Which modern engine would Mr. John DeLorean use?

[LordFly]

Regardless...it would make for an interesting DeLorean

It would, but not much a highway cruiser. I think a modern DeLorean would have a gas engine, or a hybrid at most. Not a full blown electric. And given that JZD was originally after a 200hp engine (in the early 80s!), I think a modern DeLorean would easily be pushing past the 400HP mark by now.

[AugustneverEnds]

I don't think Porsche shares it's engines

It is all a matter of what his potentials are.

If De Lorean was at the same financial squeeze, we would see an engine that is commonly used.
Mitsubishi, KIA, DAIHATSU, HYUNDAI etc

I can still dream

[anywhen]

I hope you don't mean THIS ONE. At the end it ran mid 11's. I'm pretty sure a Veyron can beat that.

Awesome video. The Porsche Hybrid Spyder has the electric motor independent on each front wheel and capacitors that charge from braking. This car pulls through corners with each front wheel pulling at optimum speed. I was appraising a house when I saw my first Chevy Volt. The owner told me that it was the best car he has ever owned. When I inspected his garage he also had a yellow Ferrari. The Volt system is intriguing as it is gas powered to only charge the batteries. Tesla is developing a battery exchange station that will swap a fresh battery in your Tesla electric car in the same amount of time it takes to full up a car with gas.

When it came time to upgrade my DeLorean stereo I went the custom route and keep my Craig to go back stock if needed. The same is true for a engine swap. A four cylinder is what I think DeLorean and Collins would be researching. After $2,500 for my stereo upgrade, I have no regrets.

[DMCVegas]

As much as engineering may dictate a particular engine, other real world factors come into play. It needs to be certified or easily certifiable in the US, the company selling it needs to have enough surplus production to fulfill the need, and they must be willing to sell to a competitor, preferably with good pricing and terms. At the time the only viable option was the PRV and it came with a transmission that needed only minor modification to fit! DMC realized early on the problems with the PRV and was already exploring other alternatives. Perhaps, if things went differently, they might have eventually bought motors from Lotus. Still leaves the transmission problem which Lotus also had. Maybe between the two of them they would have either bought or had made their own. There was a very close relationship between the two companies and they both had similar problems. As a footnote, Lotus no longer makes their own motors, they buy and then extensively modify Toyota motors. Since the Delorean is an overgrown Lotus (at least underneath) it is not too far-fetched to think they may have followed Lotus's growth path.

The PRV was certainly the best choice at the time as since Lotus was engineering the chassis and could modify the motor and transaxle mounts, the PRV/Renault drivetrain was just a practical drop-in from the Renault Alpine. The Rover V8 was also a viable choice since both were already certified for use in the U.S. and needed only minor testing in the DMC-12 platform to obtain certification. However the Rover still needed engineering for the bell housing, as well as potentially additional for the rear suspension. Plus the PRV was fuel injected and far more modular of an engine for future expansion. As is of course the UN-Series transaxle (available for trucks and AWD applications).

As for the future, it's all speculative of course. However JZD did say that he wanted off the shelf parts under the hood as well as wanted to eventually build his own engine. I don't think that DMC would have simply bought engines from Lotus given many factors (production capability, reliability, serviceability, etc). I could see though DMC becoming successful and buying out Lotus (instead of how GM did later on) and adopting their engines as a turnkey solution for mass producing their own. As well as rebadging and assimilating the rest of Lotus as a DMC property.

True, Lotus did eventually kill off the Esprit due to Renault ceasing production of the UN-Series transaxle. But that doesn't mean that like GM selling the Buick 215 engine to British Leyland that eventually became the Rover V8, it's not to say that Renault couldn't have sold off the UN Transaxle off to DMC to become their own as well.

[opethmike]

The PRV was certainly the best choice at the time as since Lotus was engineering the chassis and could modify the motor and transaxle mounts, the PRV/Renault drivetrain was just a practical drop-in from the Renault Alpine. The Rover V8 was also a viable choice since both were already certified for use in the U.S. and needed only minor testing in the DMC-12 platform to obtain certification. However the Rover still needed engineering for the bell housing, as well as potentially additional for the rear suspension. Plus the PRV was fuel injected and far more modular of an engine for future expansion. As is of course the UN-Series transaxle (available for trucks and AWD applications).

As for the future, it's all speculative of course. However JZD did say that he wanted off the shelf parts under the hood as well as wanted to eventually build his own engine. I don't think that DMC would have simply bought engines from Lotus given many factors (production capability, reliability, serviceability, etc). I could see though DMC becoming successful and buying out Lotus (instead of how GM did later on) and adopting their engines as a turnkey solution for mass producing their own. As well as rebadging and assimilating the rest of Lotus as a DMC property.

True, Lotus did eventually kill off the Esprit due to Renault ceasing production of the UN-Series transaxle. But that doesn't mean that like GM selling the Buick 215 engine to British Leyland that eventually became the Rover V8, it's not to say that Renault couldn't have sold off the UN Transaxle off to DMC to become their own as well.

Actually, the real reason that Lotus killed off the Esprit was because it was far too awesome of a car and would have eventually shamed all other cars out of existence.

[anywhen]

I found this on the web.

http://hooniverse.com/2013/07/25/hoo...n-engine-swap/

[ALEXAKOS]

I found this on the web.

http://hooniverse.com/2013/07/25/hoo...n-engine-swap/

Nice find!
Apparently the subject has been recently troubling plenty of people!
Love how the GM northstar sits in there

[jawn101]

One commenter on the above article recommended the Ford/Yamaha SHO engine. I had a '93 SHO with the 3.0L in it and I can say that I'd put that engine in just about any car

[anywhen]

I guess I am obsessed with the motus v-4 engine. Wish I had some data about 0-60 times on a similar size auto. Please excuse me for using the "O" word on this forum.

The other engine that would be perfect for the DeLorean is the 3.8 liter Pentastar. I can not find how much it weighs, but it apparently is a light engine. I have a Jeep Wrangler with the Pentastar. It has 285 horsepower and 260 pound of torque. The 5 speed transmission should handle this power. If not, they are also making smaller version of the Pentastar. Chrysler put this powertrain in the 012 and 013 Jeep Wranglers. The best features are the oil filter is changed from the top and drive-by-wire throttle. A wreck jeep should not be hard to find. I personally think the Motus V-4 is way cool. If I want to go fast, I get on my Ducati, which by the way has a 90 degree "L" twin engine. Same angle layout as the PRV less four cylinders.

Pentastar the modern engine for the movie star car. What do you think?

[LordFly]

I personally think the Motus V-4 is way cool. If I want to go fast, I get on my Ducati

I won't argue it's a cool engine, but I seriously think you'd be severely disappointed with it in a car. If you want a sample, try towing your DeLorean with the Ducati. I know, not exactly the same, but it's close enough that you'll see what it'd be like.