DeLorean DMC-12
A Lifelong Dream
One of the core elements of my personality is loyalty and commitment to long term goals. When I was about 3 years old, the very first movie I distinctly watching was Back to the Future III, where Doc and Marty are stuck in the Old West trying to get the time machine back up to 88mph. I called it “Doc and the train crash” as the climax of the movie really stuck out in my head, but from that point on in my life, I wanted to do two things:
Be an inventor like Doc Brown.
Own that shiny silver car with the really cool doors.
Of course, I’d learn later that car is a DeLorean DMC-12, and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. All through my life, I’ve worked towards those goals: getting a mechanical engineering degree, and a master’s degree in systems engineering, working at a high-tech company, and eventually filing and receiving 10 patents, officially making me an inventor.
That was goal #1 accomplished, but goal #2 took until August 2025, when I came across a random online classified ad for a DeLorean project car that suited my ambition (and more importantly: budget). The biggest problem is that the car was on the other side of the country! After talking with the owner, I put down a deposit and tagged a weekend onto a business trip that put me in the general area. I inspected the car, found it was as described, paid the owner, took the title, and set up transport. This was actually much scarier than buying the car, as I’ve heard horror stories about shipping damage and theft, but the broker and drivers I worked with were excellent, and I felt way better seeing the Lotus, Porsches, BMWs, and other cars they had to offload from the truck to get my DeLorean. It was probably the cheapest car on there! Now I’m working on restoring it back to “weekend driver” condition.
A Brief History of VIN 07115…
My DMC-12 was bought new in early 1982 from Long Island DeLorean by a landscape company owner in the Hamptons. He kept the car right there on Long Island until 2009, where he took it to his property in upstate NY. Unfortunately, he fell very ill, and he parked in the car in a barn and prepared it for long term storage. Sadly, he passed away shortly thereafter, with the car having just 8500 miles on the ODO. The car sat in the barn until 2024, when the widow sold it to a close family friend. He got the car back to “running” condition by flushing the fuel system, oil, coolant, and replacing the clutch, which had seized, but he never ran the car more than just around the block. He had intended to restore it, but he didn’t fit, and listed it online as a project vehicle. He wanted it to go to someone who would love it, and that’s where I came into the picture in 2025.
This is going to be a very long term project for me, and with all such project cars, the scope has expanded more than I’d realized, so enjoy the ride with me!
As it was rediscovered in 2024. It truly was a barn find!
The original Goodyear tires had long rotted away.
Care had been taken in storing it. It was kept on a tarp and fully covered, so moisture was kept out, and it has almost no rust anywhere.
Original plastic coolant overflow bottle. These have a tendency to crack with age, so I replaced mine with a modern stainless steel version.
Headliner had sagged with the adhesive turning to dust. Very common thing with DeLoreans, and I have all new headliner panels for mine.
Mice had made a nest on top of the relays, corroding many of them. Thankfully they had not chewed the wires, and the car does run with nearly all electrical functions working perfectly (even the radio!), but I'm going to be cleaning out and completely replacing all the electronics here.
Standing next to my dream. My glasses were hiding the tears. :) The blue car in the background is a Rickerbacker luxury car from the 1920s, which had been in the owner's family since new.
Loading up for a 3000mile ride to the PNW!
Arriving in Oregon.
It's all original and in really good shape. Just a small ding on the end of the rear quarter panel there.
Yep, still crying. :)
My toys.
The orginal window sticker
Since everything was original, it's been fascinating finding the mix of different French, German, British, and American parts on the car.
The graphics down the side are original dealer-installed vinyl pieces as the DMC logo is printed on. Replica vinyl has the logo cut-out, so the steel fender shows through.
The rear calipers had seized, but thankfully modern replacements are very affordable.
Got all the injectors cleaned at Injector Masters in Clackamas, OR. They did a great job cleaning the grime out of the injectors and bringing them back to factory specs. Highly recommended for any fuel system rebuild projects!