know what kind of person will buy it - the future isn’t written yet - although it’s likely to be someone who knows the DeLorean’s shortcomings but can’t get past just how superb they look. Whoever you are, get your best bid in before you’re out-a-time.

Author’s footnote: it seems that a number of film references did somehow make their way into the text - how many did you spot?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Edinburgh; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.