Some cars, and one in particular, really do come back from to the future.
This 1981 Delorean DMC-12 may have traveled 33 years into the present, but the really strange thing is it only has 309 original miles.
This perfect stainless steel beauty was found in a storage container with delivery mileage, when an un-named client visited “Corvette Mike” Vietro’s shop. The anonymous client wanted to purchase a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Coupe, and “Corvette Mike” gladly obliged. Mike then asked what the mystery man had to offer in turn.
When the client responded with, “I have a 308, original mile Delorean,” Vietro couldn’t believe his ears. The deal was made and Vietro couldn’t have been happier when he saw a slightly dusty DMC-12 roll into his shop on a trailer.
According to Autoweek, Mike tried hopping into the Delorean but all of the gas had slipped out of the gas-filled struts on the gullwing doors. He quickly had his veteran service manager “call Doc,” to fix the problems.
If you didn’t know, Deloreans were manufactured from 1981 to 1983, where 8,538 cars were fully assembled at the DeLorean plant in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
Financial problems soon overcame the company, as it isn’t cheap to time travel. The man who designed the DMC-12, Giorgetto Giugiaro, made it known for the stainless-steel body and gullwing doors, while the cult following came later.
One would think that a time traveling vehicle would be able to reach warp speed, but the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo 2.8-liter V6 is not a performance powertrain to say the least.
Although, Vietro couldn’t care less about the performance with the DMC-12, as it outshined the looks of all his corvettes. Sadly, when the unnamed client came back to pick up his Corvette, he thought the same thing- and didn’t want to part with his extraterrestrial looking piece of history.
This insane automotive enthusiast now owns a 1966 corvette and 1981 Delorean. Not too shabby.
Both of these cars probably cost more than a chunk of plutonium. Supposedly, the DMC is still sitting in Mike Vietro’s shop, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he loses it in the near future. Someone might manage to get it up to 88 miles per hour.
What would you do with the metal-clad Delorean from the past? Let us know in the comments below.