Created by John DeLorean, the father of the Pontiac GTO, the DMC-12 broke cover in 1981. Built in Northern Ireland, it was supposed to hit showrooms as an innovative sports car. Instead, the DeLorean proved to be a flop with poor performance and build quality.
Hit by financial issues by the end of 1981, DeLorean ended up making only 9,000 cars before it went into receivership and filed for bankruptcy. Most of the vehicles sat unsold on dealer lots for months. The DMC was soon forgotten despite its gullwing doors and brushed stainless-steel body.
More than 40 years later, the DeLorean is pretty much an iconic classic. But that’s not thanks to its somewhat attractive design. The DMC returned to the spotlight in 1985 due to its extended appearance in the “Back to the Future” film as a time-traveling automobile. And it was featured again in the 1989 sequel.
Come 2023, the DMC is generally viewed as a rare and exotic classic. And even though it’s been more than four decades since the last DeLorean left the assembly line, low-mileage examples keep popping up occasionally. The barn-kept model discovered by YouTube’s “DeLorean NATION” is the latest.
Found in southern Wisconsin, this DMC-12 is not only an unrestored survivor but also a one-owner vehicle. Moreover, the odometer shows only 977 miles (1,572 km), which makes this DeLorean the lowest-mileage example discovered in recent years. The 90-year-old owner claims the car hasn’t been moved in five years, but our host claims it looks like it has been sitting for about two decades.
But while the amount of time this DMC has spent in the barn remains a mystery, the vehicle is in solid condition, save for a few issues associated with improper long-term storage. The body is covered in a thick layer of dust, the engine no longer runs, and the interior smells really bad due to rat infestation.
Amazingly enough, though, the gullwing doors still work, and the original tires still hold air. All told, it looks like this DeLorean is only a thorough bath and detailing away from becoming an awesome survivor. And hopefully, that’s precisely what this DMC-12 will get now that it’s out of the barn.
Naturally, the car still has its original 2.85-liter V6 engine. The DMC-12 was initially scheduled to get a Ford engine, but DeLorean eventually opted for a V6 developed by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. Known as the PRV, the lump found its way into various vehicles over the years, including the Dodge Monaco and the Eagle Premier.
The DeLorean version delivered 130 horsepower and 153 pound-feet (207 Nm) of torque. But that’s enough history for today. Hit the play button below to see this low-mileage DMC emerge into the light for the first time in decades.