Corvette Culture

Building a Corvette-powered DeLorean DMC-12

Scott Kolecki··
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Food for Thought: Why not Build a Corvette-Powered DeLorean DMC-12

There have been few cars in automotive history more iconic than John DeLorean’s DMC-12.  When the car showed up in the early 1980s, it became an almost overnight sensation.   When it showed up as Doc Brown’s time machine in 1985s “Back to the Future,” it became a cultural phenomenon.

A beautiful example of a 1981-1983 DMC-12 Delorean coupe.
A beautiful example of a 1981-1983 DMC-12 Delorean coupe.

Unfortunately, the DeLorean was more “splash” than substance.  Yes, the car looked aggressive, with its gull-wing door and its long, low profile.  However, when it came to power, the DeLorean was found to be lacking.  Every DeLorean built during its two-year production run came equipped with a Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) 2.85 liter (174 cubic inch) engine that produced an underwhelming 130 horsepower (132 PS / 97 kW) at 5,500 rpm.  Despite having a relatively low curb weight (2,718 pounds), the DMC-12 had a factory-published 0-60 time of 8.8 seconds, though Car & Driver magazine put its actual 0-60 time at 9.5 seconds while Road & Track reported it to be 10.5 seconds!  Hardly the stuff of high-performance time machines, or even early-80s-era sports cars.

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