"Live the dream". That's what the DeLorean ads used to say when the DeLorean was 'the dream'. I can remember the first time I saw one - in a parking lot near Albany, NY. It was almost like seeing the space shuttle parked there.
Last night I watched a three-year-old documentary on Belfast's DeLorean experience. Although I knew that DeLoreans were built in Belfast, I knew virtually nothing about how John DeLorean and his car project was received there and what sort of effect it had. It seems like DeLorean's failure was a real body blow at the time, which didn't surprise but seeing the pictures and hearing the stories made it less theoretical.
One thing that did surprise me was that there were only 9,000 DeLoreans ever built. I suppose I'd have guessed 100,000 or more. Of those original 9,000, 6,500 are still on the road. So, an enthusiast in California who runs a business refurbishing DeLoreans is considering producing new ones, only 20 or so year.
I wonder if the demand will warrant a bigger production or a new model DeLorean. I still like the look of the car, but I'm not really a 'cool car' guy. I mean, when the cool people were buying DeLoreans, I was driving a putrid green 1969 Cheverolet Greenbrier station wagon. There's just something about the DeLorean that appeals to me more than any other sports car that has me hoping that somehow new life is breathed into the car.
