Prime Example: 18k-Mile 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed

If ever there was an American auto executive capable of taking on the “Big Three” at their own game, John Z. DeLorean was that person. A professional engineer and innovator, DeLorean progressed from Chrysler to Packard and then made Pontiac America’s third-best selling marque throughout the 1960s before turning a troubled Chevrolet around in the early ‘70s. Growing tired of GM’s conservative management and political matrix, DeLorean started his own car company in 1973 and began development of a prototype two-seat sports car called the "DeLorean Safety Vehicle," renamed “DMC-12.” Colin Chapman of Lotus fame invested heavily, and his company provided significant chassis development expertise, while production was organized in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with heavy support from Margaret Thatcher’s UK government. Even though its run was short, the DMC-12 took on a life of its own almost immediately after the brave venture failed in the early 1980s with nearly 9k cars built in all.

Original and unrestored, this 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 is described by the seller as remaining in excellent condition with only 18,500 original miles of use and three obviously caring owners since new. As the seller relates, this DeLorean was purchased new from a Toyota dealership in Portland, OR on 6/24/82, and over the past year-and-a-half, extensive service and maintenance work was performed using parts sourced from the marque specialists at DMC Midwest and from www.deloreango.com. From the photos posted online, the car’s air-conditioning compressor appears to have been updated with a current-spec unit, relieving the buyer of that issue, and in addition to the original window sticker, this quality DMC-12 includes factory-issued books/manuals and a clean title.