Supercar Megabuild - Delorean reborn link

[Jonathan]

A modern Delorean doesn't need restyling, gizmos and interior mood lighting. It needs reliability and a frame and underbody that can accomodate a more powerful engine pushed inboard and down.

I agree with this. But our "flashy, attention seeking, anything but subtle" society won't. A rock solid frame underneath that nobody sees, wiring updates or anything else "hidden" doesn't make for good TV. It's not click-bait-ish enough. In the "broadcast yourself" era, it needs to scream different, powerful, unique, whatever. I like the cars just the way they are (with those subtle reliability upgrades we all know). And thankfully the car will stay just the way they are because this most recent proposed incarnation ain't getting made. No chance. And I'll eat the sock that comes with Mike's shoe if it does.

[Farrar]

I thought "Supercar" meant a vehicle with a powerful drivetrain, so I was expecting to see an upgraded engine/trans. combo. instead of a quick re-skin. TBH, though, I expected disaster as soon as they said "let's make this iconic car look more modern." (Translation in my head: "Let's take this classic car, destroy what makes it classic, and make it look more trendy.") That's when I turned the sound off and just fast-forwarded to the finished product.

I like the lower engine cover (a feature that was in the original design anyway, but never made it into production). Integrated tailpipes are very "now," but I'm not sure how long they'll last. I've seen quite a few modern cars with nasty stains on the rear because the tailpipes don't stick out.

Looks like they did a good job of building onto the existing fascias, though I imagine just like "reality TV" house remodels, they're meant to look good on camera during the shoot and long-term use doesn't enter into consideration.

Controlling everything from a touch screen? No thanks. I like not having to take my eyes off of the road to adjust the HVAC, lights, and radio.

In my opinion, our cars' problem that they aren't as fast as they look. You fix that by changing the power-to-weight ratio, not by throwing a few grand's worth of vinyl, fiberglass, and LEDs at it.

But in the end, the show is more publicity for DMC-Houston, and I'm OK with that.

[papanoel]

I thought "Supercar" meant a vehicle with a powerful drivetrain, so I was expecting to see an upgraded engine/trans. combo. instead of a quick re-skin. TBH, though, I expected disaster as soon as they said "let's make this iconic car look more modern." (Translation in my head: "Let's take this classic car, destroy what makes it classic, and make it look more trendy.") That's when I turned the sound off and just fast-forwarded to the finished product.

I like the lower engine cover (a feature that was in the original design anyway, but never made it into production). Integrated tailpipes are very "now," but I'm not sure how long they'll last. I've seen quite a few modern cars with nasty stains on the rear because the tailpipes don't stick out.

Looks like they did a good job of building onto the existing fascias, though I imagine just like "reality TV" house remodels, they're meant to look good on camera during the shoot and long-term use doesn't enter into consideration.

Controlling everything from a touch screen? No thanks. I like not having to take my eyes off of the road to adjust the HVAC, lights, and radio.

In my opinion, our cars' problem that they aren't as fast as they look. You fix that by changing the power-to-weight ratio, not by throwing a few grand's worth of vinyl, fiberglass, and LEDs at it.

But in the end, the show is more publicity for DMC-Houston, and I'm OK with that.

I agree mechanical changes would be more interesting but the goal of this faux challenge was all aesthetics. Would be nice to know where DMCH in development on this.... so much for those monthly updates.

[opethmike]

And I'll eat the sock that comes with Mike's shoe if it does.

How anybody that knows Houston's track record could believe that a new car will get made is not comprehensible to my mind.

[Nicholas R]

I do like the look of the front and rear fascias. The front headlights are pretty agressive and I might opt for something a little more subtle, but in general I love it. The front of the DeLorean is my least favorite part of the car. It's by far the most 80s part of the car (not in a good way), so blocky and dated. I love the look of the DeLorean from every single angle except head on. From that angle I think its ugly as can be. The new front fascia would be a welcomed change.

Yuck

That said, if this did actually get produced, do you think DMCH would sell them to existing owners, or reserve the look for their "new" cars?

[Lwanmtr]

I would think that 'IF' the 'updated' body panels went into production and DMCH offered them to existing owners, they'd be sooper pricey...

That front fascia would need to be redesigned to get rid of the slots (which should be part of the rear)...

Perhaps when I get some time, I'll do a mock up of how I'd design the thing (yaay for being a 3d modeler)....hehe.

[David T]

Many of the car reality shows often feature a Delorean. It draws and ratings is what it is all about. For Steve Wynn it is all about the pre-production publicity. It is obvious what they would redesign. Because DMC has all of the panels, they are not going to redesign and make new ones. They may paint them, wrap them, or otherwise do some kind of treatment to them to distinguish the new batch from the original batch. What is left is the interior. It could use an "updating" especially if you want to incorporate all of the new electronics that is available. That means a new console and dash at the very least. Redoing the facias is also a no-brainer, it won't cost all that much and I don't think they have enough old ones anyway. I would not expect a "supercar" drivetrain. That can raise the cost too much. It will probably out perform the original but it won't be a Lambo. Choices are limited because it has to be rear wheel drive. Expect all of the systems to be updated, more reliable and more modern, learning from the years of experience and service of the originals. One thing they may not get (especially in the beginning) is build quality. As we know it is an elusive thing that takes a lot of experience to obtain. In the 2 + years of production DMC never did really get it. As we heard from the people who worked in the QAC centers, the cars got better but every car needed work! As reality shows go it was OK except for the "ticking clock". I wonder just how long it really did take? I would not expect the production cars to look like the prototype. As we also saw, once you start trying to source the production parts and factor in costs, quantities, and lead-times, things start to get cheaper and cheaper. One reason the interior of our cars is mostly vinyl. At some point, if the new build cars don't sell well, DMC will probably offer a kit to "upgrade" the original cars.

[papanoel]

The rear wasn't bad looking as a concept. But I'd like to see the practical version of it. It was clearly not finished or functioning.

[Nicholas R]

The rear wasn't bad looking as a concept. But I'd like to see the practical version of it. It was clearly not finished or functioning.

I noticed that too. Those were clearly just red and yellow pieces of plastic; not actual lenses. Rear fascia was likely still solid foam.

[Lwanmtr]

And yup...once you put a license plate in there that cute dmc layout is broken