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Old 09-07-2003, 05:26 PM   #1
b16a
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whats so good about delorean?

i'm a delorean noob speaking here, so please do not take offense to what I am about to ask. But what is so incredibly good about the DeLorean?

It doesn't seem like too much, IMO its shape is not particularly attractive.

Other than the fact that it is extremely rare, I see nothing great about this car.

Please prove me wrong, thats what I am typing this for.
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Old 09-07-2003, 07:50 PM   #2
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No offense taken, and not everyone can be expected to like them. I happen to think the bodystyle is awesome, but it's all an individual thing. The cars are very exclusive and unique, especially with the lack of paint (brushed stainless steel, which you clean with kitchen sink cleaner, pretty much) and gullwing doors. Although it's fairly basic now, when the Delorean concept came out in the late 70's, it was at the pinnacle of technology. The car is styled by Giorgio Giugiaro, who also designed some of the most cutting edge cars the world has seen, including the Lotus Esprit. The car uses a suspension tweaked by Lotus, who are pretty well the undisputed masters of suspension. The engine is a very advanced for its day V6 that was a joint effort between Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. The gullwing doors had their advantages, namely being able to fully open about a foot away from a wall or other car without hitting it. Though often critisized for being unsafe in case of a rollover, the side windows are designed to be easy to kick out in case of a rollover.

In 2003, the car is outdated, slow, and rather basic. The car was strangled by safety regulations in the early 80's that forced the front end of the car to be higher than Mr. Delorean wanted (bumper height regulations), and the engine lost a lot of power because of other regulations. Most people that have stock Deloreans today like a combination of their handling, exclusivity, and unique features. For people that those qualities just aren't enough, there are a couple different companies that specialize in making the Delorean more modern, and restoring it back to the specification that was intended. For example, Delorean Motor Company in Texas offers a modified version of the PRV V6 that puts out about 200 hp (which was closer to what was originally intended), and a lower front suspension to make the car look a bit more sporty. Other people have gone further with wilder customization including paint jobs and engine swaps, such as a Northstar V8 or a Mazda 20B 3-rotor engine.

For most of the Delorean's fans, the car just has a magical presence that makes us like and want the car, then as we drive and own them, we discover even more of their good qualities. These were cars that were intended to be everyday use sportscars, which they can still do quite well. If, like plenty of others, you still just don't "get it", that's alright; we can't expect everyone to like them, and it just makes more to go around for those of us that do like them
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Old 09-07-2003, 10:52 PM   #3
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I see, thank you for your lengthy, and rather detailed reply.
I agree with every part of it. There just are some things that are so cool, that they remain cool even though the time doesn't suite it. I appreciate your liking for this car.

Personally though, I don't find it very appealing.
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Old 09-08-2003, 01:29 AM   #4
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Well, from my experience of owning a Delorean, it's either love at first sight, or it's just really not your style. I bought mine without even test driving it, that turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life, but that's besides the point. If I was given the opportunity to buy a Delorean again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. There's just something about driving it that's cool, and not just that fact that it's a chick magnet. Only real problems over all is the heavy rear end, and the real lack of visability.
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Old 09-08-2003, 08:32 AM   #5
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Nice job Heep.
I think another aspect of the DeLorean that should be mentioned is the frame. It's an epoxy coated Y backbone chassis, the same that the Indy cars use. I shouldn't have to explain the positives to that design.

Also the gullwing doors are controlled by torsion bars. "Said to be good for 50,000 opening and closing cycles without losing strength." They were put in liquid nitrogen and twisted through 10 revolutions. "The grain structure of the bar is rearranged and during the process it gets neither smaller in diameter nor shorter." They gave the metal a memory. The torsion bar alone is what makes me cringe when people compare the DeLorean to Bricklins. Yuck.

A lot of people that see our DeLorean ask if we updated the interior. The style looks a lot newer than the early 80s. JZD was way ahead of his time and his vision was and is astounding. He wanted to build an "ethical sports car" that was also a safe vehicle. One that lasted for 25 years plus and the average owner could work on and maintain himself. That in it's self is amazing.
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Old 09-09-2003, 04:48 PM   #6
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Heep really covered the bases on his reply. The nuts of it are personal preferences. If its not appealing to you then not much will change your mind regardless of all the great things these cars are.

I am not a fan of the styling of Skylines. Most people rave about them (and I never argue that they are not top of the line performers) but I think they look like a shoebox. So I do understand how the looks of a car can turn you off to other outstanding features they may have.













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