The DeLorean DMC12 rocketed to fame when it played a starring role in the 1980s movie series Back to the Future. The ill-fated American sportscar gained iconic status when it appeared in Robert Zemeckis’ big-screen hit and now the DeLorean DMC12 is heading back… into production (sorry, we couldn’t resist). Check out an earlier story on the Most Famous Movie Cars of All Time.

Low volume rules

It has been speculated for many years that the American sportscar would re-enter production, but strict laws around manufacturing have put a brake on such plans. A new low-volume law was put in place recently that gives DeLorean fans new hope. The law now allows low-volume automakers to sell up to 325 cars each year that resemble production vehicles manufactured at least 25 years ago. One of the provisos is that the newer vehicles must meet emissions standards for the year in which they are produced. We’re not sure if this includes flux capacitor by-product.

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As a result of these new regulations DeLorean’s vice president, James Espey, announced that the company has started working on a new version of the DMC12 that will be an updated version of the classic. To ensure maximum nostalgia the body will look very similar to the original but with a bit of tweaking. The new car will be built using a mixture of original and new parts and they will feature mod-cons such as power steering, cruise control, navigation, and Bluetooth. No word on flying capability of the new DMC12 so drivers will, most probably, need roads where they are going (we’ll stop now).

Click here to check out a recently launched futuristic-looking American hypercar called the Czinger 21C.

Checkered past

The original DeLorean Motor Company, DMC, ended its checkered life after filing for bankruptcy. Company founder John DeLorean, an ex-General Motors man, started DMC but could not make the DMC12 a viable project. Reviews from the era were not particularly glowing. Thanks to its role in the time-travelling trilogy the DMC12’s popularity was reignited worldwide and we could see a new version within the next year. Maybe Doc Brown and Marty McFly will arrive in a hail of sparks to launch the new model, we can hope (that’s the last one, we promise).

Check out this cool video that showcases a project whereby a group of engineering students have programmed a DeLorean DMC12 to drift like a professional, all by itself, in a video they called MARTYkhana.