Aside from being nuts about cars, I’m pretty passionate about movie props and film production in general. Thanks to the frequent use of cool cars in movie production, those two worlds often collide. With everyone preparing to “go back in time” by setting our clocks an hour earlier for daylight savings time, I decided today’s car—a 1982 DeLorean Time Machine Replica—was the perfect Good Find Friday feature.

The DMC DeLorean should need no introduction, as it’s one of the most iconic and well-known motor vehicles ever due to its association with the film franchise Back to the Future. The complicated and somewhat tumultuous history of the DeLorean has already been extensively covered over the years, and there’s a great article on Car and Driver I heartily recommend for those interested in learning more.

Of course, the car (actually cars, plural) used in the movie was a highly decorated version of the DeLorean meant to represent Doc Brown’s conversion of the car to a functional time machine. As with KITT from Knight Rider, the GMC Vandura from The A-Team and the Dodge Charger from Dukes of Hazzard, fans of the film have constructed replicas of the time machine from the film using their own DeLoreans.

Many builders of these cars rent them out for use in parties or other events as a way of turning their fandom (and their car) into an income-producing asset.

Today’s Good Find Friday feature car is a model-year 1982 DMC DeLorean that has been extensively modified to appear like the “A” car, or most-detailed car, from the film. Production for the car ended in December of 1982, making this one of around 6,500 total cars still on the road today.

No specific details on who built the car are disclosed in this listing, or any previous listings, but it appears to be done to a good standard. There are thousands of Back to the Future Time Machine fans who can nitpick the specific part numbers and details of the time machine features, and I’m sure they’ll have opinions on that. I am not an expert in those details, so I suggest consulting an enthusiast club like the Delorean Time Machine Builders Group.

The current listing mentions that the frame is powder coated, but it’s unclear as to whether that refers to the underbody of the car or some type of fixture for the time machine parts. Rust on the underbody components was mentioned when the car was listed on Cars & Bids.

Conduits, tubing, aircraft parts, sheet metal fins, and myriad other components festoon the exterior. Blue glowing “flux bands” are visible in photos and video content posted by the seller. The car is said to be straight and solid, but known flaws on the exterior disclosed previously include chips and scratches, a cracked rear bumper, missing weather stripping from the front trunk and unspecified accident damage dating way back to 1986.

The interior is just as replete with electronics and modifications as the exterior. The dash includes various gauges and a replica of the time circuit control from the film. Of course, the central plot device of the “flux capacitor” is mounted between the seats on the rear firewall. DeLorean interiors were draped in leather and were praised for their comfort in period reviews.

The car sits on its original wheels wrapped in General tires, with 14” wheels in front and 15” wheels in back. Some wear on the wheels is noted in previous listings. The DeLorean has a fully independent rear suspension, but no notes are made to how much weight the time machine modifications add to the running gear’s workload.

Powered by a rear-mounted Peugeot-Renault-Volvo 2.85L V-6 engine. An overhead cam design, the PRV V-6 is a fuel-injected engine putting out 130hp. A 5-speed manual transmission puts power to the rear wheels, with braking provided by discs on all four corners.

The market for star cars like Batmobiles, DeLorean Time Machines, and the like is fascinating to study. This particular car has been offered at public auction twice this year. The first listing was back in April of 2024 during the Barrett-Jackson sale in Palm Beach. At that time, the car sold for $115,00 including buyer’s premium. Most recently the car was listed on Cars & Bids in mid-October, where it was a no-sale with a high bid of $82,000.

The average price for a DMC-12 DeLorean with a manual transmission—with no Time Machine modifications—is around $64,000. Of course, the sale of replica cars is included in that, and those bring much more money in the market, driving the average up. For Back to the Future-modified DeLoreans, the average price is around $140,000 based on sales in the last few years. This would seem to make the price of this car a bargain at $129,900. Sales have been steadily declining since the height of the pandemic, however, and I personally wouldn’t pay the selling dealer a $15,000 profit on this car.

What do you think? Overpriced or right-on-the-money?

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