An eye-wateringly accurate reproduction of the Back To The Future DeLorean recently popped up on eBay. The photo shoot took place at Gamble House, the Pasadena home that once served as Doc Brown's residence. Mega-gallery below.
Biff Tannen gettin' you down? Too many screen doors on your battleship? Don't sweat it, McFly — there's somebody home at eBay, and they want to sell you one of the coolest DeLorean time machine replicas ever built. It's the Libyans!
The car in question, a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, was built by Gary Weaver, a Back to the Future enthusiast widely hailed as the leading authority on DeLorean time-machine replicas. (There's an authority on such things? Who knew?) Weaver has an extensive connection to the BTTF brand; he owns BTTFparts.com and is often described as the go-to guy for parts sourcing and true-to-film accuracy.
The car you see here is the result of six years of research, not to mention countless hours of painstaking construction. It was built on commission for a California owner who requested that no expense be spared and no corners be cut. Everything from the 95-mph speedometer (U.S.-spec DMC-12s are equipped with an 85-mph unit) to the programmable time circuits (they light up and make the proper sheeow noise) is blindingly accurate. Here are a few of the key details, borrowed from the auction's description:
• Built on a beautiful, super-clean, stock 1981 5-speed DMC-12 with over $16,000 of mechanical work and upgrades performed at DMC California in September of 2008. Approx. 78K miles on vehicle.
• Programmable time circuits which function just like those in the film.
• Functioning digital speedometer on the dashboard (reads actual vehicle speed).
• Main Time Circuit switch functions just like in the film, with all sound effects.
• All interior indicators and switches light up, just like in the film.
• Sound effects upon door opening.
• Screen-accurate "OUTATIME" metal-stamped license plate with 1986 registration tag.
• Eagle Goodyear GT tires, as seen in the film (not pictured).
Yeah, we know: Ninety grand for a kitbashed DeLorean is one hell of a lot of money, and by and large, movie cars are pretty stupid. Think of what you're getting, though — this isn't just a period piece. This is one of the few film vehicles that transcends the movie it appeared in. It speaks to you. It means something. It doesn't hate manure.
It's also staggeringly well-done. Most hacked-on DMCs are little more than a pile of neon tubing and some label-maker tape held together with baling wire and love. The car you see here is as close as you're likely to get to the real deal, and it's far more realistic than the two much-spanked stainless tramps that live on the Universal Studios backlot. Buy it. Love it. Call us up and let us play with the time circuits.
Auctions? Where we're going, we don't need . . . auctions. Screw the Batmobile; we're going to the Hill Valley high-school dance.
Robert Zemeckis/M.J. Fox Shout-Out Department: Michael J. Fox doing Marty McFly doing a duckwalking, Gibson-ES-335-gunning Chuck Berry made us pick up a guitar at the tender age of five. Thanks, guys. You rock.
Random Technical Accuracy Point: The residence in the attached gallery is known as the Gamble House. It was built in 1909, from a design produced by architectural firm Greene and Greene, for Procter & Gamble's David Gamble. It's located in Pasadena, California, and appears in the Back to the Future trilogy as the exterior of Doc Brown's mansion.
[Head on over to see the auction at eBay]